Project RS

[CaptainHenreh]

::Like::

Suspension work is my favorite.

[D_Eclipse9916]

I would have to agree with you. Replacing the whole arm (if it isnt expensive) is the way to go.

Good amount of work done. Nice job.

[Dave]

Nice Scotty - I like seeing lots of HULKing going on down in your garage.

[flintster55]

Very nice Scotty. I'm really close to pulling the trigger on some refreshed/revalved Feal struts myself because my rears are in similar shape as well. Please post up your thoughts after you have had a chance to test them out. Did you go with the Tarmac spec or a custom spec since you are venturing into rallycross now? Any advice or insight is greatly appreciated as I plan to take on this same project in the next month or so.

[ScottyB]

sure Adam. ride feedback coming soon, i get the car aligned tomorrow and will be driving it quite a bit after that.

Feal was a no-brainer for me as the price of Tokico D-specs went up last year, and i'm not interested in hacking my struts apart to fit Konis, which don't handle the big hits of rallyx as well anyways. KYG AGX's were on the table too, but again for the price i'd rather have a suspension that's tailored to the spring rates for very little more - that was the key too, i like my rates and ride height so i just needed a strut to match.

i went with Tarmac spec, but conveyed to Feal specifically to valve them for USDM STi rates on a lighter RS chassis since my car is what, 200 or so pounds lighter than the STi they came off of originally? they essentially valved my car as if it was an earlier GC chassis RS. so i don't know if you'd call it custom, but they honored my request. for a specific aftermarket spring though, that will fall into a custom valve job.

i debated the rally spec valving, but after reading feedback from customers and from Feal itself, the real key to the rally valving was that its very similar to tarmac but differs in the rebound when the strut is close to bottoming out, so that the tires stay planted on things like big whoop sections or ruts after the impact. for that reason there is no real handling advantage on dirt compared to the tarmacs unless you're really driving rough courses with bigger hits that will put the travel to the limit. i won't be doing those events anyway, since it leads down the slippery slope towards prepping a street car for real dirt work with a higher ride height, chassis armor, tires to suit, etc. for my purposes of driving 99% on the street, and just recreationally doing rallyx events, tarmac spec will work perfectly fine and i doubt i'll come close to bottoming them out...or at least seeing a handling difference in those instances.

i also opted for the Zerk fittings on the rear shocks so they can be regreased. this will prevent the strut "stiction" issue in the rear from ever rearing its head again. you can install zerks yourself but i felt that i'd rather leave that in the hand of a pro since doing it wrong could damage the internals. the fee is pretty insubstantial.

lastly, keep in mind you'll need to ship them to Kalifornia. i would have been in trouble if i wanted immediate turnaround via their strut core program because '04 STi struts are getting very scarce and they didn't have any in stock. however, for your '06 you don't need to worry about that. so, if you don't want to wait you can always pay more up front and ship your cores back later. Don't forget how much it will cost to ship your struts out there too. I paid too much IMO since i went a little overboard with the box/packing and the dimensions cost me a bit. you mainly want to pad the shafts and top threads, otherwise the struts won't really get beat in shipping too bad since they're thick metal.

oh, and one last thing - i regret not repainting my struts before i put the springs on. i hit the road rash with clear, but i should have sanded/primed and hit them with a high temp paint for another 100k miles of protection.

[ScottyB]

got about 8 or 9 miles in today on the way back/forth to the alignment and to pick up some mail. i haven't driven the car in literally a month and the difference is still ridiculous how noticable it is. way quicker turn-in...like, horsing the wheel around almost put me in the other lane, it was so much different. and it takes a nearly neutral set under power, not just when you chop the throttle like in the past. steady state, its real neutral and just wants to keep going with much less steering correction. both the front and rear end communicate a lot better together. its no miata now, or anything crazy, but its a legit and appreciable improvement.

old alignment:
front camber: -0.2 deg
front caster: 3.2 deg
rear camber: -1.5 deg

new alignment
front camber: -1.5 deg (it actually came into the shop with -1.8 from my rough install, so i imagine you might be able to eek out -2 at most)
front caster: 4.2 deg
rear camber: -1.5 deg

ride is not really too different. it basically went from riding like this:

to basically having the edge taken off on most of the smaller bumps. i imagine it takes a little time for the struts to wear in the seals a little and get more plush, and i know i definitely cancelled out some ride compliance with the stiffer front tophats. got a little creaking too in the rear as the springs settle back into the rubber pads, but only on big articulations like going into my driveway.

seems well worth it so far, although it would be nice if the ride smooths out a bit. can't wait to put more miles on.

[ScottyB]

so i've got about 400 miles on the setup now.

not much new, but just to confirm, the Tarmac Spec is definitely not a big ride improvement, at least not the way most reviews i've read made it out to be. you'll want to specify their "sport spec" valving for that...more of a euro feel from what i understand. now, it does handle the large hits better (much better, actually) but rides only slightly better over the small bumps. i know my front tophats are making a comparison difficult (especially on the small bumps that i'm talking about, where their lack of compliance would stand out the most) but i feel like this is a pretty accurate assessment.

while the rear shocks are silent now, the new bushings creak slightly under articulation, mostly when cold. after a good number of miles or in warmer weather it pretty much disappears. i just ignore it anyway.

still can't get over the improvement in steering response. going home the other day, i dive-bombed a right turn lane at an intersection just before the light turned red, and went in a little hot for what i would have been comfy with on my old suspension. this time? couldn't even get tire squeal on all seasons. i wonder what it would be like on real tires.

[flintster55]

Glad to hear you're liking them Scotty, I'm probably going to pull the trigger on some this week. I'm running aftermarket Prodrive springs so that will fall into the custom category? Looks like from the website, all you have to provide is the type of springs you are running and they will match with a custom spec valving?

[ScottyB]

yeah i'd just let Odi know what springs you have, and provide a rate if possible. He'll match the valving to them. i would have to assume that is "custom" territory on their menu of choices.

one other point of advice for shipping, i left the top center nut threaded a couple turns on each strut shaft to keep the threads at the end from getting jacked up should a strut take a hit in shipping or something.

i also confirmed when i got the shocks that the rears were in fact pre-greased on arrival with the zerk fittings. so you can just install and go, no need to add your own grease. Odi said Mobil 1 (red in color) chassis grease is what they use.

[ScottyB]

got some rallycross wheels coming my way. i'm lucky i made it out with just that, Garrett's WRX part-pile was tempting the hell out of me.

next up - scanning CL for cheap-ass snow tires once spring/summer rolls around.

[Beej]

next up - scanning CL for cheap-ass snow tires once spring/summer rolls around.

I appreciate bacon rage, but aren't you in NC (or Atlanta?)?

I mean I'm not that far south but I wouldn't consider dedicated snows or even all seasons. I'll just take that day or two (and even that is pushing it) off.

And since I haven't posted in this thread in awhile, I miss my CGM a little :-(

[ScottyB]

I appreciate bacon rage, but aren't you in NC (or Atlanta?)?

you're a strapping gentleman so I knew you would. currently Durham, NC since '10. never again Atlanta if I can help it.

funny thing is, just cruising CL right now, there's about 20 sets for sale all around $200. the only reasonable explanation I can think of is transplants, especially from new england where they have a legit need for that. hell i even came across a set of studded ones!

[ScottyB]

gettin' dirty again on the 28th. first time at a new venue in Fayetteville.

i'm anxious to see how the suspension works on dirt considering how much its helped on pavement. the struts have softened up over the last 1000 miles, especially in the back. the struts used to be stiff to the point i couldn't get the rear to sink if i sat on the trunk ledge...now i can push down with my hands and get the car to move a bit.

[Steve85]

gettin' dirty again on the 28th. first time at a new venue in Fayetteville.

:thumbup: Looking forward to pics and recap!

[Jeff]

Does "RS" stand for rally sport on a Subaru?

[ScottyB]

sure! maybe. i dunno.

could also be "rental standard" or "really slow"

[ScottyB]

here goes my 3rd attempt this year to drive rallyx on Sunday....4 events so far rained out. if it rains again i just plain give up.

new venue in Fayetteville which should mean a really interesting course and smooth hardpacked sand and gravel. looks like my class is going to be small but interesting....WRX, VW R32, and an outback sport already signed up. looking forward to seeing a miata and superbeetle run.

[Maengelito]

Totally jealous, have fun man! If I wasn't out of town, I'd be there with you flogging the Fozzy.

[ScottyB]

Totally jealous, have fun man! If I wasn't out of town, I'd be there with you flogging the Fozzy.

keep Oct. 20 and Nov. 17 in mind on your calendar dude...both events are at Wilson Co. Fairground as well which is a closer drive to you than Fayetteville. $35 to run.

[ScottyB]

1st place street tire 4WD, 1st place street tire overall.

was a good day. found out the suspension mods have made a difference which also felt great to confirm. car rotates somethin' mean and will hold the ass out with power, at least for most of the turn. still in search of better turn-in, just feels lazy. tried left foot braking but sucked and just went back to what I know....go too fast, pitch the car in, mash pedal, scare corner workers. wheeeeee!



there was some dirt


rallyspec WRX's are so purty


so the guy in the R32 told us that this morning he told his girlfriend, who was doing laundry, that he had to run out and would be back in a bit. 7 hours later, car totally bathed in dirt.... :lol:


brought a n00bie buddy with me who was intending just to watch/ride and one of the organizers offered this car (the leggy, "dirtbomb") to him to drive without hesitation. rally people are cool.


this is dorifto i can believe in


the dust was biblical


well that's not good. thankfully it was trailered here. only casualty of the day, just a tie rod.