STI suspension

[smc]

Allrighty. Ive been wanting to post up on my suspension swap for a while. So, here we go.

As you all know, coilover and suspension upgrades for our cars are far and few between. And for some reason, the moment SVX is mentioned on a product, the price skyrockets!

So, one of the simpler upgrades you can do to your car is install an adjustable STI coilover system.
Its not as hard as it looks! Believe me. Here is the key. You need the suspension for a 2005 / 2007 STI. Thats because they have thicker uprights on the knuckles than a WRX.
http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc383/farbeyondriven775/sti%20suspension/svxandaxles003.jpg

To do this proper, you WILL need the adjustable camber plates to get the correct alignment on the rear suspension.
http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc383/farbeyondriven775/sti%20suspension/svxandaxles005.jpg

Start by creating a cardboard template. To do this, just jab come cardboard over the mounting brackets and then trace the plate out.
http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc383/farbeyondriven775/sti%20suspension/svxandaxles006.jpg
http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc383/farbeyondriven775/sti%20suspension/svxandaxles007.jpg
http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc383/farbeyondriven775/sti%20suspension/svxandaxles008.jpg
http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc383/farbeyondriven775/sti%20suspension/svxandaxles009.jpg

Mark a center point on the template and what orientation the bolts are. Then simply place it ontop of the strut tower or inside of the tower. Align the bolt holes so they are in the proper orientation and your center mark is in the middle of the tower hole.
Drill the 3 holes and and test fit the tophats.
http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc383/farbeyondriven775/sti%20suspension/svxandaxles010.jpg

Install to the uprights:
If you have the 05/07 sti coilovers, then the fronts will mount right up. Install the lower bolt into the coilover mounts. You will find that the upper mounting hole is apporx. .24" off where it needs to be for the SVX uprights.
Just take a 1/2" drill bit and ream out the holes on the coilover bracket to match. Install upper bolts and your done with the front.
http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc383/farbeyondriven775/sti%20suspension/svxandaxles015.jpg
http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc383/farbeyondriven775/sti%20suspension/svxandaxles013.jpg
http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc383/farbeyondriven775/sti%20suspension/svxandaxles014.jpg

For info on how to weld on tabs to keep the front swaybar, please refer to : http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/showthread.php?t=41831

As I simply removed the front swaybar for one that ill will be fabricating at a later date.

The rear gets interesting. The template procedure is the same for the rear as it was the front. However the mounts for the uprights are too narrow and need to be widened to fit the thicker size of the svx knuckles. To widen them, I found it quick and easy to simply heat the coilover brackets with a torch and give them some quick love with a hammer to bend them outward just alittle bit. They then slide on nice and easy. The mounting holes are in the correct position on the brackets to mount with our uprights with out modifying them.

Thats is it! In my case, it took approx. 4 hours for the install with a floor jack and a drill.

Any questions, feel free to ask away.

[icingdeath88]

What specific brand/set of coilovers did you use? And what camber plates?

This actually seems like less work than doing the Koni inserts. The only real issue remains the sway bar. Mounting the sway bar endlinks to the control arm will make the sway bar a little less effective. And it's already not doing that much.

[SVX8588]

That looks pretty easy. Probably easier on the wallet than some of the other options, too!
How long have you had this setup? I'd be interested to see if there are any issues down the road (pun not intended :lol:), like tires wearing funny. But I guess if you had the camber properly it would be fine.
Isn't the SVX heavier than an STi? Did you have to get stiffer springs?

[smc]

Ive been running these for about 4 months. The aircraft landing struts (as to what my friends have lovingly called them ) I have Stance GR+PRO SSD coilovers. They are oversprung at this point, even for track conditions. 11k/9k for the coils. Ill be changing to Swift springs soon enough. Id imagine that they would even be stiff on a track prepped STI. Bouncy bouncy. I wanted to dampen my suspension, not cease its movement all together. :lol:

The camber plates are an option on the coilovers, and im glad that I got it.
The valving is well suited to track conditions. There is next to no body roll, even w/o the swaybars. What little there is makes the car easy to flick around corners. The only down side in my case, it that the car it stripped of all the interior. Which makes is VERY nose hevy and throws the brake balance off toward the rear. Under hard braking, the rear locks up and induces copious amounts of oversteer. Aside from that, its a splendid suspension.

http://stance-usa.com/sus/products/coilovers/supersportplus

[aust92pearl]

so are you suggesting the 11k-9k setup or
the 7k-5k one ?

is there any other coil over setups that can be just as easily modified to fit ?

obviously not that D2 brand on ebay
ive heard of horrific breaks and lucky close calls in
feather weight civics :eek: :rolleyes:

[Stevebsy]

Install to the uprights:
If you have the 05/07 sti coilovers, then the fronts will mount right up. Install the lower bolt into the coilover mounts. You will find that the upper mounting hole is apporx. .24" off where it needs to be for the SVX uprights.
Just take a 1/2" drill bit and ream out the holes on the coilover bracket to match. Install upper bolts and your done with the front.

For this you are talking about the hole that attaches to the spindle, or one of the tophat holes?

Thanks.

[SVX8588]

I think he means where it attaches to the spindle, since the tophat mount bolts are like M8, which is way smaller than 1/2 inch :)

[smc]

In all honesty, its hard to say. In car with full interior and a passenger, it may well have a better ride than mine with the current 11k-9k. But this really depends on what you plan to do with your svx. Autocross? Track? Aggressive street? For autocross, You cant beat the 11k 9k. Braking is now stunning, even with stock calipers and rotors. Nice and flat. No dive when you slam on brakes. Cornering is excellent. But only on smooth surfaces. The suspension has enough give to keep you in contact with the road surface over smooth undulations, but harsh tarmac with ruts and ripples. Youll be hating it.

Autocross, the 11k 9k
For open track and very spirited driving, the 7k 5k
Mind you, every car is a little different, as is its driver. It all depends on what your looking for.


In regards to the uprights, Im talking about the mounting on the knuckle to the coilover. :)

[icingdeath88]

For reference, most of the ground control conversions that were done for track purposes used 450f/375r springs in lb/in. There were also some that used 350-375-ish ones in the front, with proportional rears.

11Kg/mm is 616 lb/in. That's really stiff. :eek: Like really stiff. No wonder, man.

Here (http://forums.evolutionm.net/evo-tires-wheels-brakes-suspension-sponsored-tire-rack/308025-spring-rate-conversions-kg-mm-lbs.html)is a chart to help people with converting.

I would also like to point out there should be a very wide variety of STi coilovers out there. So there are a lot of options for those considering this route.

[dbarnblatt]

I would also like to point out there should be a very wide variety of STi coilovers out there. So there are a lot of options for those considering this route.

Would the stock STi suspension work with this type of approach? And would the rears install with the same type of modifications?

[Mr. Nosidda]

Why havent people gone with this more? With a small amount of modification and less hurt on your wallet, it just seems like a good option.

[smc]

Would the stock STi suspension work with this type of approach? And would the rears install with the same type of modifications?

In the front, yes. Exact same install. Camber is in the stock position. So the tophats will bolt up just the same as demonstrated here. However in the rear, I have the adjustable plates at full negative camber and Im just shy of stock rear camber. This is due to me bolting them on the the correct factory orientation. If you were to install stock STI top hats, you would have substantial positive camber. IF you use stock tophats for an STI, you will need camber bolts installed in the uprights to correct for it. But thats nothing really considering your swapping in another suspension.

The coil weight im currently running would not be that bad IF they were a better coil.
http://www.swiftsprings.com/products-coilover_springs.html

Im thinking ill loose 100lbs in the front and 175 in the rear and ill be happy. But then again, I have VERY little track time with these to be certain. Only one open track day and Reno Fernly Raceway. And I was not pushing it at all. No cage, still and automatic and light in the tail. What I felt, I liked to a point. Ill know better for balance of the car once I get the cage in *stiffer chassis*, install a rear spoiler and swap in the 5mt.

[smc]

Why havent people gone with this more? With a small amount of modification and less hurt on your wallet, it just seems like a good option.

