[SWortham]

Originally Posted by GTWORX.com

I mean, I understand that Ohlins with any spring won't ride well on that stretch of pavement, but what set-up will? What sports car will? What family car will? What on 4 wheels will? etc. etc. etc.

I'm not trying to flame you, but I'm just curious what the point of complaining about ride quality is on a certain set-up over a stretch of road that will make ANY car bouncy.

Well a car with a softly damped, softly sprung, long travel suspension, and long wheelbase can take on roads like that without the oscillation speed of the STI. And that's what can get to people, I think. In a stiffly sprung car, the frequency of the oscillation and the speed of the vertical movement can eventually be enough to aggravate a person's back, or even worse, their stomach.

By contrast, I drove my mostly stock Hyundai Elantra to work today for the first time in a long time, and I felt like I could've slept on the way here. But I know I could never expect that kind of ride out of my STI without sacrificing handling. If I could, I'd be all over those magic beans.

[austinpike]

Originally Posted by GTWORX.com

This should be in all capital bolded letters in size 72 ... but I'm just curious what the point of complaining about ride quality is on a certain set-up over a stretch of road that will make ANY car bouncy.

I actually almost did put that disclaimer in bold.

I guess I was exaggerating, to a point. Yes, every car I have driven over this stretch bounces to some degree. But the Evo and the STi are the only ones that are truly annoying. The S2000 was firm, somewhat bouncy, but it did not develop the same kind of oscillation as the rally cars. In a Miata sport package and a stock WRX, it is pretty much a non-issue. Unfortunately my experience does not include BMWs and Porsches to compare.

It's not like this one chunk of road is the only place the car bobbles. Again, a matter of degree. I can live with it elsewhere. Driving the same stretch over and over just gives me a basis to compare setups. If I can find any improvement here, it will obviously be much improved everywhere else.

I'm not trying to badmouth any of the products mentioned. I'm just relating my experience for people trying to improve one particular characteristic of the car. I have no doubt that I will love the Ohlins once I can get back on the autocross course. It is just that every review of them says they eliminate the bobblehead, period. I was hoping to kill two birds with one stone, have my cake and eat it too, blah blah. And I'm thinking that is just not possible. Maybe with a 4-way adjustable damper you could tune out this particular characteristic.

I wish I had a mechanical engineering degree, so I could better understand what the hell is going on inside that strut. I wish I lived closer to you guys, so we could drive the same roads and you could explain exactly what is and is not realistic to expect from these cars. As it is, here in MN I can count the number of STis with suspension improvements on one hand.

Originally Posted by wdb

But I'm still very pleased with my Prodrive spring/Group N tops... I'll stand by my recommendation of the combination as a way to reduce the needless harshness of the stock setup... For example there are continuous-run concrete paving machines which produce odd little waves in the road surface...

I agree that Prodrives with Group-Ns reduced what I would consider harshness. You can feel the bumps, but the car soaks them up with less drama. The concrete observation is interesting, I was blaming the expansion joints, but it may not really be that at all, and more just about how the concrete is laid. Result is the same I guess.

[Parker]

After a couple days of thinking about this (and getting my car back from the shop), I was able to take an extended drive and went out of my way to test my car on different surfaces. After this, I came to the realization that I was overthinking this too much since it was more of the crappy roads around me that I drive on a daily basis rather than the nicer roads I rarely get to drive on. The springs are very nice in most settings and are only really harsh on those dips in the road where you're violently flung back towards the ceiling.

[EROCK11]

For what its worth, I drive the same pot-holed roads to work everyday and in the STi w/stock struts and GF 210's it is a very stiff, jarring ride. Taking the bone stock Spec-B down the same roads is such a difference its scary. No jarring or bouncing, just the struts doing their job soaking up the bumps and providing a very nice ride. It might be the difference in the stock seats but I am inclined to say that the struts are the biggest difference in the equation. I am saying this even though I have read that people w/ the Ohlins are still seeing lots of bounce, just my 2 cents.

[BoostJunkie]

A Spec B and an STi are COMPLETELY different in every way. The Spec B uses much softer valving and spring rates. It also uses rear shocks rather than struts. I have driven a couple of stock Spec B's and the ride quality was great but handling was pretty terrible. Compared to my STi it felt like a boat. It would be a great daily driver but it would need some serious suspension work to be a good track car.

[EROCK11]

I agree with you but my point was that the struts make the biggest difference in the set up. I was not trying to make the spec b vs. STi arguement but the difference was in the struts. I swear this was making sense in my head but I may not be putting it down here correctly. Oh well, I gave it a shot!

[Sti491]

I agree struts make the biggest difference combined with the right springs AND all the other suspension goodies. I know Ohlins are the schizzle... but don't discount my set up: Konis w/RCE & group N's.

I love the adjustability and my bobblehead is gone, eliminated. Maybe I'm fat enough that my seats don't add too much to it, I don't know. I LOVE my RCE springs.

Try Koni's or Ohlins.