[RaceComp Engineering]

2008 STI New York Project Car

It was only a few months ago that I caught the Ecela express train to NY City to pickup Chris Lambiase's 06 STi for a major suspension revitalization project. Just 10 weeks after we poured our suspension love into his 06 STi Chris drove by a Subaru dealer and the new look of the 08 STI made enough of an impression that he called me and asked me the question that I get asked the most these days; should I get an 08? .

Knowing Chris is an avid cyclist, VP group publisher of Bicycling and Runner’s World Magazine, as well a dedicated family man, I felt the functionality of the 08 with the increased handling performance would be a good upgrade and he literally left the decision in my hands. I remember the call very clearly,” I know this will sound crazy, but what if I said I wanted the 08(STi)? I paused, and responded.... "Do it " . I knew with the 08 STI being based on the Legacy platform it would suit him better with his daily commute into the city. After all I had driven those roads and knew first hand how rough and how smooth they could be.






So within days his 06 STI clad with Ohlins fixed perch, RCE Blacks, Group-N top hats, Stage 2 Cobb, Recaro Speed seats, and special JDM Spec-C wheels on new Bridgestone RE010R's..was sold to a very lucky local enthusiast. Chris then headed to the dealership to pickup his new 08 STi dark gray with silver BBS wheels. That was on a Thursday night. Immediately, like most car enthusiast the modifying began. No different from prior STi’s Chris has owned, aftermarket wheels and a Cobb stage 2 came right away. The wheels he chose were wheels he always wanted on his prior 2,…..Prodrive GC010G in British Black, 18inch with a good offset for what would later carry the new Dunlop Star Spec, but that’s for later.

First thing Saturday morning I get “the call”. It’s from Chris and on a Saturday morning no less, which is rare as he does a grueling 60 mile super fast group ride with about 50 cat 1/pro level cyclist who average about 25mph through some of the toughest roads in and around White Plains New York. Why he was calling me I didn’t know, but I had an idea!

“..Ok so I got it, but man….what did I get myself into..?” he asks. I knew from the sound in his voice that we were going to have some fun. So I jumped on the computer at home as he was talking and pulling his bike out of the trunk of his new 08 as I checked for flights and or train tickets to New York Penn Station for Monday morning. “We need some shocks and sways and an ALK and then I can see if I want to keep it…” I laughed a big laugh inside as I asked what time should I meet him on Monday in the city (NY).



This is the relationship and understanding we had over the years. I would do all I could do to help him and he would motivate me to get back on the bike and loose the weight I had been trying to loose for 20 years since I use to cycle. Chris was very much the person who kept saying, “you gotta’ get back on the bike”….

I first met Chris in the fall of 2004 when RCE was working out of office space about a mile from my house in Columbia, Maryland. He had just bought his 04 STi and the car wash in mid town (NY) kept tearing off his V-limited spoiler. So after 3 spoilers he was fed up, but in the interim I began to recognize the frustrated New York accent each time he called in. Nothing changed when he bought his 2006 STi except that car didn’t really need a V-limited, instead it got all the other toppings and then fast forward 2 STi’s later to when the 08’ caught his eye.

Chris is no stranger to niche market cars. Over the years he has owned a cacophony of cars ranging from a 69’ MG Midget, a 73’ BMW 2002 Tii, a 88’ M5, a 91’ Porsche C4 Ruf and more recently a 07’ BMW 335 coupe.

So Monday morning I was on another fast train from Baltimore to New York Penn Station to pick up the 08 STi for a total suspension transformation. The objective was simple, or so I thought. Tune Chris’s 08 STi to carve exit ramps, be predictable, and not upset other ceo’s and cfo’s that he occasionally has in his car. At 50 years young, Chris didn’t want those typical looks of “why are we bouncing around” like the first STi was famous for. Oh and did I mention the suspension had to endure the Cross Bronx Pkwy, West side highway and the ruts and construction on the Tappan Zee river Bridge. That’s a tall order for any suspension.

For me, this was an opportunity to get out of town and log some road miles in the new 08 STi. After 4 hrs behind the wheel I still wasn’t “one” with the car for all the reasons many others have expressed. The unconnected steering feel, the soft suspension, to name a few. It generally lacked the “raw-ness” of the previous model. What I was banking on and hoping was that the basic foundation, with a little bit of luck, could release improved handling and turn in response. My game plan was to target all areas of the suspension with known good upgrades yet keep the car livable on the streets and bridges of the Big Apple.

