stock strut / 17"x7.5" rim clearance question
 

So I've pretty much come to the conclusion that I'm going to need to ditch my coilovers for a while after the boy is born - I don't want his little brain bouncing around in his noggin when I strap him in to the back seat. :P

I want to put the car on lowering springs with the stock struts at least over the winter.

I'm pretty sure I should be ok on clearance, but I just want to be extra confident that the "Subaru size" aftermarket rims (17"x7.5", et48) will clear the huge spring perches on the stock struts, even with a good 1.5" drop.

And as an afterthought, does anyone have a decent set of 04/05 WRX/RS fitment springs they want to get rid of?

Umm, the compressed length of your springs doesn't change the height of the lower spring perch dude. ;) The Gram Lights will fit onto any OEM strut you can put on your car, including inverted STi struts. Same with other wheels I've heard you mention, and with your Rotas. And if you can hold out until you are done autocrossing, you might as well just put stock springs on, or maybe STi takeoffs. Softer is better in winter.

Yeah, I don't know why I phrased it that way. I guess it's been a long day. My question really had nothing to do with the springs - just the perches and wheels. All the lowering spring shtuff was just preamble. :P

Anyhoo, I want to go with lowering springs so I can still have a bit of fun during the last few events without having to hate my stock suspension (besides that, I hate the look of the stock ride height, particularly on 17" wheels). There's really no way I can continue on the coilovers after August - the car will need to be more comfortable for a while.

And as far as winter goes, I've already gotten used to driving in the snow on 440/330lb springs, so I figure 250/220 will be a real treat! :lol:

Another inquiry:

All the descriptions for the Prodrive springs say they are, "designed to work with the stock strut." Taken with a grain of salt, to be sure. But none of the others do - for example, the Tein S-tech. Is there really going to be a big difference between the two? The Prodrives advertise a 25mm drop - about an inch - but I've read that it often turns out to be a bit more. The Teins are a bit more agressive, with about 1.6" front drop.

There is also a fair difference in price between the two: about $280 for the Prodrives vs. $200 for the Teins (according to the Gruppe-s website).

I may or may not decide to ditch the coilovers altogether and pick up a set of KYB AGX depending on how I like the springs. Or I could still end up running the springs on stock struts for the time being and going back to coilovers eventually. If I do switch to the AGX, it won't be until the coilovers have been sold off.

Any advice? I don't really have any experience with the pros/cons of the various possible spring/strut combos. Should I go with prodrive just in case I have to stick with the stock struts for a while, or will it not matter one way or the other?

I'll start by saying I feel the Prodrives are the best spring out there for a daily driven car, though I've never experienced the Teins. I started off with some Apex springs, which were quite low and way too stiff. Through a miraculous Ebay fiasco I ended up with a set of Prodrives for about $80. I had them on stock struts for quite a while and they were nice. Not bouncy and not too stiff at all. The drop was a bit more than an inch, but to me it's right where I would want it. When my OE struts finally gave up at around 60K miles (more than 30K of that was with the Prodrives), I got some AGXs and the difference was dramatic. The car feels much more under control over bumps and rough roads now. With the AGXs at full soft, the ride is a bit stiffer than the OE struts, but not uncomfortable at all. And you won't have any rubbing problems with ET48 17x7.5 rims with either OE struts or AGXs. My Enkeis are the same size and offset and I have 235/40/17 S03s on now. I only slightly rub with 4 people in the car around a hard corner.

Do you have a pic of your car with the prodrives on?

Here you go...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7.../Enkeiside.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...EnkeiFront.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7.../EnkeiRear.jpg

Prodrive Springs>S-Tech Springs

Ok, next question: I see KYB listing the AGX as 02-03 WRX application, although Gruppe-s and a few other sites list them as 02+. For reference, my coilovers are also 02+, but of course the entire assembly is replaced from topmount down. Can anyone tell me if the AGX will fit right up with 04-05 springs, or will I have to get crazy with my rear topmounts?

They will work for you. It's rear tophats and upper spring perches (one piece on '04+) that get crazy. Your struts are actually workable for any pre-'05 Impreza, but the AGX are 4 way for the newer body style for some reason, instead of 8 way.

Fourth post:


Buy the GDA AGXs if you get them Jeremiah.

Yah, I saw that. Seems like the washer mod isn't for everyone...

Ok, so the 02-03 AGX will not fit up correctly unless I get rear tophats and springs to match. Hopefully KYB will have an 04-05 application available by the time I'm ready to pick some up.

Does anyone know of any other decent adjustable struts available on the market that have 04+ fitments? I haven't been able to find anything, and I'm not really holding my breath expecting KYB to have theirs out in time for next autox season.

And I'd like to avoid having to rip my stock struts apart (*cough*Koni*cough*) if possible.

I have my old Koni/GC coilover setup I'm about to send out to Ground Control for rebuilding before I sell 'em. If you'd like, there's no reason we can't revalve them for soft rate springs and install 'em on some stock topmounts. You'd have a height adjustable, rebound adjustable coilover on whatever spring rate you want. The only problem is that they're probably out of the price range you're looking to pay for.

Tokico might have an adjustable strut available.

Your car is HAWT Khail. :cool:

Yeah, I think that would be a bit much at this point. I want something that's stiffer than stock but won't turn my boy's head to mush, and I've discovered that I only really need damping adjustability (I never really used the height adjustment on the DNAs) to crank up when I race. Hopefully the 04-05 AGX will be out in time for next autox season.

I won't be able to pick up struts until I sell the coilovers anyway, so it's just springs for now.

Thanks for the offer, though. :)

:concur:

Jeremiah, I think a set of '04 STi takeoffs (preferably with pink springs) would suit you best. Sure, they clunk, but the tyke won't knwo that's not supposed to happen, you'll save a bit of money, and you will know for a fact that your springs and struts work together on your car.

I put some thought in to that, but I decided I REALLY like having damping adjustment. That was my favorite feature on my coilovers.

And my Prodrive springs are already en route. :P

I'll give these a shot, and depending on how they feel, I might try moving to STi takeoffs. The Prodrive springs are a relatively inexpensive purchase, so I won't feel too bad about switching if necessary.

Eh, we drove Chris' daughter around in my car with the TEINs on all the time, and at one year, she seems to be developing just fine!

Thanks guys. Too bad it's so slow...

According to Tein's website, your spring rates are only 336f/280r, whereas mine are 448f/336r. There's a bit of a comfort difference there. :lol:

My wife's complaining about the ride comfort, though. If I go over a bump and she says it gave her a contraction, I can't really argue. :eek: