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Lowering springs buyers what matters more.....looks or function?

45K views 389 replies 76 participants last post by  pio!pio!  
#1 ·
As I put in the tracking # for our first set of prototype lowering springs for the 08 STI, I started thinking about what matters most to you guys(GR's)?

Does that single, typical slow motion "look back" as you walk away from your car matter the most OR..does the way it handles as you brake fight a BMW or Porsche onto your favorite exit ramp with ABS engaged and stability turned off.

I know there isnt a time( dirty or clean) that I didnt do the "look back" as I walked into the store, or just away from my car. Its what guys do. Chics get pissed too !! They cant understand WHY we have to look at it all day long etc. THey also dont see the reason and or purpose in taking a corner fast, or lifting the inside wheel on corner exit of a nice uphill 270 degree corner !!

Point is the GR is a great looking car YET.....doesnt like to be lowered and while the lowered stance has been the visual benchmark of excellence amoungst car guys around the world, vendors like TIC have educated the Subaru communityon travel and geometry etc. So now we all know that lowered doesnt = faster with this car. We now know that this car is travel challenged etc. So how do we handle this issue? I am getting to that.

I get calls from people who say....." yeah dude..I lowered my car 1inch and it pushes and then has snap oversteer.." Or that it rides rough. As I visualize the car at static ride height lowered 25mm its basically on the bump stops. I dont understand HOW or why some of the spring companies have produced springs that lower 30MM !!

Yeah I guess it does push. Keep in mind the GR STI sits "nice" stock, and with 2 people and a full tank of gas looks even better. So how much lower does it really need to be? If you are 18 and you drive with your left hand at 12 o clock on the steering wheel, leaning with the seat back and your right hand on the shifter,....then 9 times out of 10, you want your car DUMPED.( forgive me if you drive that way and are a national autocross champion). Point is we have had an overhwhelming # of request and interest in the functional springs and we value your feedback very much.

ANyway this isnt a technical thread at all..yet a feedback thread. We think we have found the middle ground of functional and maybe "some" looks. Monday we should get our proto's and with a little bit of luck, we will find a local donor to install these on and do impressions and pics etc.

I will reveal the spring rates, lowering amount, the fact that it comes with front and rear bump stops( shortened and firmer), price point, color and real time production completion.

Question is:

What matters more? Looks or function?

Our objective was simply this:

You talked your wife/mom/ GF/Fiancee'/partner/bank loan rep......into you getting an 08 or 09 STI. Times are tough, coilovers are out of the budget..but you still want to hit the back roads, canyons, HPDE, and or autocross circuit. You are low on cash. You want a spring that will work well with the STOCK shocks. Yet you dont want to scrape going into your Uncles driveway..or your local shops alignment rack etc. You want a spring that will with some nice GR toppings( sways, group-N mounts, ALK, rear camber kit, pitch stop) will transform your car. You want a spring that WONT alarm your prick haven dealership that you "modified" your suspension. You want a spring that your wife/mom/ GF/Fiancee'/partner wont notice either. You want a spring that will look barely lowered YET..out performs a cheap coilover !

We hope this to be the 18 month stepping stone to a good set of dampers.

We hope to provide that.

Feedback please.

Myles Williams
 
#14 ·
im going to echo this, as i agree completely.

my car is a daily driver, so i want it to be comfortable. i also want the handling to be improved, and i do realize im going to sacrifice some comfort for that, and am willing to do that (but, i dont want a bouncy uncomfortable ride). lastly, looks do matter, but from what has been shown about this car's rear suspension, i want a minimal drop as i dont want anything to adversely effect anything out back. slamming the car definately LOOKS better, but is not practical for a daily driven car nor is it beneficial in the handling department.
 
#8 ·
As i already pre-ordered my set of functional springs, i would have to vouch for the function. Lets put a scenario together. Lets say we have a guy who wants the 20-30mm drop look, but then goes for a drive. I would think that 90% of them will re-sell the springs or get coils so they can get the ride quality back. a ride height drop of 5-15mm would be reasonable for me, as long as ride quality and performace is brought to the table. for me, the goal is to maximize performance, then ride quality and finally ride height. No sense wasting energy on the spring that cannot ride smooth, and keeps up (reasonably) with the coilover guys.
 