Having the car for a week meant I could live with it and get used to some of its handling traits. Experience the new model and its multi link rear suspension and Legacy based front suspension. One of the first things you notice is this car turns much better than the previous model….BUT…it lacks the necessary communication that would otherwise be confidence inspiring. For this we installed the Whiteline steering rack bushings. I noticed an immediate difference and I knew we were on our way to a true transformation.





One of the modifications in the past that was not so livable for Chris was the transmission and engine mounts. Knowing this and the fact that some 08 STi owners have already broken their pitch stop mounts, we installed the Kartboy Pitch stop mount to help stabilize the engine and try to keep some comfort in the cabin without the vibration from the other harder mounts. I agreed with Chris we would try this and if we had to later we would do the other mounts. So far, so good. One thing I noticed after the pitch stop mount was installed was less drive by wire jerking and less “straying” from the line when in a corner or exit ramp.




Next on the agenda was body motion and roll. While we had done fixed perch dampers on his previous STi, there was no such option for the 08. We needed to tailor the ride quality to the Big Apple and with the 08 STi being travel challenged we had to choose wisely. Chris liked the idea of being able to adjust the damping to suit his specific needs and I had a prototype, co branded KW Variant 3 that we had been working with KW on, so naturally that was chosen. This would also give us first hand experience with the product and be able to talk to the end user on an on going basis.

Knowing the roads and conditions the suspension would be subjected to, I didn’t want to lower the car too much if any. The rates chosen were 450 lbs springs front and rear and we settled on lowering it 7mm. Potholes in New York City have clouds in them and I didn’t feel camber plates would be suitable in this situation, nor needed. We chose a OEM group-N spec mount for the front of the car that uses higher density rubber yet still softer than a solid mount and great for handling.

Next we installed Cusco strut tower braces and lower H-braces. While I was unsure of the actual benefit to the new chassis for the strut brace, Chris said it was something he wanted and it couldn’t hurt. The H brace was a solid improvement under hard cornering and the benefits could be felt once we had the entire package installed.

The factory sway bars on the 08 STi are consistent in size to the factory spring rates and the factory struts. For the transformation we wanted something that would work well with the improved components and feel like a “package” rather than things thrown on the car. One of Chris’s prior cars was purchased with an entire “kit” of components and yet the handling wasn’t really improved. We set out to use known parts that worked well together and left the driver feeling inspired, connected and “at one” with the car, something I had not felt on my trip back from New York.

With all of the parts installed there were 2 things that needed to be done. One was to remove the Dunlop Star Spec tires from the back of the car that had made my cloths smell like rubber after 4 hrs in the car. Two, was to get the car aligned. An alignment was surely the glue that would bring this together.

My initial road test was some what of an epiphany since I had not really liked the 08 STi. Even before the alignment I could not believe the turn in response. The steering was cerebral and the ride quality with our new dampers was spot on BEFORE I made adjustments. Settings for rebound and compression were in the middle. The car was sooo flat in corners it begged for better seats within a single exit ramp. All of a sudden the low sitting, Legacy platform seating position, which allowed my 6ft 2inch frame to look across the dashboard, was really starting to hit home. I honestly had not felt this way about a Subaru since I drove my employee’s STi that has over 30k invested. And keep in mind we hadn’t aligned it nor installed the new Dunlop Star Spec tires





I immediately called all employees to ride in the car. First words from 2 out of 3 were….”..What’s the spring rates again….?” All were incredibly impressed with the way the suspension could absorb bumps yet you still felt VERY connected and you could tell there was a lot of potential in the set up.

I spent 3 more days in the car logging miles. I was going in and out of Baltimore trying to simulate the inner city bumps, ruts, and potholes. Taking my son for rides from the bus stop in Davidsonville and gauging his ability to nap in the back seat based on my rebound settings. I knew I found the sweet spot because I could drive 15 miles down Rt. 50 headed towards Washington D.C. while he slept. Bridge expansion after bridge expansion his little head was unaffected by the motion of the car. Yet, back roads and nasty dips and transitions of off camber concrete to asphalt could not shake the new set up. Don’t think my 8 year old was the core of the set up because he wasn’t. It was the ability to go from road to road and situation to situation and not be “caught out”. Super late trail braking didn’t render the upset, stability control inducing reaction that 3 days prior would result in. The ability to get on the gas sooner on rough roads and the lack of body roll present made me miss my 04 STi and made we want to do a few more things to my 06’ Legacy Spec-B! It became very apparent that with a 45mm wider track and multi link rear suspension that the new car has far more potential than its predecessor.

I spent another day finalizing the compression and rebound settings. We logged about 300 miles of driving in and around Maryland and Washington DC. I consulted my Porsche GT3 friend and original race instructor to ride along. Again…he couldn’t believe the spring rates were what they were. He was impressed at the new chassis and had also, like me, not been impressed with the 08 STi, but that Chris’s car changed that. I explained that with a few modifications a stock car can be transformed and that you don’t have to do the entire package.


I was in love again with a Subaru product. This was amazing. I would have not known this feeling could exist again had Chris not taken the plunge. The final test was only a few days away, but first, we have to get the tires installed and get a nice sport alignment.

Our choice for alignment specs was a tough one. Chris drives this car about 3 days a week into Manhattan. On weekends it takes him to various cycling events and almost always via a nice back road. Knowing this we decided on -2.0 degrees of front camber and left toe settings at dead zero. Rear camber was left untouched until the next stage where we will probably add Whiteline rear camber bushings, an upper arm and a Whiteline Anti Lift Kit (ALK).

I talked to Chris and explained how the car will react as you approach the limit. By both of us having the same passions I was able to draw some cycling parallels for how the car will handle and the tell tale signs that he might be going too fast in any given situation. Chris has driven Limerock and Watkins Glen and has attended Skip Barber race school so he knows where 9/10ths ends and 10/10 begins. We always talk about how 10/10th is always followed by a call to the wife and that we didn’t want.

When the alignment was complete I had already become used to how the car handled and was very surprised how much of an impact the final alignment specs made on the overall handling. The Dunlops really made a HUGE difference in overall grip levels and come up to temperature fast. The Star Specs are quieter than the stock tires and perform better in the wet in my opinion. The tires really put the final touch on this long well thought out project. I was very, very impressed with how sophisticated the ride quality is and yet did not need any adjustments if I chose to take a back road to all my destinations. This car could be tossed and slid and never loose its composure. It made me very much reconsider all of the reviews I had read.





Each day we did certain things to the car and each day I called Chris as we did the modifications. Once the car was finally done I actually called my wife first. I basically told her( asked her) that we really should get an 08 STi and that it was functionally better for us and had more room than her Boxster S. I thought the cell service in that area was bad because I dropped the call, then I realized she wasn’t having any of that and I had been hung up on. Oh well I guess I can keep making upgrades to Chris’s car which would put me behind the wheel of one the best handling STi’s to date.

Myles Williams

[CharlesC]

Sounds like this thing is going to be sick, wonder if I will ever see him in Scarsdale.

[Datadatum]

Nice story, Myles.

[Edvig]

Wow, nice build.

Hopefully run into Chris one day and I'll get to check out the car in person.

[deeksmooth]

lil curiosity here, what did the setup run? i'm interested in improving the lackluster 08 suspension, but also don't wanna feel like i'm in a cart.

[puffxy]

That was very inspiring, to say the least.

[RaceComp Engineering]

Originally Posted by puffxy

That was very inspiring, to say the least.

I was NOT a fan of the 08 prior even though I knew it had potential. I just wasnt feeling up to having to figure it all out etc. But I was surprised how easily the handling "shines up"...with a few of these mods. I really do want one now.

Mw

[deeksmooth]

so i'm assuming all of this remedied the repulsive understeer.

[RaceComp Engineering]

Originally Posted by deeksmooth

so i'm assuming all of this remedied the repulsive understeer.

Yes ..AND thats before we do the ALK and Roll Center kit.

Mw

[HRCboy]

Nice Write up! I would love a list of what you guys did and the cost?

After I installed front, rear swaybars and a sticker set of rubber. It totally transformed the handling characteristics of the 08.

I love my Accessport stg 2 tune... but if i was able to only do one I would definitely spend my money on Sway Bars and a stickier set of rubber first!