Forester STI bhp
Discussion
On a slightly different note: my FSTi has STi pink springs rather than the oem springs - the dampers have not been changed. This was done before I bought it and I have never driven one with the standard springs. Would you expect my car to be more or less comfortable because of this? I'm wondering whether I can achieve the comfort I want just by swapping back to standard.
macky17 said:
On a slightly different note: my FSTi has STi pink springs rather than the oem springs - the dampers have not been changed. This was done before I bought it and I have never driven one with the standard springs. Would you expect my car to be more or less comfortable because of this? I'm wondering whether I can achieve the comfort I want just by swapping back to standard.
I believe the pinks will lower slightly but produce a bit more roll. do you have the originals ? still for sale on ICP - I also have a full set at home 
http://www.importcarparts.co.uk/parts-info?id=1092...
http://www.importcarparts.co.uk/parts-info?id=1092...
Thanks to both of you.
I don't have the standard springs - previous owner must have sold them on. It doesn't sound very clear cut as to whether the ride will be any better with those. The pinks are not harsh, especially not in the front, but they are bouncy - particularly in the back (I'm told). Not worried about roll as I will fit a rear arb eventually.
Hmmm. Not sure what to do (so probably best to do nothing yet). I have read brownpantsracing's thread; very interesting and possibly the way to go. Wish he didn't live 200 miles away as a passenger ride would tell me everything I need to know.
Thanks again.
I don't have the standard springs - previous owner must have sold them on. It doesn't sound very clear cut as to whether the ride will be any better with those. The pinks are not harsh, especially not in the front, but they are bouncy - particularly in the back (I'm told). Not worried about roll as I will fit a rear arb eventually.
Hmmm. Not sure what to do (so probably best to do nothing yet). I have read brownpantsracing's thread; very interesting and possibly the way to go. Wish he didn't live 200 miles away as a passenger ride would tell me everything I need to know.
Thanks again.
macky17 said:
Thanks to both of you.
I don't have the standard springs - previous owner must have sold them on. It doesn't sound very clear cut as to whether the ride will be any better with those. The pinks are not harsh, especially not in the front, but they are bouncy - particularly in the back (I'm told). Not worried about roll as I will fit a rear arb eventually.
Hmmm. Not sure what to do (so probably best to do nothing yet). I have read brownpantsracing's thread; very interesting and possibly the way to go. Wish he didn't live 200 miles away as a passenger ride would tell me everything I need to know.
Thanks again.
Likewise, I was hoping he was just round the corner for a quick spin. I don't have the standard springs - previous owner must have sold them on. It doesn't sound very clear cut as to whether the ride will be any better with those. The pinks are not harsh, especially not in the front, but they are bouncy - particularly in the back (I'm told). Not worried about roll as I will fit a rear arb eventually.
Hmmm. Not sure what to do (so probably best to do nothing yet). I have read brownpantsracing's thread; very interesting and possibly the way to go. Wish he didn't live 200 miles away as a passenger ride would tell me everything I need to know.
Thanks again.
themanwithnoname said:
Likewise, I was hoping he was just round the corner for a quick spin.
sounds like a good set-up. but always said I'd never have coilovers again after having several sets on VW's over the years. just way too firm for the roads round here. perfect for track use but not for DD. had one set on for a day on a previous VR6 before removing them ! you'd ideally want 3 way adjustable ones and a low kg rated spring. try the ARB's first before swapping the shocks / springs. makes a big difference.
