[bluebullet06]

i want to the lower my stock sti would lowering springs have a bad effect later?

[RONIN]

Read the stickys and the suspension forum and you will learn more than you need....Hope you have some time

[mjfubar101]

dont waste the money on something that will not help the handling of the car, if you just want the lowered look then go for it but from what I have read it really wont help handle and may even make it worse. Just my opinion save up and go with coilovers, I have been saving for 6 months now believe me it isnt fun waiting but it will be worth it when I get a quality coilover setup.

[fullerton]

Originally Posted by mjfubar101

dont waste the money on something that will not help the handling of the car, if you just want the lowered look then go for it but from what I have read it really wont help handle and may even make it worse. Just my opinion save up and go with coilovers, I have been saving for 6 months now believe me it isnt fun waiting but it will be worth it when I get a quality coilover setup.

Lowering the car a large amount destroys suspension geometry, regardless of what dampers and springs you use.

Lowering a car via new springs with stock dampers will almost certainly cause the dampers to fail early.

[Icculus]

Originally Posted by mjfubar101

dont waste the money on something that will not help the handling of the car, if you just want the lowered look then go for it but from what I have read it really wont help handle and may even make it worse. Just my opinion save up and go with coilovers, I have been saving for 6 months now believe me it isnt fun waiting but it will be worth it when I get a quality coilover setup.

I'm gonna have to disagree with this statement in general (although I will agree with the poster that there are times it applies). I think the point is more to buy quality and whatever you do, do your research. While money is not something you can always control, those are 2 things you can. I agree that if your longterm goal is to get coilovers and you can foresee it in the somewhat near future (maybe a year out) then yeah save the money you'd spend on springs for coilovers. However not everyone is in that boat. For about $400 bucks you can get a quality set of RCE yellows, Prodrives, jdm pinks, etc that are all quality products will add some drop (an appropriate amount--not slammed) and yes improve handling to a degree. Is it the same as Variant 3's etc? NO. But you also don't have to come up with 3grand

Not to break balls but I think way to many people through coilovers on cars that never see the track just so they can be as cool as the guy they saw in xyz mag. And depending on what kind they buy all they get for it is an empty wallet and a compressed disk in their back

To the OP -- whats your intentions for the car? DD, Auto-X, etc. That should give you some insight which way you maybe should go. Just remember to don't cut quality and do plenty of research before you buy.


EDIT: Just a quick addition. After I thought about it a second I may have come across a little harsh and they was not my intention. Long day, yada, yada. Much love everybody

[mjfubar101]

Originally Posted by Icculus

Not to break balls but I think way to many people through coilovers on cars that never see the track just so they can be as cool as the guy they saw in xyz mag. And depending on what kind they buy all they get for it is an empty wallet and a compressed disk in their back

To the OP -- whats your intentions for the car? DD, Auto-X, etc. That should give you some insight which way you maybe should go. Just remember to don't cut quality and do plenty of research before you buy.

I agree with these comments fully. People go and buy some 40 way adjustable shock and they never even see the track it makes no sense what so ever. When buying any product for your car you have to look at your ambitions for the vehicle and decide what is right for you and your wallet. Every option has a positive side and a negative side weigh your options carefully.

[ConradSTI]

bottom line if you want performance gains then buy sways first. If you "just want the lowered look" and thats your main goal then more power to you. It's your car man. Most users on here prefer performance gains over looks, but what ever floats your boat.

[Draco-REX]

You can get a better look and better handling without much investment.

Prodrive Springs or RCE Blacks
Whiteline 24mm rear swaybar on the softest setting

That will improve the stance and handling noticeably. And for less than $500.

Optional parts would be:
RCE lowering camber plates to drop the nose a bit more and get neg camber
Whiteline 24mm front swaybar and Kartboy endlinks for front and rear.

[CGMDan]

Originally Posted by fullerton

Lowering a car via new springs with stock dampers will almost certainly cause the dampers to fail early.

To the OP- The stock struts with stock springs have been known to start clunking after only 5k miles, so if they start clunking 5k miles after you install aftermarket springs, did they really fail earlier because of aftermarket springs?????

It's really a crapshoot as to when the stock struts clunk. I wouldn't let it stop you from buying springs if thats the route you want to take. FWIW my original struts lasted about 20k miles, were replaced under warrenty and that set has lasted me about 30k mi. (and still going) about 20k of that is with RCE yellow springs. And quite a bit of track time.

[fullerton]

Originally Posted by CGMDan

It's really a crapshoot as to when the stock struts clunk. I wouldn't let it stop you from buying springs if thats the route you want to take. FWIW my original struts lasted about 20k miles, were replaced under warrenty and that set has lasted me about 30k mi. (and still going) about 20k of that is with RCE yellow springs. And quite a bit of track time.

But- would your dealer have replaced the struts if you had aftermarket springs on it?

[CGMDan]

Originally Posted by fullerton

But- would your dealer have replaced the struts if you had aftermarket springs on it?

Possibly, but that's irrelevant to the OP's question. Even if they didn't, it would take all of 30min to grease them up. Or maybe $150 to buy a set of take-offs.

[fullerton]

Originally Posted by CGMDan

Possibly, but that's irrelevant to the OP's question. Even if they didn't, it would take all of 30min to grease them up. Or maybe $150 to buy a set of take-offs.

I don't think it is irrelevant.

"if i get just lowering springs would i have trouble down the road?"

We both agree the stock struts are crap. If you put on aftermarket springs, you will have trouble getting warranty work on the struts when they crap out.

The only springs that may let you get warranty work would be a Subaru-branded spring. But even this is not guaranteed. A guy on this board has Subaru Pinks and dead rear struts. Since the do not clunk (due to the addition of a lot of extra grease inside the body) the dealer claims they are fine. Problem is, they compress very easily (while off the vehicle) with little to no damping occurring, one more than the other. The dealer does not hear this or see it, so they see no problem. This person just spent $225 on a set or rear struts with 5,000 miles on them to fix the problem.