RCE black & Ohlin fixed perch strut install - 06 STi

niemkij · 03-10-2008, 01:08 PM

Installed the RCE black springs and Ohlin fixed perch struts last weekend.
Increased stability and much less bounciness now. Great ride!
I am experimenting with the adjustable Ohlins, starting with a relatively soft setting. I like the look as well.

I followed the How-To threads for the most part. It was important to break free the 17 mm nut on top of the struts before raising the car off of the ground. No bump-stops. Apparently they are internal to the strut.

Here are some pics:

Stock side view:

After install side view. I took the opportunity to take the snows off and put the stock summer wheels/tires back on.

Stock front strut, Ohlin front strut/RCE black spring:

Stock strut/spring parts front:

Stock strut/spring parts rear. The arrow points to a rubber coushion that must be taken off the stock strut and put onto the Ohlin strut.

Rear strut/spring installed:

New front right:

New left rear:

***Draco-REX*** · 03-10-2008, 01:23 PM

Very nice.

I cna't wait to get my Ohlins and Blacks on also.. Did you go with camber plates in the front?

jordanretro1223 · 03-10-2008, 01:25 PM

Looks great. From what I hear the Ohlins make the ride very nice with most springs out there on the market.

niemkij · 03-10-2008, 02:24 PM

I did not do camber plates on the front. I am thinking that the stock max neg camber is enough for me.

The ride is very nice. Smmoth and less bouncy.

cpa · 03-10-2008, 02:28 PM

The bump stops on the inverted stock strut are internal, you need to remove the bottom bolt and pull the strut out of the housing to get to it.

05_GD7 · 03-10-2008, 02:30 PM

looks great..congrats!!

hard ride · 03-11-2008, 12:02 AM

I have had a set of Ohlins FPS and prodrive springs installed. The car is now so smooth, not just on the bumps but through corners, no more sharp, jerky transitions. Throttle steering is much easier and more predictable. I have been playing withe the settings and currently have a nice power oversteer set up ATM, just for fun! I find that when you do these suspension mods you soon reach the limits after getting used to the new set up. I'm now thinking I should have gone for a heavier spring as I'm getting a bit more body roll then on my previous 'quite stiff' springs. However many more combinations to try, time to crank the sway bars up a notch.

What sstrut setting are you using on the blacks?

niemkij · 03-11-2008, 08:34 AM

Thanks for the comments!

I started at 10 clicks from full soft on the fronts and 8 clicks from full soft on the rears.
This is a relatively "comfort" setting. However, the ride is still significantly better than stock; smoother and more stable. I am going to try going 4 clicks and 8 clicks stiffer this weekend, just for fun. I will probably have the struts set on a soft setting most of the time for daily driving.

Hard ride: What sway bars do you have? Bigger sways may reduce your body roll better than stiffer springs at this point. I put on the Perrin 22 mm bars front and back and had less roll even on the softer setting.

hard ride · 03-11-2008, 01:01 PM

I'm using 22mm F & R Whiteline adjustable bars, I will crank those up a notch. I have been pushing the car just to test the limits on the new set up. Overall my cornering speed is up, as is grip. I have a few other mods to make the wheels more planted so I would say thet the extra body roll I feel is more of a function of additional grip and higher corner speed. My previous springs did give a sharper steering feel but at the expense of a very harsh ride. So Im very happy with this set up and once I get the balance I want then I'll give it a run on the track. My suspension guy that did the install cant get over the quality of the ride.

bigfathuero_sti · 03-12-2008, 09:17 PM

Where can I find out some info about these struts? Cost, Ride hight adjustable?

jordanretro1223 · 03-12-2008, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigfathuero_sti

Where can I find out some info about these struts? Cost, Ride hight adjustable?

Welcome to Racecomp Engineering.com

niemkij · 03-13-2008, 10:11 AM

Search this site and contact Myles at Race Comp Engineering. You can go to their web site as well.
The height on the springs/struts is not adjustable, but the damping is.
The springs result in about a 15mm front drop and about a 10 mm rear drop from stock.
I recently went to 10 clicks from full soft on the rears and 12 clicks from full soft on the fronts and I am really liking it!

ravenwrx · 03-14-2008, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by niemkij

Thanks for the comments!