#27 ·
It's funny....this would seem to be the case but in reality when you drive around your local streets you rarely see STIs with a proper suspension. Yes, occasionally you do see someone with a mild drop and some swaybars peeking out under the car, but most of the time....the car is SLAMMED and has cannonball shooter exhaust out the back scraping the ground.

The dumped look SELLS. It just does. Coming out with a purely functional spring is cutting out a large portion of the market, but that's what we do. :)

- Andrew
 
#18 ·
To OP, great write up. Functionality is gonna be the most important. Having a Wife and Kid with another one on the way make dumping the vehicle pretty much out of the question...

While I love the look of a slammed GRB, I want my car to handle like an STi should. 10mm-15mm are gonna be the most I would look for in any spring drop. That's why the STi Pinks are so amazing. You can bet your @$$ that I won't be spending 450+ on flippin' springs though...
 
#22 ·
i dont have an 09 GR STI like most of you, but a GR WRX so my wheels are a little smaller. I like function, but i like the lowered look also. Seen the 25mm lower, but that's too low for my taste. I prefer a nice OEM look. I think if a functional kit is released at 5-10mm tho, i'd probably stick with stock (since my GR is just a daily driver).

side note, not a big fan of the OEM bigger gap in front than back. would the new kit(s) resolve this or maintain the same front/rear ratio?

thanks.
 
#26 ·
I would vote for function as well. I'm looking for no more than about 10-12mm drop with rates that are appropriate for the stock dampers and lowering amount.
 
#29 ·
I think that if the drop is reasonable, without compromises to ride/performance, it will get the rep and sell. Theres already lots of options for guys who want to slam the car and ride the bump stops. The key is to give a reasonable drop, and let the reputation take over to handle the guys thinking about slamming the car.

from the GD options, the rep is there, so most will be looking/waiting for the RCE option for the GRB.

To make the functional sell, i think the standard Myles explaination of design details will do the trick. :)
 
#31 · (Edited)
i am local to you (RCE) and would definitely do a beta of some springs. (if your other guy falls through)

Being one who has had coilovers on 2 of my past cars (5 different suspension setups on 1 in particular), my priorities have definitely gone from looks to performance. I love the look of a lowered car, but if i can't stand to drive it to work everyday, there is no point.

So: 1. handling, 2. stock or very close in comfort, 3. VERY reasonable drop that doesnt effect me getting in my driveway, in my parking garage, or anywhere around town.

the funny thing about coilovers is that even given all that adjustability, once i had found what i liked, they usually stayed that way for the duration. That setting was usually the recommended middle of the road.

oh yeah, just one more add: after the swaybar install i am COMPLETELY happy right now with the stock suspension in regards to comfort and handling. So anything that costs more money would be a tough sell on top of something i am happy with. :) i think a lotta people feel the same way....
 
#32 ·
I am very excited about these springs. I am also very pleased to see the reaction to function. Hope I didnt piss off any 18 yr olds who drive at the 12 o clock position !! lol.

Availability? Well the engineering side of things is done. The springs work etc. The numbers were crunched for the better part of a year. We matched the rates to the shock dyno's of the stock dampers. This is key. Most dont realize that the stock dampers are GOOD. I will repeat...GOOD valving. What sucks is the soft springs that come on the car. So theory meets real world Monday.

I will go thru the list of people who had interest in the springs. If we put together 15 orders in a short time period, we can deliver on the springs in 4weeks. Why?..well these proto's are not bare metal, they are fully painted with all production details.

Excitement is very high right now. I havent felt this way since we introduced the T2's.

Anyone who is local who is available for Monday install call me on my cell. Free springs if you pay for the install. Our installs are done by Atspeed Motorsports since we are in their building. I also need to be able to drive the car for 48hrs and I would pay for a rental car for you.

Myles

443-370-9000
 
#34 ·
Why did I have to buy the Pinks already....and why can't I be LOCAL to RCE???

Hey RCE, I'm local to TiC...How about this...

I'll give you my Pinks for a set of yours? My Pinks are still in the box, never been installed!!!
Ship your springs to Tic...and I'll get them installed right away.

Come on, have a tester in Ohio...and get Clint and Tonys opinions.

I'm serious.
Let me know.

Matt