Hey guys,

Currently driving a '02 wrx WAGON. It's about time to upgrade some of the suspension in my car. My main goal is to fix my old, outdated struts and achieve a performance upgrade as well as have a decent drop in ride height. I live in the city so my daily driving routs are shi*. I called TiC and had a quick conversation about which route I take; they were very helpful in guiding me the right way. Basically, I would like to know if my parts list was ok or lacking anything before I go ahead and do the thing:

-Koni Inserts
-Top hats
Front: Group N OR Whiteline Com C (still undecided?)
Rear: Group N ('04-'05)
-RCE Wagon springs OR Yellows (still undecided?)
-Scooby921 Strut Spacers
-Saggy Butt Shims (.375mm)
-Camber bolts for the rear

If I go with the Group N Fronts, I will need camber bolts as I understand?
If I go with the Whiteline Com C fronts, will I still need new camber bolts upfront?
Will there still be any thread on the strut bolts when using strut bars with spacer in rear?
Will I need to use D_Rex Koni extenders?
*my current suspension upgrades only consist of f/r strut bars, f/r sway bars with endlinks.

Thanks..hoping to hear some insightful information.

-Austin

 

how many miles is on your current suspension?

 

125,xxx

 

TIC will set you up right if you chatted with them. I havent used any of the parts you mention on my wagon, so cant really comment on them directly. Since you got over 100k on your ride you might want to look into some bushing kits also since they deteriorate overtime. I picked some up a while back but havent swapped them into my wagon yet.

 

Yeah I'll be giving them a call within the next week or so. I have already changed all the drive line and some suspension bushings. All thanks to TiC!

 

1. Koni Inserts... my number one recommendation
2. Go with Group N rears and the Com C fronts. Or front and rear camber plates if you can. It'll allow you to do some trickery to run wider wheels.
3. Springs. I'd say got Swift or go with the RCE wagons. No need to run saggy butt shims with either of those.
4. I don't see the need for shims or spacers if you're running wagon specific struts and springs. Unless the camber plates in the front raise the front enough that you need to raise the rears a little bit to level it out.
5. If you run group n or stock in the back camber bolts are a must.

Sounds like you're on track for a great set ups. RCE/Swift/Koni... perfect.

 

Hmmm, TiC was recently complaining about quality issues on Koni Yellows. Right now though it's the only comparable option since D-Specs aren't on the table at the moment.

 

Alright sorry for the delay, I've been dealing with a misfire problem.

Anyway, I went ahead and shipped my struts over to Tic and here is how they returned:




Went ahead and had the following installed:
-Koni inserts
-RCE Yellows
-Com c fronts
-GroupN rears
-Drex extenders

Installation went pretty smooth, with the help of a friend. I had some concerns that the bottom of the strut wouldn't clear over the axle or the boot with the extenders in, but reluctantly once I got the strut bolted in, it had about half an inch of clearance.

I couldn't be any happier with how the ride quality is. I'm currently running them with the dampening setting that they came with (1/4th turn from full soft). I would say it feels a bit OEM-ish but you can definitely fell the upgraded difference from the old which sat at 130,xxx miles. I'll start playing with the dampening once I ride on these settings for a few hundred miles.

Overall, it was a great project that I'm very glad to have knocked out of the way. Once I fix my CEL problem I will begin looking to some wheels and tires,; wouldn't mind more pointers from anyone on this too. Thanks again Greg over @ TiC for your patience and suggestions!


*excuse the horrible photo quality.