2015 WRX and STI suspension TECH thread.

[PilotKD]

Originally Posted by xpystchrisx

I'd go as close to stock as you can get then. And then dial in as much camber as you can at the front wheels. Then match it or just a bit less camber at the rear. I prefer zero toe on these cars at all four corners, but I autox at least once a month.

I've got the Whiteline camber bolts in the front, so I'm assuming I'll be able to get 2.5+ at the front. Maybe I'll go something like 2.2/1.5 with zero toe.

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[PilotKD]

Originally Posted by PilotKD

I've got the Whiteline camber bolts in the front, so I'm assuming I'll be able to get 2.5+ at the front. Maybe I'll go something like 2.2/1.5 with zero toe.

Well I tried installing the white line bump steer / Roll center kit today with only 50% luck. I could not get the ball joint out of the Hub on either side. After smacking it enough for my lower control arm looks like it lost a fight with Mike Tyson I didn't really want to continue doing that and risk damaging my aluminum control arm. I was able to get the tie rod ends on no problem the correct bump steer but I'm going to have to re-attack the ball joints some other time. Looks like they make a special tool for that which cost about $70 but I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and buy one of those. The ball joint definitely didn't come out like some others show on YouTube with a crowbar and a couple Taps of the hammer. Cars got 38,000 miles on it in the Northeast so I guess there's a bit of rust up there. In the meantime I'm going to have to get the thing aligned tomorrow without the new ball joints in there.

[gtsilver944]

Might want to hold off on the alignment appointment if you know how to get the alignment within the ballpark and aren't putting many miles on. Having geometry corrected tie rods with stock ball joints will create some interesting bump steer. And it'll need to get aligned again with the new ball joints.

I used a cheaper version of the tool off Amazon (figure it's a once or twice use ever tool) with an impact wrench which made the job quite easy.

[PilotKD]

Originally Posted by gtsilver944

Might want to hold off on the alignment appointment if you know how to get the alignment within the ballpark and aren't putting many miles on. Having geometry corrected tie rods with stock ball joints will create some interesting bump steer. And it'll need to get aligned again with the new ball joints.

I used a cheaper version of the tool off Amazon (figure it's a once or twice use ever tool) with an impact wrench which made the job quite easy.

Well I did get it aligned today since they told me they'd honor a "freebie" if I come back within 30 days to tweak anything that needs to be fixed (more on that below).

Their printer was broken so I don't have a print out of the alignment results, but he was able to get the rears at -1.5 L/R and the toe pretty close to 0, but from what I remember it wasn't right at 0. I want to say it was somewhere around +0.15. Front toe was somewhere around +0.02. The big issue was front camber. When I put the Whiteline camber bolts in, their instructions left little to be desired and just about all of the YouTube videos show people putting the camber bolts in the top hole. After digging a little deeper, I found out that this is apparently wrong. The aftermarket camber bolts should go on the bottom retaining the OE camber bolt up top. Due to me installing these wrong, the dude could only get -.5 on the left and -.02 on the right. Hardly close to what I wanted (-2.0). He was really cool about it and even tried to figure out how we could fix it right there (I was under the lift with him), but after frantically searching the web while I was standing there with him, I figured out that I really needed the OE bolts back in there (that were home in my garage). So, he tightened everything back up as is and told me to come back after I fixed everything. Even with the half-assed alignment, the car feels like a million bucks. My only other option instead of using the camber bolts is to get new strut mounts like the Whitelines or camber plates.

This will work out better anyway because it gives me time to get the Whiteline ball joints in there. I wound up buying the $25 Astra Subaru ball joint tool on Amazon, which should get here tomorrow. That should make quick work of the seized ball joints so I can get the Whitelines in there and go back for Alignment Part 2. Next time, I'll take pics of his screen.

https://www.amazon.com/Astro-Pneumat...1780414&sr=8-7

Unrelated: Does anyone know anyone running the "Super Pro Front Alloy Control Arm Kit" for the 2015+? A little pricey and I assume overkill since the OE LCA's are aluminum to begin with?

https://superprousa.com/products/alo...-alloy-arm-kit

[gtsilver944]

I believe those are just stock control arms that have been polished and had Superpro bushings pressed in. Makes it a "bolt on" item ($600) rather than having to press the old bushings out and their bushings in ($200 + labor).

[PilotKD]

Originally Posted by gtsilver944

I believe those are just stock control arms that have been polished and had Superpro bushings pressed in. Makes it a "bolt on" item ($600) rather than having to press the old bushings out and their bushings in ($200 + labor).

Now that you say that, they do look identical to the OE FLCA.

[brew182]

Hey everyone, not the most experienced with suspension related things so I'm hoping for some direction. I have tried searching, but couldn't find great info.

I have a '16 Premium WRX, original owner, ~42k miles. Car has been completely stock except for a shift stop and tune.

I have been noticing for some time that my steering when driving on the highway has had issues. I'm constantly having to make small adjustments to keep in my lane. This has maybe been noticeable for ~6 months? Did some quick searching and thought it may have been the steering dampener causing play in the steering. I installed the Perrin dampener lockdown and I did notice a slight improvement, but still having issues.

After driving some more I was trying to pay more attention to what's going on and I'm noticing the car feels very "bouncy" on the highway. I'm not sure how best to describe it, but it feels like I'm sitting on a spring even on a straight "flat" section. After that realization, I've noticed it is also bouncy around town too, just not as noticeable. One odd thing is that if I hit a sharp bump it doesn't seem to do a ton of bouncing, mostly with small gradual bumps I see the problem.