the thing about suspension what's good for one is not for another , I did a rear arb yes it was a bit better , but for handling coilovers are a leap forward , yes ride is firmer but that's always going to be the case , but on roundabouts it's great , I keep the car set to a sensible inch or so drop so I don't worry about speed bumps , and dampner settings set to soft it greatly improves the drive at the cost of being a bit firmer , horses for courses
the handling is greatly enhanced , on a nice road it's not a harsh ride , when surface is poor you will feel more , but the trade off bump v handling ... the handling is vastly improved , I don't want what I can describe as a harsh ride , the damping adjustment helps and you run it on a softer setting , I know the coilovers are Bc but handling on both cars is very different , on both the car is much more stable and running sightly lower so my opinion well worth doing I wish I did it before , the standard fsti suspension is ok , with the coilovers it's much better , lowering reduces centre of gravity helps due to less role , stiffen it up again less role , tyres in better contact with the road , too firm on a bumpy road won't help as its just skipping along and not as much contact , the thicker arbs hold the wheels down more firmly , but also make a car go from slower more progressive to loose control on the limit quicker as its lots of grip then none rather than a progressive loss of grip , which is why race cars in the wet some times disconnect arbs , on the hatch back Sti thicker arbs were a good idea , the improvement of coilovers on the forester or fsti work very well , if you want a demo then come over my way and I will show you , it's a long answer to your question but I hope it helps , I regret not doing coilovers a lot longer ago on the fsti and I don't mind a slightly bumpier ride
^ What's your usual road type you drive on? Are you rural or urban located? Makes a huge difference
Personally for rural use coilies just wont cut it and will be crashy
On the pink springs - MDMA is on the money, only thing to add they may bottom out in certain situations, so you'll be on the bump stops (ie ran out of travel and therefore control)
Personally for rural use coilies just wont cut it and will be crashy
On the pink springs - MDMA is on the money, only thing to add they may bottom out in certain situations, so you'll be on the bump stops (ie ran out of travel and therefore control)
MDMA . said:
for the Meister ones, you will need - MeisterR ZetaCRD+ coilovers suitable for the GD Impreza with 100x5 stud pattern ( taken from someone who has just fitted them ).
link from scabbynet below :
http://www.scoobynet.com/suspension-12/1041000-rev...
That would be me then! link from scabbynet below :
http://www.scoobynet.com/suspension-12/1041000-rev...
I'm really impressed with the MeisterR units. I'm really critical of my car and didn't want to spoil my daily driver, but they have been great. Really pleased I went for them.
Top lurking BrownPants! Outstanding work.
So being as I have your thread open on the other site and looking on with intrigue, how would you compare these vs standard suspension for comfort/control etc. I appreciate its a subjective topic but reading the thread suggests that the spring rates and reported failure rates on the BC ones, along with my experience of dealing with them thus far say they're not for me, Tein use the same spring rates and are reported to be very hard anyway, Pedders as you've noted, and going by the spring rates are going to be hard as holy hell!
What kind of rate are the MeisterR ones?
(Great looking car by the way, sits really nicely)
So being as I have your thread open on the other site and looking on with intrigue, how would you compare these vs standard suspension for comfort/control etc. I appreciate its a subjective topic but reading the thread suggests that the spring rates and reported failure rates on the BC ones, along with my experience of dealing with them thus far say they're not for me, Tein use the same spring rates and are reported to be very hard anyway, Pedders as you've noted, and going by the spring rates are going to be hard as holy hell!
What kind of rate are the MeisterR ones?
(Great looking car by the way, sits really nicely)
Why thank you yes, is 4.5 years a new record then? LOL.
I had posted before on here but my user account got closed down and frozen by admin as they thought I was a trader and I violated all sorts of sacred rules. I only had my account un-frozen yesterday. Oh what fun!
The MeisterR units have the same spring rates as the BC units. The big important difference is the quality of damping from the shock itself. You can't compare spring rates of standard struts to those of coilovers as they are totally different and offer different ride characteristics.
From my personal experience (23 years of driving and modifying cars, race cars etc), I've had coilovers on plenty of cars before and swore I'd never have another daily road car with them fitted again. As you say, Tein are just horrific in my experience and far too hard for the road. The Pedders would have been too (even by their own omission). I didn't want to go down the BC route as having had Subaru's for the last 10 years now I've seen way more failed BC shocks than I should have done.
I've set my MeisterR Zeta CRD+ coilovers pretty conservatively at 10 clicks up front and 8 at the rear (with 30 clicks possible on both). The general ride quality is great and I would almost say very similar to the pedders Ezifit struts & springs I had fitted before. These are noted to be a tiny bit softer than STI suspension, so for me as a daily it works great. The kids and happy and more importantly the wife too!
