[wdb]

Apologies in advance for the offtopic drift.

Originally Posted by !4KORNRZ!

Now, think about the strut brace thing...in order for your towers to flex enough to affect the handling of the car they would have to flex the firewall. Think about it, they're stuffed in a corner, where can they go?

Looking under the hood of any Impreza I'd have to say that 99.7 times out of 100 I would have to agree with you. However I own an Impreza that has been turned into a little beastie, and my little beastie's windshield creaked and cracked like mad in the winter. After I put a front strut tower brace in, it stopped.

So, yeah, they go somewhere. Just a little. A strut tower brace probably will not affect lap times, but there are benefits beyond underhood aesthetics.

[sportek1]

Does anyone know the exact part no for the Koni SA and DA?

[ButtDyno]

There are more than one Koni SA's.

[sportek1]

Originally Posted by ButtDyno

There are more than one Koni SA's.

I know ... but i think there is one SA part xxx and one SA part yyy that is recommended for the 2005+ STI...

And that is why i am asking

[RFFG]

This thread saved my life...Very good info on teh GC kit here

[cpa]

Is anyone running the coilover sleeve on the stock struts? I was thinking maybe 350F/300R spring rates ($400), the top mount camber plates from GC for added travel ($350), add swaybars&endlinks of choice($5-600), and you could have a setup that could have good auto-x/track capabilities, could be corner weighted, height and camber/caster adjusted as necessary and total cost of under $2K installed, aligned, etc. The trade off would be the valving of the struts compared to a KW/Bilstein type setup but the advantage would be spring rates that could be changed for $250 all around if desired?

[ButtDyno]

Originally Posted by cpa

Is anyone running the coilover sleeve on the stock struts? I was thinking maybe 350F/300R spring rates ($400), the top mount camber plates from GC for added travel ($350), add swaybars&endlinks of choice($5-600), and you could have a setup that could have good auto-x/track capabilities, could be corner weighted, height and camber/caster adjusted as necessary and total cost of under $2K installed, aligned, etc. The trade off would be the valving of the struts compared to a KW/Bilstein type setup but the advantage would be spring rates that could be changed for $250 all around if desired?

gtsxr was running 325/300 on the stock struts with PDE camber plates, IIRC.

[stretch]

I ran 350# springs on the front and thought it was a bit underdamped especially in bends (when the sway bar is adding to the spring rate). 300# springs feel great, though. I'm not sure about the rear, but 250# springs feel nice there with my Koni's on full soft, which is pretty close to the stock STI struts.

So I'd do 275-325lb/in front, 250-300lb/in rear. Both 8" long.

[4banger]

Stretch - when did your kit come in? I would have expected nothing less than a new thread with a full review by our local suspension guru.

Originally Posted by stretch

I ran 350# springs on the front and thought it was a bit underdamped especially in bends (when the sway bar is adding to the spring rate). 300# springs feel great, though. I'm not sure about the rear, but 250# springs feel nice there with my Koni's on full soft, which is pretty close to the stock STI struts.

So I'd do 275-325lb/in front, 250-300lb/in rear. Both 8" long.

[homer09]

im not sure if this was answered in the thread, but how exactly does adding the koni SA strut in the front increase bump travel? the way i see it, the pickup point is the same at the hub and at the strut tower... i dont see where the extra travel comes from unless the bump stop is shorter (which is just as achievable on the stock strut)

[4banger]

Originally Posted by homer09

im not sure if this was answered in the thread, but how exactly does adding the koni SA strut in the front increase bump travel? the way i see it, the pickup point is the same at the hub and at the strut tower... i dont see where the extra travel comes from unless the bump stop is shorter (which is just as achievable on the stock strut)

Check the first post of the thread. They have new housings and camber/caster plates that increase the travel.

[4banger]

Originally Posted by sportek1

I know ... but i think there is one SA part xxx and one SA part yyy that is recommended for the 2005+ STI...

And that is why i am asking

I may be wrong, but I think they are 8610. Someone who really knows, please chime in.

[stretch]

Originally Posted by 4banger

Stretch - when did your kit come in? I would have expected nothing less than a new thread with a full review by our local suspension guru.

I've been running the coilover sleeves for a few weeks. I currently have five pairs of springs (and a few different bump stops) that I've been experimenting with, and yet another pair to arrive along with a pair of Koni SA front coilovers.

The full review will come when I'm done. Or at least close.

Originally Posted by homer09

im not sure if this was answered in the thread, but how exactly does adding the koni SA strut in the front increase bump travel? the way i see it, the pickup point is the same at the hub and at the strut tower... i dont see where the extra travel comes from unless the bump stop is shorter (which is just as achievable on the stock strut)

There are a number of ways to accomplish this- twin tube struts allow longer strokes for a given overall length than a monotube. Also, with firmer springs and/or a lowered ride height, all the droop travel of the stock struts becomes unusable, meaning we can shorten the strut body.

[4banger]

To those of you who actually have your koni's - Does GC provide you with even a generic shock dyno when you buy them? If not, maybe someone who has talked to them before could call them and ask them for one? Thanks.

[ButtDyno]

Originally Posted by 4banger

To those of you who actually have your koni's - Does GC provide you with even a generic shock dyno when you buy them? If not, maybe someone who has talked to them before could call them and ask them for one? Thanks.

Koni provides them. I think it's on their website somewheres

The shortened shocks that come in the GC housings, BTW, are 1198's if I remember right (not 8610's)

john