op, i'm not trying to give you a hard time.. just some thoughts for you to go over so things may be clearer for you

what lic said is as good as it gets as that post was pretty articulate.. but i still believe coilovers do not belong on street cars.. different strokes for different folks, that's all it is

g'luck with whatever you do

 

Just an FYI, some people enjoy the harsh/stiff ride of coilovers... I know I used to love it when I was younger and driving my RS. I seriously LOVED how stiff and harsh the car felt, body roll was my biggest enemy, I couldnt stand it and the only way it could be 100% removed was with the use of coilovers. I had front and rear swaybars, anti lift kit, bushings all around (end links, etc), as well as Japanese made Tein HA coilovers on my GC8 and I loved EVERY min of it.

Once I got older however, it started bothering me and now I just have swift springs on my stock STi struts (2007 STi) and even then it's sometimes too stiff, lol... Damn this old age!

 

I agree with this. I have the full sways, endlinks, a **** ton of bracing, ALK, and coilovers and I absolutely love the handling. My cobra seat absorbs most of the stiffness to.

Then again, my daily drive is 20 miles of curvy mountain roads each way.

 

How did you like the anti lift kit? I got sways and coilovers on my STi and the next thing i was going to do on my suspension was a 4 point brace or a anti lift kit

 

I know you asked Bruce, but I just installed an ALK and fender braces earlier this week. The difference is night and day! even on my low car. The turn in is much quicker and precise and the car feels more stable and composed through a turn. The biggest difference is when cornering under heavy/full throttle. I used to understeer really bad and slide. Now it just bites and grips hard with no noticeable understeer at all! It's definitely worth getting an ALK.

 

I think the anti lift kit is overrated... The coilovers were stiff enough where they did most of the work so when I added the ALK I couldnt notice a difference at all. I also have a 4 point brace and noticed NO difference what so ever... I'd avoid both mods and just get sway bars with bushings, possibly some better end links... Not only will you be able to notice a difference under hard cornering, but it will IMPROVE your handling. I kind of regret getting a front sway bar because when I had a stock front one and a large rear one the car handled much better in terms or how predictable it was... The front sway bar + bushings just added understeer for my car. a large rear sway bar + bushings and supporting hardware = one of the best mods you can do for your car.

Some people will say that you shouldn't go too big on the rear bar because it causes oversteer, but that's a bunch of BS... I couldn't find a rear bar large enough, lol... I wish they made a 40mm bar for my old car! I'd totally sport that.

The GD has a stiff chassis as it is so the 4 point bar is not going to do anything, same goes with strut bars... NADA.

 

Another mod I plan to do to my STi (which I had for my old GC) is steering rack bushing upgrades! Makes the wheel feel much better and takes any slack that you might have out of the equation.

 

I wish I could get oversteer out of mine! LOL would be fun. I only have a 22mm adjustable in the rear. I have a 22 in front to and pretty slammed and had understeer, but I definitely feel no more understeer since the ALK install. I think they are definitely worthwhile, especially if you are feeling understeer under throttle.

 

How difficult are these? I hear their a difficult install for 05+ sti/wrx's.

 

The bolts are a bizzatch to take off, so I just had GST do it while I had other suspension stuff done. It is a pain, and it's not worth it... It looks cool having a bright pink brace under the car, other than that however, meh....

 

i got whitelines steering rack bushing but never got a chance to put it on. Heard it really helps with the 04's cus my steering wheel has alot of play

 

Thanks guys...gonna pick up some Teins this weekend hopefully.

 

pressurized contents under pressure.

 

what company sells the most expensive coilovers and how much haha jwing...

 

i agree with noahs post but since you will go with the lower end coils you might as well get some decent ones. http://www.stsuspensions.com/coilovers.php order their coilovers. they are the EXACT same as kw v1 but they have a different material for the strut body. I think the speedtechs are stainless steel. If you call their number the guys at KW pick up the phone. i think they go for around 1200 which is like 200-300 cheaper than the v1.