Fear of the unknown. Once you start popping holes in your car, your committed. :D

And in all honesty, I doubt anybody knew it would be this easy.

[icingdeath88]

In the front, yes. Exact same install. Camber is in the stock position. So the tophats will bolt up just the same as demonstrated here. However in the rear, I have the adjustable plates at full negative camber and Im just shy of stock rear camber. This is due to me bolting them on the the correct factory orientation. If you were to install stock STI top hats, you would have substantial positive camber. IF you use stock tophats for an STI, you will need camber bolts installed in the uprights to correct for it. But thats nothing really considering your swapping in another suspension.

What about height?

[smc]

I do believe that the stock sti suspension will lower you by about 1.5" or so as our strut towers are taller than theirs. This is all an assumption on my behalf, as the coils were set up for a STI lowered by 2" when I received them. Upon install, the svx had a drop in height of 3.5" or so. So it would stand to reason that the drop in height could be expected from the stock impreza coils.

[smc]

Hmm. I just found a stock STI suspension for sale for relatively cheap on craigslist. I may have to pick it up and test to see exactly how they fit. Ill call the seller tomorrow and see if they are still for sale.

[redlightningsvx]

So from what i'm getting at a stock Sti suspension will bolt in by drilling new holes for front/rear, welding new tabs, and adding camber bolts to align it right?

[smc]

05/07 STI suspension. 3 bolt holes per strut tower. Camber bolts for correct alignment. Top bolt hole on the front strut to knuckle mounts needs to be elongated. Tabs welded to the suspension for the front swaybar, and the swaybar linkage lengthened to reach. The rear strut to knuckle bracket needs to be widened aka bent outward a little to fit. The bolt holes for the rear will line up correctly, so no other mods will be needed in the rear.

[aust92pearl]

well stock 05-07 sti susp is almost non existant to find for sale here in aust (like most things) :rolleyes:

what are your thoughts/opinions on these options ?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BC-Racing-Adjustable-Coilovers-SUBARU-WRX-STI-GDE-05-07-/110854602214?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item19cf72fde6

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GODSPEED-05-07-SUBARU-IMPREZA-STI-TYPE-RS-COILOVER-SUSPENSION-KIT-STRUT-SHOCK-/400288131378?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5d33082932&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GSS66-1USS2-Tein-Street-Basis-Subaru-STI-2005-2007-/230662371410?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35b48c7852&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MEGAN-RACING-STREET-COILOVERS-SUBARU-IMPREZA-STI-05-07-/130677270838?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1e6cf8e936&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GODSPEED-05-07-SUBARU-STI-TYPE-RS-COILOVER-SUSPENSION-/180853255727?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a1bb1ae2f&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/YELLOW-DPS-COILOVER-04-07-IMPREZA-STI-33-STEP-ADJUSTABLE-SUSPENSION-COILOVERS-/200741389573?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2ebd1e8505&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BC-Racing-BR-Coilovers-05-07-Subaru-Impreza-STi-GDE-GDF-F-03-Full-Kit-/320883932988?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4ab62c3f3c&vxp=mtr

[redlightningsvx]

Nice That doesn't seem to hard to do. I'll add this to the list of things needing done

[smc]

well stock 05-07 sti susp is almost non existant to find for sale here in aust (like most things) :rolleyes:

what are your thoughts/opinions on these options ?


You can order just the stock struts for a STI for relatively cheap from the dealer. Then toss on a set of quality coils and your good to go
As for your e-bay dampeners:
Hmm. They are all pretty decent for the price range.
When possible, look for an inverted shock design, like what I have.
Keep in mind that in a macpherson strut design like our cars, the struts are a stressed member of the suspension. When you corner, all that stress is transferred from the wheels to the struts then to the chassis. I dont know about you, but I dont like the thought of all the cornering stress of our heavy cars being pressed upon a 1/2" shaft that is the strut rod.
In an inverted design, the strut body itself slides into the mounting sleeve and takes all the stress of the suspension.