When pushed the MeisterR units really grip. It's made the car feel so much more planted than before and given me loads more grip to play with coupled with a more predictable ride in general. Coming from a very modified 2006 Impreza that I'd owned since new I wasn't happy with the original setup that was on the car when I bought it in Feb. It pushed wide with under-steer too easily and seemed to turn in under the nose without breaking any rear traction to stabilise the car. It never seemed to corner flat or controlled. It's far more like an Impreza now and certainly in my opinion FAR improved.
I had posted before on here but my user account got closed down and frozen by admin as they thought I was a trader and I violated all sorts of sacred rules. I only had my account un-frozen yesterday. Oh what fun!
The MeisterR units have the same spring rates as the BC units. The big important difference is the quality of damping from the shock itself. You can't compare spring rates of standard struts to those of coilovers as they are totally different and offer different ride characteristics.
From my personal experience (23 years of driving and modifying cars, race cars etc), I've had coilovers on plenty of cars before and swore I'd never have another daily road car with them fitted again. As you say, Tein are just horrific in my experience and far too hard for the road. The Pedders would have been too (even by their own omission). I didn't want to go down the BC route as having had Subaru's for the last 10 years now I've seen way more failed BC shocks than I should have done.
I've set my MeisterR Zeta CRD+ coilovers pretty conservatively at 10 clicks up front and 8 at the rear (with 30 clicks possible on both). The general ride quality is great and I would almost say very similar to the pedders Ezifit struts & springs I had fitted before. These are noted to be a tiny bit softer than STI suspension, so for me as a daily it works great. The kids and happy and more importantly the wife too!
When pushed the MeisterR units really grip. It's made the car feel so much more planted than before and given me loads more grip to play with coupled with a more predictable ride in general. Coming from a very modified 2006 Impreza that I'd owned since new I wasn't happy with the original setup that was on the car when I bought it in Feb. It pushed wide with under-steer too easily and seemed to turn in under the nose without breaking any rear traction to stabilise the car. It never seemed to corner flat or controlled. It's far more like an Impreza now and certainly in my opinion FAR improved.
This sounds like the way forward to me. In my particular case, improved handling is only 3rd on the list of reasons I want to upgrade the suspension: 1) I want a more accomplished ride and 2) I want the car to sit higher at the back than it does on the pink springs (perhaps a little higher at the front also).
I'm lucky enough to have something else in the garage for weekends/handling; for me the Forester is a do-everything daily car. I like the idea of a fast car which can handle any road (and most fields) in any weather conditions whilst fully loaded - right now it sits a fraction too low for that and is a fraction too crashy. Of course if I can eliminate some understeer and roll in the process then all-the-better.
Maybe if we could get a few people together we could get a group buy going. Long shot I know - not exactly many Foresters out there.
I'm lucky enough to have something else in the garage for weekends/handling; for me the Forester is a do-everything daily car. I like the idea of a fast car which can handle any road (and most fields) in any weather conditions whilst fully loaded - right now it sits a fraction too low for that and is a fraction too crashy. Of course if I can eliminate some understeer and roll in the process then all-the-better.
Maybe if we could get a few people together we could get a group buy going. Long shot I know - not exactly many Foresters out there.
Edited by macky17 on Friday 2nd September 11:37
I'm not saying they are the best but the Tein basics work very well on my Impreza Sti and on the flip side they were only 505 £ to the door , ride is not that harsh but it handles very well , which I do miss compared to the taller slightly heavier fsti , the Impreza made me go down the coilover route with the fsti which turned out to be a good idea
vxr2010 said:
I'm not saying they are the best but the Tein basics work very well on my Impreza Sti and on the flip side they were only 505 £ to the door , ride is not that harsh but it handles very well , which I do miss compared to the taller slightly heavier fsti , the Impreza made me go down the coilover route with the fsti which turned out to be a good idea
I have the Tein springs on mine bonesX said:
Wow BPR that looks mega low
What angle are the control arms at, especially on the rear?
The control arm angle hasn't change that much in reality. It's just more like the Impreza setup now than the Forester. I've fitted camber bolts all round and managed to retain very acceptable suspension geometry on the car, so it handles great now.What angle are the control arms at, especially on the rear?
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