DCAWD.com

Sadly, he has a wagon, and the drops are different.

Also should I be worried about a drop w/ 225/45 tires?

I had 225/45 17s on mine with the Pinks and I never rubbed, and my rear sat very low. But, I also had stiffer struts which made body roll almost non-existant.

Most will tell you your fine, but I don't think there is any gaurantee.

Spun auto is offering H techs for $219 shipped. I think this is a pretty good deal. So if anyone has any thoughts on the matter please let me know.

drwrx wrote:I had 225/45 17s on mine with the Pinks and I never rubbed, and my rear sat very low. But, I also had stiffer struts which made body roll almost non-existant.

Most will tell you your fine, but I don't think there is any gaurantee.

agreed. teh good dr. is riding on jdm sti struts IIRC. With most springs on the wagon, the rear will sit low. it could be something to be cognizant of if you're rocking the stock struts.

Permanent solution? Stiffer struts or coilovers...

So should I look for something with a mild drop? Or maybe do some struts on the cheap if possible.

Tein H-TECH specs for WRX Wagon:
Avg Lower: F(1.0"), R(0.9")
Spring Rate: F(230 lbs), R(196 lbs)

Prodrive:
Claim to lower the vehicle approximately 20mm (.8") and increase the spring rate by 25% (so 204lbs / 180lbs)

Swift springs for WRX wagon:
Front: -30mm, -1.15" (3.3kg/mm, 185 lbs). Rear: -15mm, -.6" (2.9kg/mm, 163 lbs)

Stock 2002-2003 WRX Wagon Spring rate 163 lbs/144 lbs

I don't have data on the 04-07 WRX wagon spring rates, but I'm pretty sure they're very similar to the 02-03, though likely a bit higher.

the prodrives drop conservatively and the spring rate increase over stock is relatively mild.

search around in the suspension forum on nasioc for wagons dropped on prodrives. there's a ton of info and opinions.

Wow the drop on the Swift springs looks good but will they improve my handling at all? It seems I might be able to get away with the tire size. As long as I keep the rear drop below 1 in or the springs need to be pretty stiff. Do you guys think some negative camber could stop rubbing also?
Man I miss the good old days when modding was easier. It seems all the fundamentals of tuning are a little scewed when we start talking Subarus.

i don't have personal experience w/ the swifts, but i would imagine that based on the specs they would eliminate much of the body roll in the twisties and nosedives on hard braking, at the cost of some ride comfort.

Just got an even better offer on the H techs. $189 shipped to my door from JSC Speed. I think I'll be ok but there are a bunch of auto body shops around here that im sure can do fender rolling.

edit- Oh they also come w/ a free set of front camber bolts.

have you done any reading in the suspension forum? really, you should solicit as many opinions as possible and gather as many first-hand reviews as you can before making a choice. modifying a suspension, while relatively inexpensive, is one of the more important modifications you can make, and will affect every second of your driving experience.


just sayin'...

Wow isn't that a mouthful. I have been reading the wagon suspension forums for the last couple of days straight. I was hovering with prodrives or H tech( S techs are for the ricers...). The only thing with prodrives is they arent wagon specific. I also want a somewhat stiffer ride. The rates seems to be pretty good. I also only drive 4 miles to work and back.

So yet another question- Good place to get an alignment? Ive heard Will talk good things about P Tuning but im open to suggestions.

And thank you guys for all the good advice and for putting up with me.

Jay

i endured the drive to manassas (hate that town) and had the boys at ptuning align my sti. no complaints.

So I ordered my gauge, pod and a beatrush belt cover last night from MACH V. And apparently they are sitting at my front desk as of 10 minutes ago. I know they are close but holy crap that was fast.

Bluestreak2006 wrote:Just got an even better offer on the H techs. $189 shipped to my door. . .Oh they also come w/ a free set of front camber bolts.

Damn! Now that's a great price! Camber bolts go for around $40, so it's like getting the H-Techs for under $150!

But seriously, go to the Nasioc suspension forum and do some reading on wagon set-ups, there are a ton.

I have Julian's copy of Grassroots Motorsports in which they do an entire suspension set-up on an 06 WRX Wagon.
They did the following:

1. put on 235/40 17 Potenza RE-01Rs on 17x8 Kosei K-1 TS
2. added Sways w/ end links (I'm still not convinced the front is needed)
3. Put on Eibach springs and Koni Sport struts
4. added more camber (with camber bolts)
5. Rolled the fenders (Eastwood's Fender Lip Rolling tool $299 from TireRack)

With these steps, they were able to take over 2 seconds off their lap times and be much more consistant overall.

They also added Strut bars front and rear and they actually went slightly slower by about .15 seconds. They even sated "It is clear that the Subaru's chassis is rigid enough in stock form to cope with the forces generated by any street tires. Perhaps a jump up to ultra-sticky R compound tires or a challenging rally course would do more to justify strut bars, but for us, we'd leave them off.

And deffinately go to P-Tuning for an alighnment! You will not be disappointed!

^ Darren am I going to need camber bolts for the rear as well?

I was able to get away with using only 1 set on the rear only.

Update-
After doing even more searching a finally went with the Tein wagon specific H techs. I got them for $189 shipped w/ free front camber bolts. I'm gonna try and install my prosport boost gauge tomorrow.

So im approximately 1/3 through my budget and can't figure what else to pick up. Rear sway, replace speakers, v limited lip, CBE exhaust setup.

I have been reading the spring and DP installs and the dp is pretty straight forward. The springs make me a bit nervous. So guys who wants to volunteer there bloody knuckles?

Bluestreak2006 wrote:Update-
After doing even more searching a finally went with the Tein wagon specific H techs. I got them for $189 shipped w/ free front camber bolts. I'm gonna try and install my prosport boost gauge tomorrow.

So im approximately 1/3 through my budget and can't figure what else to pick up. Rear sway, replace speakers, v limited lip, CBE exhaust setup.

I have been reading the spring and DP installs and the dp is pretty straight forward. The springs make me a bit nervous. So guys who wants to volunteer there bloody knuckles?

Hmm? I thought the OEM struts came w/ camber bolts in the front? Maybe they can go in the rear where you need them to correct camber.

I received the springs yesterday. The camber bolts are Engalls. I hope they will work on the rears as well. Didn't get around to the boost gauge either. And im still waiting on my DP. Next time i'll try a more reputable dealer. They tell me they were in stock then magically they werent. Said it shipped Friday though I'm very doubtful.
Also picked up my secret santa present. Im sure someone will appreciate it.

Good luck w/ the parts! What vendor pulled the in stock trick?

^^^ I ordered the DP through boostbuddy.com

Well I finally installed the prosport boost gauge. And what a PITA it was. Took me like 3 hrs. This morning I turn on the car and now the light change to green isnt working. Just thought I would complain some more. Oh and my DP still hasnt shipped.