and i gotta say... i am NOT happy with these... the front sits too low and it is too soft, so the car bounces like crazy! it follows every single road curvature and because the springs are too soft, it seems like the dampers take all the shock, and then straight to my spine :squint: however, i do like the handling characteristics so what would be my best remedy? 1. different set of springs 2. different set of dampers 3. coilovers i`m thinking that maybe a set of adjustable struts would be nice if i can soften the front, and then just run a huge sway bar, and the rear staying as is. HELP me :eek3:
Go with some KYBs, Tokicos, Konis or STI struts and slap on some stiffer springs and that'll solve your bounce problem. As for the front sitting too low, you may want to look into coilovers if you want increased clearance up front. The prodrives hardly have any drop, that is unless you're talking about the Prodrive rake.
For daily driving and light to moderate auto-xing, I would gowith the Koni's....best street compromise on the market...
I have had my Prodrives on the car for almost 3 years now, and have loved them. The drop was a great improvement over stock, but not overly aggressive. I don't have any bounce issues, the springs do a great job of absorbing bumps and little to no shock is felt on my spine. To me the car felt rather stockish during daily driving, but had vastly improved on the Auto X course.
I have Prodrives as well no bounce issues. If any thing I wish my car was lower... And it will be as soon as I get the JIC's back...
I would bet its not the springs, it is the fact that your struts are blown. How many miles do you have on the struts?
agreed. Were the struts new when you bought them, or second hand? also, what springs do you have on there?
i dont know if im impressed with the koni yellow (inserts) seans car rode decent with them but he has already had a blown strut....
For the money you are going to spend on a new set of struts and springs you will be awfully close to the price of a set of BC Coilovers
Had my Koni yellows for over a year with several autocrosses and mountain runs. No track time though. If you want a strut for a mix of street use and other uses, then I, again, submit that you can't find a better adjustable strut than the Koni for the WRX. If you want ultimate handling, you have to go up to Coilovers, but ride quality WILL suffer....
i dont think my struts are blown..? i`m not saying the prodrives are stiff, it's just that when i go over a bump it will absorb the bump, and then bounce up hard. i dunno, i ask people in my car about the ride and so far everyone says it's not stiff or even better than stock, but to me it's really getting onto me. i think i rather have STIFF set-up and more suspension travel than be soft and bounce around everywhere arghh. maybe something like RCE + d-spec?
arghhhh call me a ricer but i just went out to look at my car and the stance is just so perfect hahahaha.
Didn't you have a problem with your car's steering feeling loose and sloppy when you first got it? Did you ever find a problem with it? Haha, maybe you're just ultra sensitive.
I live in Alpharetta. If you want to get together sometime, I will let you drive my car to see if it feels similar to yours. Again, my car feels almost exactly like Stock for normal driving with the Prodrive springs.
I had Prodrive springs on my 04 WRX and I wasn't happy either. I felt they were too soft as the rear rubbed(225/45/17 on +48 offset wheels on a sedan:squint on hard corners and at the same time as the rub I was lifting the inside front high enough that it was spinning(you could hear it with the windows up). This was with 24mm front and rear bars too. I would go with coilovers or something along those lines. KYB, etc struts and some RCE springs might get you where you want to be as well.
just curious, but how will ride quality suffer? with the adjust ability of the coilovers, you can go from full soft to full stiff rather quickly. My set (Megan) are right in the middle and the right isn't any more harsh than my P1 set up. (Ver6 STi struts and P1 springs)
Not sure about your stuts being blown. But when I took you on that ride in my car when I was going to sell you my Prodrives you told me you loved the ride.... :dunno
that was probably like one of those....it's new! it's awesome! I love it! type of deals...now that they've been on the car for some time, he's feeling different about it. or maybe your setup is/was different/better than his.
Or it could just be the difference from being in the Passenger seat as opposed to the Drivers seat, if he didn't drive, and only went for a ride.
As far a strut replacement goes, there are two really good options: koni inserts or tokico d-specs. I am looking to upgrade my struts as well, and its come down to these. Many people people tell me that the adjustability of the d-specs or konis is far superior to anything else in the price range (kyb agx) If I had a sedan I'd get the d-specs, they only come in sedan fitment. They are a bit cheaper than konis and you don't have to get them assembled. However, I have also been told that the koni's are a bit better at on-road handling.
after a whole day in my friend's RSX with coilovers.. i realized that i was just being a B**ch about my car... arghhh i guess it's something i`m gonna have to live with