[Kevin]

A friend who PMd me recently about his recent purchase. When I read it, I told him he had to share it. Not sure why he didn't post, but he gave me permission to share it:

Man I have been driving a '02 Forester around for the last year or so... The '08 is like a rocket ship in comparison. I can say this since the memory of my '05 isn't fresh... It seems to be like the '05 as far as acceleration with a smoother delivery (not as punchy). The ride is way better, as in after a 100 mile drive my kidneys are still intact ('05 i had to wear a kidney belt ). Cornering felt flatter, but then again I was driving on wet and slippery road with my wife as my co-pilot... Needless to say I am not sure how she'll handle once I really get on it. The car "feels" more solid than my '05... I feel like I am driving a car that is leagues above what it used to be. I actually think I am driving a fancy car!

My wife isn't a car buff and she could care less about any of it... Just a little hard acceleration and some bunny turns and she was smiling/giggling like a little kid at an amusement park. She called me today to tell me all she could think of at work was how much she loved the new car... A car company that can make anyone feel like that way has done something right.

[Digitalfiend]

The part about his wife liking it is really funny. My wife strongly disliked my '05, when it was stock, and wouldn't drive it once it was modified. She said it was harsh, uncomfortable, the clutch was too heavy for her to use in traffic, and overall not very friendly to drive. I loved it. I always tried to get her to drive it but she had no interest in it.

When we checked out the '08, her reaction was much more positive. She loves the looks, the utility, the safety, and enjoyed the much improved ride quite a bit, not to mention the lighter clutch action (which I found a bit light but decent enough.) The ability to "tone down" the car with SI drive was appealing to her as well, especially when she is driving in the snow. Overall, I think the new car will suit us as a family much better than my '05.

Thanks for the post Kevin.

[lackskill]

I'm not anti 08, but how could anyone say that they needed a kidney belt for a 100 mile drive in an 05 (assuming stock-ish suspension)? It's not that bad.

[HRCboy]

Here is a conversation I had with another person regarding our 08s. Harsher ride does not always equal better performance. BMW proves this theory with their cars.

Me:
So far the suspension feels not bad for street... might be a tad soft for the track but I'll have to compromise a bit. My S4 had some pretty stiff coilovers and massive sway bars awesome on the track... but a Little too much for the streets. Overall I'm pretty impressed with the stock suspension and might leave it alone for awhile.


him:
--------------Yah I really like the stock suspension, it rocks! I drove through Stanley Park and I've never been in a car that was so fast through there. I remember in my NSX and others I'd be scared of going too fast as the cars would feel like they might bounce off the road (the roads are horrible), but the Sti just sticks and goes, and absorbs the bumps without problem, almost too easy..

[redbread]

Originally Posted by lackskill

I'm not anti 08, but how could anyone say that they needed a kidney belt for a 100 mile drive in an 05 (assuming stock-ish suspension)? It's not that bad.

Yes, actually it is that bad. My buddy has an 05 and has been living with me while he goes through a divorce. We trade cars fairly often as I really enjoy driving the STi and he likes erasing tread from my rear tires.

I have sway bars and Bilstein Sports on my car, his is stock. The STi rides like hell, plain and simple. It's not like it's pulling 1.2g's or anything either. It just rides bad. One of our friends had an Exige with Ohlins that rode better and even his current Radical might ride about the same, and it does pull 1.2g's.

My buddy had an M3 before the STi and when I drove it, it always felt like a limousine compared to my M Coupe, so it's not like my car rides like a magic carpet, but the choppy, brittle and harsh ride of the last gen STi is terrible, like it or not.

[lackskill]

Originally Posted by redbread

Yes, actually it is that bad. My buddy has an 05 and has been living with me while he goes through a divorce. We trade cars fairly often as I really enjoy driving the STi and he likes erasing tread from my rear tires.

I have sway bars and Bilstein Sports on my car, his is stock. The STi rides like hell, plain and simple. It's not like it's pulling 1.2g's or anything either. It just rides bad. One of our friends had an Exige with Ohlins that rode better and even his current Radical might ride about the same, and it does pull 1.2g's.

My buddy had an M3 before the STi and when I drove it, it always felt like a limousine compared to my M Coupe, so it's not like my car rides like a magic carpet, but the choppy, brittle and harsh ride of the last gen STi is terrible, like it or not.

You want a bad ride, take an old datsun 4x4 pickup and crank up the torsion bars. That is a hellacious stock ride and it makes the GD look like a Cadillac. I'm not superman, and I have been on more than one 1000+ mile trip without any ill effect on my back.

I never said it was ideal and I never said it was an 1800lb lotus.

[BlueF]

Originally Posted by lackskill

I'm not anti 08, but how could anyone say that they needed a kidney belt for a 100 mile drive in an 05 (assuming stock-ish suspension)? It's not that bad.

I never thought the older STi rode any worse than my 04 WRX, either with 16 or 18" wheels. Of course, I only rode in 04/05 STIs for few hundred miles (stock suspension), compared to 50k mile sin my 04 WRX (stock suspension).

To be totally honest, I don't find the 08 STI ride quality to be any better what so ever than my WRX was. My wife says it is (and frequently says how much she loves the new car). Perhaps my butt dyno is not calibrated for such a small difference in ride quality. Either way, the ride quality is nothing I am concerned with. I point this out because strikes me as odd how people can "tell" there's any difference.

Cool story from the OP!

[lackskill]

Originally Posted by BlueF

I never thought the older STi rode any worse than my 04 WRX, either with 16 or 18" wheels. Of course, I only rode in 04/05 STIs for few hundred miles (stock suspension), compared to 50k mile sin my 04 WRX (stock suspension).