http://www.speedalliance.com/images/Cusco/Coilover/Zero-2r-1.jpg


Adjustablility in the compression / rebound is a great thing to have, if your tuning for the track. If its a daily driver, its not really necessary. You would be surprised how a couple clicks can turn you from understeer to oversteer in a hurry. Or a balanced well handling car, to a twitchy turd on the street. Choose wisely :)

[aust92pearl]

You can order just the stock struts for a STI for relatively cheap from the dealer. Then toss on a set of quality coils and your good to go
As for your e-bay dampeners:
Hmm. They are all pretty decent for the price range.
When possible, look for an inverted shock design, like what I have.
Keep in mind that in a macpherson strut design like our cars, the struts are a stressed member of the suspension. When you corner, all that stress is transferred from the wheels to the struts then to the chassis. I dont know about you, but I dont like the thought of all the cornering stress of our heavy cars being pressed upon a 1/2" shaft that is the strut rod.
In an inverted design, the strut body itself slides into the mounting sleeve and takes all the stress of the suspension.

http://www.speedalliance.com/images/Cusco/Coilover/Zero-2r-1.jpg


Adjustablility in the compression / rebound is a great thing to have, if your tuning for the track. If its a daily driver, its not really necessary. You would be surprised how a couple clicks can turn you from understeer to oversteer in a hurry. Or a balanced well handling car, to a twitchy turd on the street. Choose wisely :)

yeah im not sure how relatively cheap that would actually be here seeing as everything is basically 2.5x the price you guys can buy the same part for there
i will go up to the dealer and ask them how much they are

and if i was to get stock sti ones , i would still need to get camber adjustable strut tops, right ?

and quality coils ... any suggestions for them ?

ah ok so i take it none of those are the inverted design ?
just searched "inverted struts" on ebay and this is the ONLY listing that came up :rolleyes:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-OEM-SUBARU-STI-4-INVERTED-ADJUSTABLE-STRUTS-AND-SPRINGS-FRONTS-AND-REARS-/130679499266?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1e6d1aea02

the adjustability thing would pretty much be for show :lol: and once it was set i would not change it ...
ever :rolleyes:

[smc]

You can get coils for tarmac or gravel for the stock struts. The gravel coils are a fair bit stiffer than the stock SVX rates, but allow for longer travel. The tarmac. Well, it depends on the stiffness you want. A general rule of thumb in terms of track suspension: keep the suspension firm yet supple, and run big swaybars. If your springs are so stiff *like mine* that your tires loose contact with the road surface, then your loosing traction and negating the use of the suspension in and of itself.

The best coils on the market:
http://www.swiftsprings.com/products-ss_spec_r.html


Give them a call, tell them what your looking to obtain performance wise and they can get you just what you need. :)

[aust92pearl]

You can get coils for tarmac or gravel for the stock struts. The gravel coils are a fair bit stiffer than the stock SVX rates, but allow for longer travel. The tarmac. Well, it depends on the stiffness you want. A general rule of thumb in terms of track suspension: keep the suspension firm yet supple, and run big swaybars. If your springs are so stiff *like mine* that your tires loose contact with the road surface, then your loosing traction and negating the use of the suspension in and of itself.

The best coils on the market:
http://www.swiftsprings.com/products-ss_spec_r.html


Give them a call, tell them what your looking to obtain performance wise and they can get you just what you need. :)

Stealership has to ring an sti stealership to get prices .

So what parts of stock sti struts are used
Front :stock housing and strut with different springs and adjustable tophats ?
And rear: stock housing , strut and top hat with different springs ?

[smc]

The strut assembly's front and rear, sti tophats, the nuts for said tophats as they are a different thread than the svx bolts, and camber bolts for adjusting the alignment. Thats it :)

[aust92pearl]

well thats where im confused . The parts guy told me they dont sell complete strut assemblys. They sell it separate instead eg housing , shock , spring , Hat. Hes a bit of a cranky old ba%$&rd and doesnt like to actually do much research . (ive had to deal with him before for other parts ) . Maybe il just call a subaru hotline and see what they say and get part numbers

[aust92pearl]

i might have found a full set of 06 sti struts , are all subaru camber bolts the same or do they need to be 05-07 sti ones or svx ones ?

also found a set of 07 rear sti struts (15000kms on car being wrecked )
that i can get pretty cheap

[smc]

So far it seems that all the subaru camber bolts are the same. Ive used a set from a wrx on the rear of my old svx.

[aust92pearl]

So far it seems that all the subaru camber bolts are the same. Ive used a set from a wrx on the rear of my old svx.

Ah ok cool . Good to know

[Jvan]

Will the STI top hats also work with Koni inserts? I have installed the Koni's and need to replace the top hats. I understand that I will need to drill new mounting holes but will I still need to install the camber adjusting bolts?

[smc]

im not certain about the koni strut rod being the correct diameter for an sti tophat. Though if it works out, then you will be at stock levels of camber as the lower portion of the strut housing is the same as stock. Regretfully, I cant get my grubby hands on a stock set of sti struts at this moment to check measurements.

[Jvan]

Thanks for the response. I hadn't thought about the shaft diameter. I think I'll order them and make sure I can do a return if they don't t fit.

[Jvan]

Found a post on another forum that used the Koni inserts w/sti top hats so they should fit. I've ordered the STI top hats so I should be able to confirm.

[Darren]

Surely the simple solution to the top mount is to get them made with the correct spacing?
It's not a hard job for a machine shop to make from billet ali and would save drilling holes in the turrets which after time ARE GOING to crack between the bolt holes.

Impreza rally struts come in longer lengths to give better ground clearance and an unlimited amount of spring rates.

It's a very viable route to look at with a little more digging around could be a good alternative.

Well done on taking the leap of faith! :lol:

[smc]

Quite true. It would be better to get a good set of tophats that are designed for our strut towers. I thought about going that route, however that would limit what I could order for our car, as not all struts are set up the same with shaft diameter and mounting.
Though, I have found that STI struts are not a different length than our SVX struts simply due to added suspension travel. The fact is that our strut towers are quite abit taller than an impreza. We can actually run Rear gravel rally coilovers for an STi in our front with out any issues. That and technically, our front suspension has more travel built into its geometry than an impreza. However, the control arm geometry of an impreza is designed to offset the toe and camber fluctuations of suspension travel that is inherent with a macpherson strut design. Our svx's, well, not so much. But its by no means a bad suspension.... Wait. I think im getting off topic here.

The strut towers wont crack between the bolt holes. The tophat plate ensures that by putting even distribution of the forces over the entire top of the tower, not just the bolts themselves. Our towers are Remarkably rigid chassis components. If your are getting cracks in them, then you have other problems. Besides, if you are racing your SVX in gravel rally, then you Should have welded in tower reinforcements. Right?

[H2OSB]

I'm looking into everything "mod" for SVXs because I'm considering an SVX as my next project car and I've been in love with the quirky SVX since it was introduced way back when.

I love the idea of swapping parts from around the various models as often, and surprisingly, they bolt on (I've owned several different Subarus..all Legacys, including my current '06 Legacy GT...all modded).

I appologize if this seems overly simplistic but did you ever try swapping the SVX tophat(s) onto the STI strut/spring?

H2OSB

[Stevebsy]

I will be finding out next week how that works..

I picked up a set of OEM STI struts used, complete with springs, etc..

Not sure if the ride height will work, but I hope the mods smc made will also apply to the oem struts. If the ride height is the only issue I have, then I'll get a set of GC springs and sleeves to adjust that and hopefully be done (and for a pretty low price too)

[Tireiron]

One of the big issues with using the SVX tophats is they are still OEM soft rubber tophats, that in most cases are 15 years old. Even new, they are still OEM soft rubber tophats. They also have no camber adjustment like aftermarket tophats have.

I'm looking into everything "mod" for SVXs because I'm considering an SVX as my next project car and I've been in love with the quirky SVX since it was introduced way back when.

I love the idea of swapping parts from around the various models as often, and surprisingly, they bolt on (I've owned several different Subarus..all Legacys, including my current '06 Legacy GT...all modded).

I appologize if this seems overly simplistic but did you ever try swapping the SVX tophat(s) onto the STI strut/spring?

H2OSB