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Suspension Upgrade Time!!

5K views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  c2bcoolwrx 
#1 ·
Ok folks it is that time...summer...I’m AutoXn and I need to reduce some of that body roll.

My current handling mods: Whiteline ALK (Comfort), OZ Ultraleggras and 225/45-17 RE-01Rs, SS Brake Lines.

Here is what I want to do....

Stage 1:

Cobb F/R Sway Bars w/adj. rear mounts
Kartboy F/R Endlinks
Hawk HPS Pads
Brake flush and synthetic fluid

Stage 2:
Prodrive, Mach V, or RCE Black Springs
Tokico D-specs w/adjustment extenders
Scooby921 Strut spacers
STi Group N F/R strut top mounts

So I'm doing stage 1 first..gonna see how I like it and then move to stage 2 if necessary.

SOO....any suggestions or is it good to go?
 
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#4 ·
The bars and links are the best money spent on these cars IMO. With your tires I would try full stiff on the rear bar for autoX. The car will rotate !Thumbs Up

I'm running Whiteline springs and adjustable Koni's. If you're going to get serious with the handling, you'll want to include camber/caster plates in your list (or coilovers with plates) Being able to achieve good alignment #s is key to really sticking. Then you'll want to stiffen things up with strut braces, subframe locks etc. so your dynamic alignment is as good as your static. Oh, and the roll center kit, and some R compounds.....it never ends :D of course if you're autoXing you've got to be careful with classing.

I was kind of surprised to see the ALK as a first mod, how much difference did you notice ?
 
#5 ·
I was kind of surprised to see the ALK as a first mod, how much difference did you notice ?
Well my first handling mod was the rims and tires. Then about a month later I did the ALK.

As for ALK, it was a significant improvement in handling. It really surprised me, even my buddy who has driven it b4 and after ALK said he was impressed. For $200 the ALK is the best bang for the buck mod I have ever done. I highly recommend it.
 
#8 ·
I am going with the Cobb setup w/adjustible rear mounts which is 25mm hollow sway bars front and rear...so I beleive they are not quite as stiff as a 25mm solid bar such as whiteline sways.

I think you would be fine w/a 22 in front and an adjustable 24 in the rear. Just make sure to get some endlinks.
 
#9 ·
f/r rear swaybars are a good start- the hollow 25mm bars (Cobb/Hotchkis) equate roughly to 22mm (maybe 22.5)- you do save some weight w/ hollow bars, but personally I think a bigger front bar is more advantageous-especially on stock springs/dampers

the Impreza w/ it's MacPherson strut design, loses a significant amount of camber (goes positive) in a hard turn- a larger front bar helps mitigate some of this loss (as does higher spring rates and more static neg camber)

I know of two serious autoxers that were running Whiteline 27/29 front bars, both went to much stiffer spring rates (stiffer as in the 500# range :)), both thought that with the firmer spring rates they would ditch the bigger front bar and go w/ something a little softer- after a couple of events, both went back to the bigger front bar. They arrived at this point independently of each other.

Not advocating that every run out and get a 27/29 front bar, just trying to illustrate the importance the front sway bar plays- I would advise almost anyone on either "even steven" front and rear bars OR even more so a larger front bar w/ a "medium" rear bar

It took me about five years of trying almost every conceivable sway bar combination to finally get the light to come on :)
 
#11 ·
I'd suggest an adj 24mm- ish one (the WL one is 24/26) combined w/ an adj 22mm- ish in the rear- this would be a good all around setup that allows several different combos

Also RCE just came out w/ 25mm adj f/r bars that would be worth looking at too
 
#12 ·
Did the brakes today at a buddy's shop. Originally I was just going to have them shave the rotors if necessary. But, last week when my buddy and another tech took a look at the stockers they said to get new ones. So we did the following:

DBA 4000 Slotted Rotors Front and Rear
Hawk HPS Pads
Valvaline Synthetic Brake Fluid (Full Flush and Refill)

I know what some of ya are thinking that anything but some cheap blanks or OEM rotors are a waste of $.

But, I tell ya the brakes feel way better than brand new stock (or even when I just changed the pads and did a flush on the stockers). The brakes are not as grabby as the stockers initially, have much more linear/smooth response, and more bite. All in all I am very happy w/the results.

Also got to work on my buddy's S2000, mated the motor to the tanny and put her in. I must say it was easier than I expected, once we greased up the crank shaft and it just slide right in, clutch fork went into place, then tightened all the bolts and then brought the tanny/engine in from underneath. Just waiting on the head gasket and then the turbo will go in. His car is going to be sick...he is shooting for 700-800hp...so it’s definitely not his DD.
 
#13 ·
I am have pretty much been absent from this site for a minute, slow load times in Iraq, plus I help moderate another forum, But anyways, here is my opinion, as suspension is my LOVE!

I autcross(2006 WRX), and in doing so, needed to eliminate that horrid understeer, as our cars stock handle like wet sponges, I called up Chris at ScoobyTuner.com - Engine, Suspension, Brakes, ECU Tuning and more for your STi, WRX, Legacy, & Forrester, and in talking with him, decided on the Whiteline sway bars, then the issue of width, I went with 24mm for both front and back, both adjustable, as when adjusted the rear basically has the rigidity of a 22mm(lowest setting) hollow bar, and when the front on it's highest setting, it is uber- Stiff, and with the back better adjusted harder to straighten out the understeer, all problems are resolved, and that was on stock springs and struts...I think.

Now, I am using an H brace(home fab with le' welder'), megan track series coilovers, which work wonderfully, better than the Tein's I test drove on my car for week, super clean looking, and great adjustability, front strut tower brace, rear brace, Sparco Harness bar(might add some rigidity to chassis) front and rear whiteline endlinks(and rear brackets), megan trailing arms, and some other little goodies. Topped it all of with a set of 5zigen FNO1R-C rims(17X8.5) and a set of falken azenis rt-615 tires at 245 midth(no rubbing), and my car is GLUED to the road, and the grand total was about maybe 3500 or so, so not that bad for the best supsension setup I have ever felt in an Autocross car other than the formula types.

Suspension is definitely an art, and when really getting into it, a $1500 set of corner weight scales, and a good amount research will allow you to turn pretty much anything(with the inherent adjustabilty options) from a Grocery getter, into a monorail.

My.02
 
#16 ·
Update - "stage 2" suspension complete

So, I thought I would bump my old thread to post my new setup and a bit of a review...

New Parts:

KYB GR2 Struts
Whitline Max C Camber Plates
Group N rear Top hats
STi Aluminum Front Control Arms
Whiteline Front Roll Center Adjustment Kit
Swift Sport Springs
TIC Fender Braces
Eibach Camber Bolts
Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Specs 225/45-17 (those were put on about 2 months ago)

It has been a week since the install and I got an alignment, so.....The review:

The ride feels smooth as stock on normal roads. On rougher/older roads it still feels good, but you get additional feedback due to the stiffer springs. Once pushed a bit in the corners I feel the difference in that the car feels more planted and composed w/less body roll. Lastly, turnin and entry/exit of corners have all been improved. All in all I am very pleased.

Finally, I will also be changing brake pads to Stoptech Street Performance Pads and doing a flush/fill. I just got the pads from fedEX today (but they sent the wrong rears :mad:). I will update and post a review once I get the order fixed and install.
 
#17 ·
So I decided to make 2 minor changes to the setup. I changed to a shorter bumpstop on all four corners.

http://turninconcepts.com/product_in...oducts_id=1077

I also added the Paranoid Fabrications saggy butt spacers to the rear (.25 inch version). To get a bit more travel back in the rear.

http://turninconcepts.com/product_in...roducts_id=559

So after the install and a fresh alignment the ride feels GREAT. It was good before, but I noticed my daily commute on the highway was a little bit rough at certain parts. Now, the car feels smoother and more composed over bad road. IMHO now it feels even better than stock. I think I have found that balance I was looking for in my suspension, good handling w/as much comfort as possible.

I also installed the Stoptech Street Performance pads front/rear and changed the brake fluid. They feel great, the initial bite is excellent, and they are very consistent pads that will show you some real bite with the right pedal pressure. Hands down these are the best DDer pads I have ever had (comparing to EBC Greenstuff, Hawk HPS, Axxis Metal Masters). It really is not even a comparison peformance wise and on top of that they are CHEAP.
 
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