[Kaneda]

Just curious if anyone's had a chance to modfiy the car's suspension/tires/sway bars to correct the numb sterering displayed by the stock setup...

Almost 2,000 miles on my car and I just can't fall in love with the stock setup...the car feels completely detached from my hands and you just have to "trust" it at the limit...really starting to regret my purchase, hopefully mods will fix this lack of feel.

[Wales Garage]

this will help with the feeling

Perrin Performance - Positive Steering Response System

[monk]

^ what he said + look around for non compliant/low compliance bushings of every sort. the sti's are famous for soft bushings... which beats the fvck out of common sense.

coil-overs and thicker sways: get them.

start talking to people from turn in concepts (great guy), rce and kartboy. if they don't have a product, they may look into making one if this is a common problem. they have the resources to tear apart the steering and understand where the disconnect might be.

i "trust" your driving this car "at the limit" in a closed course, because the "limit" is really fvcking out there for an STi... it won't lose traction until well after you're ready for it to (if you're driving it well)... and then you better not be on a public road.

[kris]

Originally Posted by Wales Garage

this will help with the feeling

Perrin Performance - Positive Steering Response System

Would the Whiteline ALK perform a similar function to this?? I too am looking for anything to improve the steering feel...and not at the limit, but in general driving it feels too light on-center and too boosted when you are entering a corner...it leaves me feeling a bit detached from the car.

My current plans are to install a Whiteline ALK, better endlinks, and a more aggressive alignment. Future plans are for bigger sways (if necessary) and springs or coilovers.

[Digitalfiend]

Originally Posted by kris

Would the Whiteline ALK perform a similar function to this?? I too am looking for anything to improve the steering feel...and not at the limit, but in general driving it feels too light on-center and too boosted when you are entering a corner...it leaves me feeling a bit detached from the car.

My current plans are to install a Whiteline ALK, better endlinks, and a more aggressive alignment. Future plans are for bigger sways (if necessary) and springs and coilovers.

You and I are pretty much on the same mod path.

What you described with the steering is pretty much what I've found as well and more so with the on-centre steering than anything. The car actually turns exceptionally well into a corner and is rather precise, but that on-centre and initial turn-in, is a bit "vague". Not nearly as bad as what the reviewers state.

Anyhow, as for ALK, my understanding is that it is meant to help keep the tires on the road during acceleration out of a corner, across uneven surfaces, etc - not so much for steering feel (edit: though any caster change could affect the steering feel obviously). Pete (gp9u) on the TSC forums had it installed on his '04 and I don't recall him mentioning anything about tightening up the steering feel. I would definitely look into replacing some of the bushings upfront though and a lot of the initial play and vagueness in the steering could be coming from there. You could also contact Whiteline as they have been VERY helpful to me in the past, though they might not have a lot of experience with the '08 yet. Talk to Pete (gp9u) as well.

Let me know what you find out and I'll do the same.

[paikman]

Yeah Digital I think I've been experiencing about the same. Though definetely not on a "race track " environment, the amount of initial turn-in is kind of a wild guess at first when not used to the car. It turns-in actually really well, esp at higher speeds, I was quite surprised. I think most of the wandering feeling or vagueness reviewers are so critical are about is because most of the tests they either drove an Evo right before or after it. it's definetely not as bad as they say.

[polyol]

More caster will improve the steering feel...you can get that through camber plates/ALK. Inheriently the stock streering rack is slow and only a faster rack will fix that.

[Digitalfiend]

The old car has the same ratio as the new one (but different caster), yet the on-centre feel is different, so hopefully there would be room for improvement without switching to a faster rack.

[Wales Garage]

being that i own a lgt and the 08 sti having a very similar front suspension set-up. it takes alot of parts to make the car have a "crisp" feel. mine felt best with all the cusco bracing parts as a team ie tower bar, lower arm bar, and sway bar. after driving the new sti i can tell you the car is leaps and bounds ahead of my car. this is why ill pick my sti out after all this engine business is sorted out. also dont forget the sti is good, the aftermarket makes it great.

[BlueF]

I was thinking of going with Perrin's Positive Steering Response System, but I'm not convinced that will give me the steering feel the STI *should* have!

I'm saving for a quick ratio steering rack, either from Rev Labs (if they still exist) or importing the JDM STI 13:1 ratio rack, compared to our miserable USDM 15:1.

[MEXSTIMPREZA]

Same here, Subscribed.
(I am also thinking PSRS, endlinks, sway bars + alignment, if this does not work, then coilovers and steering rack also)

[flatthump]

Why don't one of you guys chalk up the front tires and see what kind of contact patch this thing is getting in stock form? When that is know, tuning the 'turning' can be done.

[Edvig]

What about the tires. What do you guys think about the SP Sport 600s?

I just put my stock 18" wheels and tires back on and I swear that I have less feeling now than when I had my winter set up (235/45-17, Bridgestone RE960) on the car. Granted, my stock SP Sport 600s only have about 200 miles on them, since they came off almost immediately after I picked up my car. Does it get better when the tires break in?

[Turninconcepts.com]

I noticed much sharper steering response with better tires. I went with 265 35 18 RE01R's and there was a huge improvement in response. The ALK will be available soon, as soon as we get some, and will increase caster quite a bit which will also help steering feel.

Tony

[polyol]

The steering on my 04 feels really good now with a alk/engine mounts/camber plates and steering rack bushings. Night and day really. That is your best route to better steering feel...unless you have over a thousand for a quicker rack.

Stock caster is around 5 degrees...get that up to 6.5 and see how it feels then.