Sti struts -- need some advice on ride quality

well i've had '04 STi struts/springs/tophats on my '05 2.5RS for about 7 months or so. i've had alot time to evaluate the feel of it and i'm finally looking at a way to make the ride more tolerable during my commute. i autocross so i still want a good all around setup that just doesn't have the incessant bouncing of the '04 suspension. so far i've even yanked on the springs in my seat to soften the seat up and i still bounce around. i commute about 45 miles a day and take the car on trips so it would be nice to have a more controlled ride. the struts are definitely not blown, it just likes to skip over small bumps and transmits alot of undulations into the car.

i've done alot of searching on NASIOC and it seems that the general consensus is that a stiffer spring like JDM pinks and Group N tophats actually calm the ride down. does anyone have any experience with this?

my other option is that i still have my stock struts, which as i understand are the same as stock WRX struts of that year. should i transfer the '04 STi springs onto my stock struts? this would allow me to keep the stiffer rate but without the jumping/bouncing around on the highway. obviously the less agressive strut would allow the car to move around more though.

i'd like to work with the above struts/springs since it would be cheapest. Does anyone have any opinions on this or better yet, would anyone mind taking me for a quick spin in their car with STi struts/JDM pinks? i'd love to get a feel for that setup firsthand.

 

Ive heard that also . Stiffer springs stop the car from bouncing as much( as i hear)

 

Cut the bumpstops.

 

I should've given you a ride in my car when we met up. I've got 04 STI struts and Espelir Active GT springs and it rides firm but still very tolerable.

 

You've got two things making it 'jouce.'

1. Soft tophats. The Group N's will stiffen it up and take away yet more movement while improving response.

2. Tall-soft sidewalls on the tires. The stiffer you make the suspension, the more the car will bounce on the soft sidewalls. The solution is higher pressure in the tire (to an extent) or a high performance tire with a harder side wall (RE070, RE01R, Falken RT215 or RT615 Azenis).

I've noticed when going from the RE070 to the Contisport 2 or 3 (which has almost nothing for a sidewall) I get jouncing. More pressure fixes most of it. But any thing over 50psi and I would move to a different tire to fix it.

Otherwise, the only other thing that will keep the jounce away are shocks. Expensive ones. Meaning you need to spend about $2k on them. Even then a tall and soft tire will still have a jounce to them.

 

thanks guys.

i will look into the easy stuff first -- my pressures are a little on the low side so i'll add a couple PSI. i'm rolling on 55 series so i'm sure that's not helping. after that maybe tophats.

i haven't considered the bumpstops, i'll check em out next time i'm under the car...

 

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/suspens...gs-even-stock-springs-ride-bump-stops-17.html

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1224029&page=2

 

Wouldnt he be able to get some AGX's and adjust them to his preference? He can soften them for his commute and stiffen them when he does Autox and they only costs about $500-$600. Unless of course it is his sidewalls causing the problem

 

You can get the AGX's for 350 on ebay. Struts are definitely supposed to help dampen out the bounce, but AGX's are pretty much the same as STi struts except that they are adjustable. You could try running an adj. strut with the dampening set higher than full soft and it may help alleviate the issue. Going to a WRX strut is only going to cause more issues with bouncing, because they are not meant to dampen must stiffer springs than what is on the WRX.

Bigger bars will also help transfer the load to either side of the car if you are feeling a lot of bumpiness when one wheel gets loaded. Big bars are also gentle on the street, because you don't really feel their affect unless you are cornering or loading a wheel.

 

Sheesh, I though my '04 ride was pretty nice for a DD.

I'd recommend the struts off an '86 caddilac. :naughty:

 

AGX's are a waste. I've put them on lots of subies; WRX, RS, Legacy, etc...they are an 'improvement' over stock with LIMITED adjustment. Take off STi struts are better IMHO, even w/out the adjustment.

 

don't get me wrong, it's not terrible -- i would like to improve it though. also, you're on lower aspect tires and the STi's have another 2-300 pounds on my car so that may be part of it.

get me some airbags for this thing! woo woooo :ddirty:

 

I"m having the same problem with my 04 STi. On long trips (2-4 hours) I feel like I'm going to pee blood. It just hurts my kidneys and stuff too much.

Is there a good spring I can swap in to make it a better ride ?

 

I read that just about any aftermarket spring will help with the jarring. I'm running skunk2 which are to low, but the ride is still pretty good.

 

cool...thanks man