[hokie_sti]

Here are some autocross pictures from this past weekend.

I'm ordering the RCE springs this week and hopefully I'll find some time to install them next weekend!

[hokie_sti]

Well, the RCE Regular Guy springs are in. I had the help of two local MAIC/NASIOC guys (thanks again Matt and Che!).

The install was straight forward and the springs feel fantastic so far.

I'll post up a thorough review after I get some more miles on the car and a decent alignment.

[hokie_sti]

Ok.... review time

'08/'09 RCE Regular Guy Spring info:
-5mm drop
-shortened bump stops
-320 lbs front / 320 lbs rear (stock rates are 217/194)

I don't have an alignment yet, but I wanted to start posting my impressions on the RCE Regular Guy Springs. I have about 120 miles on the new springs and 35 of those miles are "spirited" back road miles. The only other suspension mods I have are 22mm adjustable whiteline front and rear sway bars. I also have a Sparco seat which helps a bit with feeling what the car is actually doing.

My thoughts in no particular order:

1. The car feels so much more composed during shifting transitions and during gas->brake and brake->gas transitions. Before the car felt very "floaty" during these transitions. Almost as if I was going over a crest/hill and a lot of the weight was taken off the suspension. With the RCE springs, the car feels so much more planted and composed.

2. Shifting feels improved. I haven't noticed the slight bucking that used to be there during shifts and hard acceleration or rev matching and down shifting.

3. Two friends who helped out with the install were very impressed with the ride. They were impressed how quiet the springs were (i.e. no clunking or spring noise) which is probably due to the insulators that came on the springs as well as the large plastic insulator we transferred from the stock springs to the RCE springs.

4. Rough roads don't seem quite as rough. The RCE springs and stock shocks/struts really complement each other well. It doesn't feel like the shocks/struts are trying to fight with the spring anymore.

5. Turn in and hard cornering feel very crisp and flat. Combined with the whiteline sway bars the feel of the car has really transformed for the better.

6. Squatting and nose diving have been greatly reduced under hard acceleration and hard braking.

I'm sure with a good alignment things will feel even better. Hopefully I can find some time to get that done this week.

[hokie_sti]

I've put about 200 miles on the new springs so I dropped by Mach V today to get a performance alignment.

With factory camber bolts, they were able to get -1.2 degrees camber evenly up front and 0 toe all around. Rear camber is not factory adjustable on the GRs.

I snapped this picture before I left. Please excuse my dirty wheels.

[Barrok]

Looking good. Dans car looks mean :|

[hokie_sti]

I had a little incident with a hard object and my oil pan a little over a week ago. I took it to the dealer and they said it was ok. The car has been running fine, but I wanted to verify the oil pickup wasn't harmed. So I took it to a local trusted shop and had the pan replaced. 2 hours labor + $108 for the pan is worth it for peace of mind.

Dented Pan (before):





New Pan (after):

[TrkWhre]

i recommend the gt spec under tray. I ran over a BIG chunk of tire today that blew out on 495 in front of me and when I pulled over I could see it smacked the tray good and left a nice rubber mark.....no dent on the tray and I smiled. lol

[Kevin]

Wow your car is looking great. I really like what you did with the tails. I may need to tackle that. Oh, and your GD wheels are pure SEX on the GR INmyOpinion.

[hokie_sti]

Originally Posted by GTsolutions

i recommend the gt spec under tray. I ran over a BIG chunk of tire today that blew out on 495 in front of me and when I pulled over I could see it smacked the tray good and left a nice rubber mark.....no dent on the tray and I smiled. lol

Thanks, I'll have to check that out.

Originally Posted by Kevin

Wow your car is looking great. I really like what you did with the tails. I may need to tackle that. Oh, and your GD wheels are pure SEX on the GR INmyOpinion.

Thanks! When the tires on the orange GD wheels wear out, I might paint them a new color just for something different. Or I might look around for something a little more aggressive (i.e. 17x9 or 18x9).

[hokie_sti]

I attended an autocross in Frederick, MD over Labor Day weekend. This was the first event with the RCE springs and performance-aligned car. I was very pleased with the way the car handled. The springs and alignment made a VERY noticeable difference. I finished 14th overall and 8th taking into account index times so I'm pleased with that as well.

Car settings:
- Bridgestone RE01R tires (245/45/17): 37psi front, 35psi rear
- 22mm Whiteline Front sway bar set on the stiff setting
- 22mm Whiteline Rear sway bar set on the middle setting
- RCE Regular Guy Springs
- -1.2 degrees camber up front, stock camber setting in the rear, 0 toe all around
- S#, Auto -, traction control off
- 1/2 tank of gas

Here are some shots that were posted on the Capital Driving Club's flickr page.