I started at 10 clicks from full soft on the fronts and 8 clicks from full soft on the rears.
This is a relatively "comfort" setting. However, the ride is still significantly better than stock; smoother and more stable. I am going to try going 4 clicks and 8 clicks stiffer this weekend, just for fun. I will probably have the struts set on a soft setting most of the time for daily driving.

Hard ride: What sway bars do you have? Bigger sways may reduce your body roll better than stiffer springs at this point. I put on the Perrin 22 mm bars front and back and had less roll even on the softer setting.

I have the same setup, try 12 clicks front and 14 rear from full stiff for the street, and i use 3 front and 5 rear from full stiff at the track..

niemkij · 03-14-2008, 04:50 PM

I will give your street settings a try. I think I am just one or two clicks from where you are. Every time I go a bit stiffer, the ride gets more stable and yet not jittery at all, you just feel the larger bumps more. I like the adjustability!

03-10-2008, 01:08 PM	#1
niemkij Silver Member Car: Blue 06 STi Fav Mod: The next one planned Location: Allentown, PA Posts: 80 Join Date: Dec 2007 Trader Rating: (2)	RCE black & Ohlin fixed perch strut install - 06 STi Installed the RCE black springs and Ohlin fixed perch struts last weekend. Increased stability and much less bounciness now. Great ride! I am experimenting with the adjustable Ohlins, starting with a relatively soft setting. I like the look as well. I followed the How-To threads for the most part. It was important to break free the 17 mm nut on top of the struts before raising the car off of the ground. No bump-stops. Apparently they are internal to the strut. Here are some pics: Stock side view: After install side view. I took the opportunity to take the snows off and put the stock summer wheels/tires back on. Stock front strut, Ohlin front strut/RCE black spring: Stock strut/spring parts front: Stock strut/spring parts rear. The arrow points to a rubber coushion that must be taken off the stock strut and put onto the Ohlin strut. Rear strut/spring installed: New front right: New left rear: This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad.

03-10-2008, 01:23 PM	#2
*Draco-REX* Black Dragon STI Car: 07 OBP STi 03WRB WRX Fav Mod: My whole suspension Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 1,406 Join Date: Jan 2005 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: RCE black & Ohlin fixed perch strut install - 06 STi Very nice. I cna't wait to get my Ohlins and Blacks on also.. Did you go with camber plates in the front?

03-10-2008, 01:25 PM	#3
jordanretro1223 Senior STI Driver Car: 2007 STI SWP Fav Mod: Whiteline Sways + RCE Blacks = :) Location: Delaware Posts: 360 Join Date: Apr 2007 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: RCE black & Ohlin fixed perch strut install - 06 STi Looks great. From what I hear the Ohlins make the ride very nice with most springs out there on the market.

03-10-2008, 02:24 PM	#4
niemkij Silver Member Car: Blue 06 STi Fav Mod: The next one planned Location: Allentown, PA Posts: 80 Join Date: Dec 2007 Trader Rating: (2)	Re: RCE black & Ohlin fixed perch strut install - 06 STi I did not do camber plates on the front. I am thinking that the stock max neg camber is enough for me. The ride is very nice. Smmoth and less bouncy.

03-10-2008, 02:28 PM	#5
cpa Junior STI Driver Posts: 158 Join Date: Oct 2003 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: RCE black & Ohlin fixed perch strut install - 06 STi The bump stops on the inverted stock strut are internal, you need to remove the bottom bolt and pull the strut out of the housing to get to it.

03-10-2008, 02:30 PM	#6
05_GD7 Spec C Club Car: 05 STi - Black Fav Mod: No Lien Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,668 Join Date: Mar 2006 Trader Rating: (2)	Re: RCE black & Ohlin fixed perch strut install - 06 STi looks great..congrats!!