To be totally honest, I don't find the 08 STI ride quality to be any better what so ever than my WRX was. My wife says it is (and frequently says how much she loves the new car). Perhaps my butt dyno is not calibrated for such a small difference in ride quality. Either way, the ride quality is nothing I am concerned with. I point this out because strikes me as odd how people can "tell" there's any difference.

Cool story from the OP!

I can see people being able to "tell" the difference, but when people try to quantify the difference by completely over-exaggerating what's being compared makes me . IMNSHO (IMnot so humbleO)

[redbread]

Originally Posted by lackskill

You want a bad ride, take an old datsun 4x4 pickup and crank up the torsion bars. That is a hellacious stock ride and it makes the GD look like a Cadillac. I'm not superman, and I have been on more than one 1000+ mile trip without any ill effect on my back.

I never said it was ideal and I never said it was an 1800lb lotus.

Oh I agree, it's not going to hurt anyone, or rattle your teeth like an R Package GD RX7 would, but it's certainly flinty and choppy in a way that isn't really justified by performance. If the 08 is even partially better, then it's a good improvement and between that and the lack of the silly wing, I'm that much more tempted by the 08.

Funny on the old school 4x4 trucks, those things really did ride about as well as a shifter cart!

I also think it's relevant to note that certain car companies can imbide a car with great handling and a smooth ride, Porsche being the best in my experience, and others intentionally make the ride choppy to make the car seem sportier than it really is. Audi and Mitsubishi come to mind for being the worst at this. I think given the market that the STi was initially directed at in the US, the hard ride wasn't unintentional, that's all.

[lackskill]

Originally Posted by redbread

Oh I agree, it's not going to hurt anyone, or rattle your teeth like an R Package GD RX7 would, but it's certainly flinty and choppy in a way that isn't really justified by performance. If the 08 is even partially better, then it's a good improvement and between that and the lack of the silly wing, I'm that much more tempted by the 08.

Funny on the old school 4x4 trucks, those things really did ride about as well as a shifter cart!

I agree.



I am glad I edited my post. I had a bit of a harsh reaction to your last post.

[redbread]

Originally Posted by lackskill

I am glad I edited my post. I had a bit of a harsh reaction to your last post.

That's cool, you've obviously been here long enough to make a few posts, it's easy to look like I'm just coming in to stir stuff up. I can take harsh though, what struck a nerve?

[BlueF]

Originally Posted by redbread

I also think it's relevant to note that certain car companies can imbide a car with great handling and a smooth ride, Porsche being the best in my experience, and others intentionally make the ride choppy to make the car seem sportier than it really is. Audi and Mitsubishi come to mind for being the worst at this. I think given the market that the STi was initially directed at in the US, the hard ride wasn't unintentional, that's all.

This is an interesting point.

In all fairness, I suspect the real cause of a harsh ride is more economics than selling point. If you pay porsche money, you can get handling AND ride comfort. Where as for the econobox rockets -- STI, EVO, etc -- the cheapest way for manufactures to provide handling performance is mostly correlated with a stiff ride (budget suspension setups). Of course, I wouldn't doubt a stiff suspension is also a selling point to some. A badge of performance/courage... something that stands out to passengers, "seems to fit" with the amazing power for the money of these econo rockets.

To be honest, I used to think this way myself. Driving an Evo, for example, seemed like a much stiffer (go-cart-ish) ride than the STI... in my mind, that came with the amazing steering feel and phenomenal handling.

After 4 years of driving my WRX with a reasonably loud exhaust (Cobb TBE) and stock suspension on 18" wheels, I'm actually looking foward to upgrading the suspension for better ride quality AND handling. Rather than going all out power, I am hoping for an efficient and QUIET exhaust, saving my mod money for tires, brakes, and suspension bits that allow me to enjoy the STI both for daily driving and the occasional auto-cross/road course.

[lackskill]

Originally Posted by redbread

That's cool, you've obviously been here long enough to make a few posts, it's easy to look like I'm just coming in to stir stuff up. I can take harsh though, what struck a nerve?

Meh.. My post count is artificially inflated because of a certain high post count thread that was moved a couple times. Each time it moved my post count for that thread was added to my total. I probably have ~3k non-OT posts.

It was probably nothing that you had control of. I'm a bit on edge today and I mis-read part of your post.

[2slow2curious]

This thread confirms the death of the STI in know and love.
Where i am from we have had the STI since around '94 and it never rode good but,invoked a cult following.
This is why we never see special editions over here bar the limited which went the wrong way.
/*****ing

[AzulyOro]

Originally Posted by redbread

Yes, actually it is that bad. My buddy has an 05 and has been living with me while he goes through a divorce. We trade cars fairly often as I really enjoy driving the STi and he likes erasing tread from my rear tires.

I have sway bars and Bilstein Sports on my car, his is stock. The STi rides like hell, plain and simple. It's not like it's pulling 1.2g's or anything either. It just rides bad. One of our friends had an Exige with Ohlins that rode better and even his current Radical might ride about the same, and it does pull 1.2g's.

My buddy had an M3 before the STi and when I drove it, it always felt like a limousine compared to my M Coupe, so it's not like my car rides like a magic carpet, but the choppy, brittle and harsh ride of the last gen STi is terrible, like it or not.

Interesting thoughts... re. Digital and his other half, my wife does drive an M Coupe as her daily (not in winter) and she loves my 05 Sti, power, grip, and instant handling... but did find the ride barely OK... I have Ohlins/Prodrives now so it is much better than stock, but still not as controlled a ride as the M Coupe. Still, I would consider upping to the 08 but after seeing it yesterday I can't tolerate the chintzy interior - too much swoopy painted silver hard plastic. Will look at the first Evo X that comes to the Mitsu dealer to see how that compares - I like the fact that Mitsu came through with the Recaros, and who knows, I might want to try a sequential shifter.