Ill prefaces this by saying many of you know that I hate cheap parts in general and cheap suspension parts even more. I've said many times in the past that I would not own a set of Megan, BC...etc...Etc... Yesterday I had the opportunity to drive Doug from Topspeeds 08 STI. Doug’s car is still very basic and very representative of your basic stage II STI. Specs 08 STI Cobb AP2 Topspeed Protune Catted Downpipe Rear Sway Bar Enkei RPF1s 285 Yoko Neovas BC Coilovers The day started with Doug picking me up and driving us driving to Little Talladega Raceway. The trip was uneventful and I didn't even realize there were Coilovers on the car until about half way there when we were talking about the setup. They ride great the only time there is even a hint of jarring etc... is when you go across a bridge. I was pretty shocked to say the least, these ride so much nicer than any Megan setup I've ever driven that it’s unbelievable. Now onto the really good stuff. We got to Tally and Doug went out for the first session so that he could check the tune and make sure that the car felt like normal after all this was my first time driving an 08 and the chassis are pretty different so I didn't know what to expect. Doug turned in some respectable lap times and brought her back nice and safe. I took it out for my first session and the first thing I noticed is how different the car is in general. It’s much softer and more refined, it’s a little harder to get a good feel for and to work the tires, Doug had already told me that the bushings were very soft and I could tell they were there was lots of movement in the rear but no real loss of grip when it did move. It’s almost as if you had to settle the suspension. The Coilovers were very nice, I suspected that they were going to be over damped but they weren't, they were very much spot on. The car did have some slight issues with inside wheel spin and Doug is working on a solution for that, we both think a bigger front bar or more spring rate in the front should keep it from rolling over so hard and lifting that wheel. I ran pretty much the same times as Doug and we were fairly happy with that, we were in the 1:08s. We both thought we would be able to get a very low 1:08 out of it or a high 1:07. Doug took it out again for the next session and dropped his time into the high 1:08s. Car was good but we were still experiencing the inside wheel spin problem and as you got aggressive with it, it just got worse. We both were kind of thinking that, "that was all she’s got". The wheel spin problem wouldn't let us put the power down any earlier and if I can't get on it any earlier then there’s no more point in running. Well Doug twisted some knobs on the Coilovers and sent me out for the final session. Before I went out he mumbled something about it sure is a lot more fun to win...and I guess that flipped the kill switch to engage. I got the tires nice and warm on the warm-up lap then let her eat....let me tell you that car is an absolute ROCK STAR, man it screams. Every lap I turned was faster than my previous laps till I caught the guy they put out 15 seconds in front of me. We ended up winning the event with a time of 1:05.4 and my second fastest lap was a 1:06.01 which also would have won the event. We packed up the car and drove it home on the same street tires and same tune we came with. We were the only car in the finals on street tires. Ladies and Gentlemen there aren't many cars that you can drive everyday that you can take to the track and run those kinds of times, I would love to think that it was all because of my Mad Tight driving skills but I simply cannot take all the credit. The new 08 Sti is a blast to drive its very well balanced and it’s got more room than the old one. I hope this was a helpful review for those of you considering a 08\a Topspeed tune\or a set of BC Coilovers. Matt
I'll have a set of BC's on my GC in two weeks. Hopefully the motor will be in near the same time Siegel
8 front 10 rear I haven't driven them on a GD or GC yet but if someone wants to buy them Ill drive it.
Wow, nice. First off, congrats on winning the event! Second, I'm pleased that my car's big brother has the approval of hot shoes the likes of Matt and Doug. Third, I think I've found my coilovers....whenever I can afford them. :rofl: :unamused:
Nice write up Matt and good job to both of you for representing the subaru community and finishing 1st! BTW Matt what are the spring rates on those TEIN's I got from you?
I know I should search, but do the 08 STis have a limited slip diff up front? Great review otherwise. Its good to see that the STi is still an incredibly capable machine, even in stock-ish form.
very nice write up! glad you enjoyed them http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1085379&page=44 about 60% sold have been from GD users as most users in the thread above= gd...ask them, they will tell you. i used them in my 06 sti and they worked out very nicely.
For anyone interested, we are offering installed an corner balanced packages on these. So if you buy them from us you get a major hook up on them being installed and setup properly.
I'm going to be in the market for coilovers for my '06 STI next year as well. Please let me/us know your pricing Doug. Thanks.
Best thing to do is give us a call and talk to Tray - 678-297-7770, he can give you all your options. Siegel
Were these the BR series...or have you gotten a set of the super-secret-double-probation ER series in with the external reservoirs? Oh, and hey to Josh at Import Image - he just so happens to be THE MAN.
first off, congrats on the win... on street rubber no less. i'm really happy to see that the 08/09 chasis is a true improvement for subaru and that the car can be a true track car with fairly basic modifications. i've kind of been lamenting the fact that i didn't wait a year to buy my sti, but i've got some plans in store after hearing about the turbo diesels that subaru will be bringing over in 2010. we'll see... ps. i still think the rear light setups look like tribeca ass... but 07's aren't much better.
"Some say that his breath smells of magnesium, and that his left nipple is in the exact shape of the Nurburgring.... All we know is, he's called The Stig!"