Steppin Razor: I'm interested in your coilovers. And i'm also located in the Bay Area.

 

honestly, they are a great setup. they have been totally silent (for me), they are not too stiff by any means, and they improve the handling of the car immensely over the stock setup.

 

no, i really do not think the SS is worth $500 more.

it would make FAR more sense to spend an extra $700 to get the JIC FLT-A2 which is far and away an entirely superior coilover to SS. for what you're looking for, you'll be amazed at how well the type wagons work and very glad you only spent $900 because your setup will be SO much more streetable (comfort and noise) than all those guys with rock-hard COs that never go to the track. and you'll be able to keep up with them on the twisties too.

 

Buy Tim's Teins, he's a good guy (if you don't **** him off) and he needs to buy something else so he can keep up with me.

 

The choices for spring/strut combos for the WRX are rather limited for some reason. Basically, there are the KYB AGKs, Koni inserts... and that's about it. Cheap springs and KYBs will cost you maybe $550-600 shipped, and quality springs with the KYBs maybe $700. So is it worth the extra $200 for Tim's coilovers? Well, the simple answer is a certain 'yes', but there are other considerations. For example, an inexperienced driver won't really get the extra benefit of adjustability right away, due to lack of experience in diagnosing the car's handling (and your own skills). There is also the fact that it takes some time to get the coilovers 'dialed-in' and setup for best handling under your chosen conditions. However, the Tein Wagons are well-suited for their purpose, delivering a near-stock ride and excellent real-world handling. Also, buying them used, they won't depreciate much if any over the next year or two. The spring/strut combo would be worth maybe $400 if you decided to upgrade later.

As for installation- what do you think this message board is for? Set up a date, buy some beer and snacks, and have some of us help you out with it. If you really really want to get them installed professionally, GB Motorsports will give you a much better price than that if you have time for the install when you pick them up.

 

On backroads, I would expect them to perform very well "within reason" though I think an M3 is aiming a bit high. They are awesome on the road, very good at autocross, and I would say, based on Tim's feedback, better than adequate at the track, though not at the top of the class. All in all, learning to care for coilovers isn't nearly as difficult as gaining the skills to fully make use of them. For the price difference, I would recommend the coilovers to nearly all WRX owners on i-Club.

 

Sort of. They fit, meaning you can bolt them in, but the valving and strut length in the rear isn't right. You would be better off in that case getting a set of the new Tein Basics, which are only height-adjustable but go for around $750 or less new.