I have seen a lot of info about springs and shocks/struts for the wrx but nothing on the sti. I am looking to actually soften the ride up a bit and make it smoother. I do not plan on tracking the car but adjust ability would be nice to have. I want an affordable, high quality stance fix that will improve the ride quality. If money were not an object, an AST coilover system, same as the Litchfield Type25, would be my pick with its dual stage springs. they were built and designed for Europe's pothole ridden streets. quality is not an issue there, but availability is. so now that i have thrown out a bunch of non sense, this is the question, does anybody know if the ast stage 1 are avail. in the us? if not, what will give a similar ride quality with a decent drop (i.e. bmw 3 series type ride), what non coilover options are avail. for the 06-07 sti?

 

you my friend have not been searching hard enough:

http://www.speedelement.com/index.ph...mart&Itemid=38

http://www.speedelement.com/index.ph...mart&Itemid=38

http://www.gstmotorsports.com/store/...=71_82_163_355

call and talk to either Speed element or GST, they'll hook you up with what your looking for

 

"The COBB Sport Springs reduce the ride height by 2.0" in the Front and 1.5" in the Rear. Spring rates are increased approximately 25% over stock which results in a sporty feel without being unnecessarily harsh or bouncy."



http://www.cobbtuning.com/products/?id=2274

 

Crucial Racing spring set for the WRX/STi:

http://www.crucialracing.com/products/springs.php

Lowers car a modest amount over the factory STi springs. Same spring rate as STi 'pink' springs but both front and rear are progressively wound for more comfortable ride quality around town.

 

maybe i didnt word it right, the springs are not the problem, there are thousands of those. its the dampers that are the issue. the stock ones suck and the only option i have seen to fit the 06-07 sti are the ohlins ones that by themselves are $1800. thats why i was trying to see if there is another option. also trying to find the ast coilovers.

 

Koni Inserts?

 

If I'm reading this right you found Ohlins dampers that would work with stock springs(struts). I talked to those guys directly and they only had coil over kits and those were around $2900 and $3600 bucks (factory price) with price depending on shock adjustability.If you've got any info please post it will you. Very few people in the car world know what superb shocks those guys make. We used 'em in racing motorcycles.

 

check out these two sites on them!!! Everything I have read about them says they are better than coilovers in every aspect except height adjustment. Combined with tein s-tech springs the combo is compared to a bmw 3 series ride.

http://www.racecompengineering.com/i...%2C+and+Shocks

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/showthre...ghlight=ohlins

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=874251

Hope this helps!!

 

Honestly, if you want the ride of a BMW, you really need to change cars. BMW suspensions are not only softer, but they are the king of nice ride while retaining great handling. They put a lot of development into this that simply is not in the STI. The STI is much more focused on performance over ride. All these springs are designed to stiffen the car. While many offer a ride quality equal to that of the stock setup, it is very difficult to improve it. You may be able to get some improvement in changing the dampers to something adjustable like a koni, or getting custom coilovers. For example, you could buy some KW V1 or V2 with custom spring rates and valving to improve the ride. They are one of the few brands that uses a progressive rear spring for added comfort. Most other coilovers, even adjustable ones, are significantly stiffer than stock

 

Dfresh, thanks for the OHLINS info. I'll need to see if these can be massaged onto an 07 wrx.Racecomp escaped me in my searching.Only observation looking at a bunch of their stuff is that their pricing is sometimes even a bit above full factory list.I don't have any car experience with these shocks, but Yamaha owns Ohlins and we used lots of those shocks on bikes ,just meticulously engineered stuff.

 

The only fixed strut perch option for the 05+ sti is the ohlins. RCE and TiC I think are working with companies to develop a strut for the 05 STi. To change dampening, you're going to have to go coilovers, and if you do, stay away from JDM's underdampened hard spring rate coilovers like JIC's, Cusco's and Zeal. The German coilovers such as Blistein and KW's are more fitting for a comfortable ride. Coilovers you should look into are the RCE Tarmac II's which give you some adjustability and you can custom order your spring rates I think. You can also go with Ground control/koni inserts. They will both be around 2,000 dollars. The whiteline group4 coilovers I heard was good for daily drivers but they are discontinued, i think a member here is selling one that has been on his car for 10k for 1,000.

There are no cheaper options than 1800 to change the struts/dampening, until RCE comes out with their strut/strut housing.

 

Also, try and see if you can get rides from people with KW and Koni/Ground Control or RCE Tarmac's and see how you like the ride. Ask them to make it soft and see if it's what you are looking for. I too have been thinking the suspension is a little hard but that could be because of my dying tires. You can always get some softer tires since they do make everything feel softer but you give up a lot in handling.

 

I still haven't swapped but I looked into the bilsteins for just the reason boxerrumble said, they're noted for good ride.I've had half a dozen cars in my life equipped with them and they've all been great(but were just shocks) .The coilovers are rebound and compresion adjustable-listed in the $2400 range but got 2 quotes right at $1780.Just still haven't been able to figure out just how stiff their spring rates are.ANYBODY WHO TRIED THEM- A POST WOULD BE NICE.

 

That was the answer I was looking for! Thank you. Now the hard part is trying to get a ride on these. KW's may not be as hard to get a ride on as the AST sportlines i've been looking at too. I cant even find a west coast supplier of them.