03-11-2008, 12:02 AM	#7
hard ride Amateur STI Driver Car: Black Sti 07 Fav Mod: Coming Soon Location: Sydney Posts: 32 Join Date: Dec 2007 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: RCE black & Ohlin fixed perch strut install - 06 STi I have had a set of Ohlins FPS and prodrive springs installed. The car is now so smooth, not just on the bumps but through corners, no more sharp, jerky transitions. Throttle steering is much easier and more predictable. I have been playing withe the settings and currently have a nice power oversteer set up ATM, just for fun! I find that when you do these suspension mods you soon reach the limits after getting used to the new set up. I'm now thinking I should have gone for a heavier spring as I'm getting a bit more body roll then on my previous 'quite stiff' springs. However many more combinations to try, time to crank the sway bars up a notch. What sstrut setting are you using on the blacks?

03-11-2008, 08:34 AM	#8
niemkij Silver Member Car: Blue 06 STi Fav Mod: The next one planned Location: Allentown, PA Posts: 80 Join Date: Dec 2007 Trader Rating: (2)	Re: RCE black & Ohlin fixed perch strut install - 06 STi Thanks for the comments! I started at 10 clicks from full soft on the fronts and 8 clicks from full soft on the rears. This is a relatively "comfort" setting. However, the ride is still significantly better than stock; smoother and more stable. I am going to try going 4 clicks and 8 clicks stiffer this weekend, just for fun. I will probably have the struts set on a soft setting most of the time for daily driving. Hard ride: What sway bars do you have? Bigger sways may reduce your body roll better than stiffer springs at this point. I put on the Perrin 22 mm bars front and back and had less roll even on the softer setting.

03-11-2008, 01:01 PM	#9
hard ride Amateur STI Driver Car: Black Sti 07 Fav Mod: Coming Soon Location: Sydney Posts: 32 Join Date: Dec 2007 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: RCE black & Ohlin fixed perch strut install - 06 STi I'm using 22mm F & R Whiteline adjustable bars, I will crank those up a notch. I have been pushing the car just to test the limits on the new set up. Overall my cornering speed is up, as is grip. I have a few other mods to make the wheels more planted so I would say thet the extra body roll I feel is more of a function of additional grip and higher corner speed. My previous springs did give a sharper steering feel but at the expense of a very harsh ride. So Im very happy with this set up and once I get the balance I want then I'll give it a run on the track. My suspension guy that did the install cant get over the quality of the ride.

03-12-2008, 09:17 PM	#10
bigfathuero_sti Junior STI Driver Car: white 04 wrx STi Fav Mod: New head lights Location: west covina CA Posts: 130 Join Date: Jun 2007 Trader Rating: (2)	Re: RCE black & Ohlin fixed perch strut install - 06 STi Where can I find out some info about these struts? Cost, Ride hight adjustable?

03-13-2008, 10:11 AM	#12
niemkij Silver Member Car: Blue 06 STi Fav Mod: The next one planned Location: Allentown, PA Posts: 80 Join Date: Dec 2007 Trader Rating: (2)	Re: RCE black & Ohlin fixed perch strut install - 06 STi Search this site and contact Myles at Race Comp Engineering. You can go to their web site as well. The height on the springs/struts is not adjustable, but the damping is. The springs result in about a 15mm front drop and about a 10 mm rear drop from stock. I recently went to 10 clicks from full soft on the rears and 12 clicks from full soft on the fronts and I am really liking it!

03-14-2008, 04:50 PM	#14
niemkij Silver Member Car: Blue 06 STi Fav Mod: The next one planned Location: Allentown, PA Posts: 80 Join Date: Dec 2007 Trader Rating: (2)	Re: RCE black & Ohlin fixed perch strut install - 06 STi I will give your street settings a try. I think I am just one or two clicks from where you are. Every time I go a bit stiffer, the ride gets more stable and yet not jittery at all, you just feel the larger bumps more. I like the adjustability! This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad.