So just got a set of Prodrive springs, and they fit 04/05 struts. I unfortunately have 02/03 struts and springs on my car due to previous bent struts from going off-road. Any who, for now I need to get some top hats for my car. I have tried doing some searching online for some, but no luck. How much do they usually go for, and where can I find them besides the dealership. Secondly, wont be doing it right away, but does anyone have any recommendations to struts for these springs? Need something fairly durable, I like my occasional off road fun, but mainly mountain runs when I can.
Saw those, didnt know if they would work. Secondly, $175 bucks? really? that just seems kinda high, especially for used ones. If that is the cost for STi ill stick with regular ol WRX ones.
Group N mounts are hardened mounts, not the soft crap that is stock on the WRX. the fronts for $90 is a great deal, if they fit. See my sticky thread in the suspension forum for fitment. boxer4racing.com sells the fronts for $150 new, so I'd go through them first. http://www.boxer4racing.com/suspensi.htm#Accessories
Depends if you feel like spending the money. If you're just going to complain about the price tag of JDM bling, go to nasioc and find someone selling stock WRX tophats. If you cannot find anyone selling just the top hats you will more than likely be able to snag a full set of struts for $100.00.
Not complaining, I am just surprised at how expensive they are. Either way, I have to do something soon, got to get the car ready for a trip to Florida. I dont want stock shocks, just curious if anyone had input on it....
So instead of doing just regular tophats, why not use pillow ball mounts? What are the positives and negatives?
There are not really any cheap aftermarket shocks for the car. But your suspension is like a great couch--you sit on it everyday so why not pay a little for comfort and get what you want. You could go with a ground control setup I suppose but it is more than likely overkill for what you'll do with the car.
So here's a straight answer. I'm not sure what you're going to be using the car for, but you really only need rear tophats. The fronts have been the same on all imprezas for 15yrs. Some models are made with harder rubber compount so there's less flex. If you're not going to be racing the car you probably dont need the Group Ns, in fact you may not like the extra NVH that they'll give you, although they will give you more steering precision. Basically what I'm saying is that you just need to go to a junkyard, find some 04-07 rear tophats. Then go to www.turninconcepts.com and get what are called Scooby921 spacers; Alex is a TiC dealer so he may be able to get them for you. The spacers fit between the strut rod and the tophat since there's a slight change in design over time. The spacers were ~$20 last I checked and tophats should be pretty cheap used, at least half the price of the Group Ns.
I think I paid $50 for a set of rear tophats on NASIOC a couple of years ago. I am running STI springs on my 02 WRX wagon. Ditto on the need for the scooby921 spacers. Also the boot that goes around the shaft of the strut may not fit perfectly with the 04+ tophats, but you can make it work.
i have some group n rear tops that i never used cause i ended up with ground control adjustables all way around. been too lazy to list em. was thinkin bout giving them to my sister to put out in a garage sale (HAR). im keeping every single bit of my original car as i replace it with upgraded parts, but this wasnt original. if interested make me an offer..
I did, pm'ed him once i got the message. He is diggin them up out of the basement. Couldnt pass it up, your right.
Oooo yes, took her for a ride down some curvy roads and a big difference. Its so funny, lowing your car just 1" can make such a big difference. Cant wait to put some sway bars on now!!!