I'm wondering if this is causing my steering issue (or if they're unrelated). Does anyone have any good ideas of what could be causing this? I know the struts are a good place to start, but I don't want to go through the cost of replacing without knowing for sure. 42k miles seems like a short life, but they have seem some terrible New England roads their whole life. Any tests I can run or things to look out for to better diagnose would be very helpful!

Thanks!

[PilotKD]

Originally Posted by brew182

Hey everyone, not the most experienced with suspension related things so I'm hoping for some direction. I have tried searching, but couldn't find great info.

I have a '16 Premium WRX, original owner, ~42k miles. Car has been completely stock except for a shift stop and tune.

I have been noticing for some time that my steering when driving on the highway has had issues. I'm constantly having to make small adjustments to keep in my lane. This has maybe been noticeable for ~6 months? Did some quick searching and thought it may have been the steering dampener causing play in the steering. I installed the Perrin dampener lockdown and I did notice a slight improvement, but still having issues.

After driving some more I was trying to pay more attention to what's going on and I'm noticing the car feels very "bouncy" on the highway. I'm not sure how best to describe it, but it feels like I'm sitting on a spring even on a straight "flat" section. After that realization, I've noticed it is also bouncy around town too, just not as noticeable. One odd thing is that if I hit a sharp bump it doesn't seem to do a ton of bouncing, mostly with small gradual bumps I see the problem.

I'm wondering if this is causing my steering issue (or if they're unrelated). Does anyone have any good ideas of what could be causing this? I know the struts are a good place to start, but I don't want to go through the cost of replacing without knowing for sure. 42k miles seems like a short life, but they have seem some terrible New England roads their whole life. Any tests I can run or things to look out for to better diagnose would be very helpful!

Thanks!

I'm not sure about your steering issue, but I always felt my '17 was "bouncy" with the stock suspension, especially in the rear. To the point that it destabilized the car sometimes. My car has 38,000 miles and I've owned it since 26,000. With the GT Works Trophy Cups, the car just absorb the bumps and you kind of get thrown down into the seat as they rebound. It may be time for some new dampers.

[PilotKD]

Originally Posted by xpystchrisx

Any updates? How are they?

Just a little more on these. I've probably got 500 miles on them now with an alignment. I did add Vorshlag camber plates and did away with the Whiteline camber bolts. The Vorshlags add a 1.0 degree of caster and as you can see from the pics, I've got a lot of room for camber adjustment. It's sitting at -2.0 up front and -1.5 in the rear with 0 toe up front and a slight amount of toe in the rear. I don't remember what it was off hand and the aligners printer was not working. So right now I've got the GT Works Trophy Cups, Vorshlag camber plates, Whiteline RLCA's, Whiteline toe arms and the Whiteline 24mm rear sway bar. 255/40-18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4's.

Overall, it rides stiff! It's definitely streetable, but you need to be careful on rougher roads. It feels like a new car though. Absolutely no lean around corners with so much grip even with all-season tires. I feel like I am getting a little bit of tramlining running those alignment settings, but other than that, it feels great. I may end up eventually fine tuning the alignment a bit more.

The camber plates definitely make the front suspension more communicative. It's barely noticeable on the highway, but there is definitely more noise and feel over cracks and imperfections of the road without a rubber bushing. I can definitely feel more of the road now, even in the brake pedal.

[MIA20WRX]

Hey guys, first post here. Looking to make some suspension and aesthetic upgrades on my brand new stock 2020 base WRX. I plan on getting 20mm spacers front and rear and getting H&R Sport Springs. I’m also considering getting shocks/struts to accompany the springs, any suggestions or recommendations ?? I found Bilstein B6 & B8 but nothing else. Also considering getting KW V1 coilovers as opposed to separate shocks and springs. Lmk what y’all think

[RaceComp Engineering]

Originally Posted by MIA20WRX

Hey guys, first post here. Looking to make some suspension and aesthetic upgrades on my brand new stock 2020 base WRX. I plan on getting 20mm spacers front and rear and getting H&R Sport Springs. I’m also considering getting shocks/struts to accompany the springs, any suggestions or recommendations ?? I found Bilstein B6 & B8 but nothing else. Also considering getting KW V1 coilovers as opposed to separate shocks and springs. Lmk what y’all think

Well most people want to know spring rates on lowering springs and your initial choice (H&R) doesn't divulge rates(never). So you'd be in the "dark" on your first choice of X springs and spacers.

Maybe one question anyone reading this would have is what do you plan to do with the car in the future? 100% street or any track or autocross use?

If you have no intention to improve handling ( some people dont) then most of your options should suffice for aesthetics. But if you want to decrease the inherent understeer the stock car has anywhere near the limit then we have a few options that work very well.

Let us know if your thoughts,

Myles
Racecomp Founder

[MIA20WRX]

Originally Posted by RaceComp Engineering

Well most people want to know spring rates on lowering springs and your initial choice (H&R) doesn't divulge rates(never). So you'd be in the "dark" on your first choice of X springs and spacers.

Maybe one question anyone reading this would have is what do you plan to do with the car in the future? 100% street or any track or autocross use?

If you have no intention to improve handling ( some people dont) then most of your options should suffice for aesthetics. But if you want to decrease the inherent understeer the stock car has anywhere near the limit then we have a few options that work very well.

Let us know if your thoughts,

Myles
Racecomp Founder

Thanks for the advice!

I intend on keeping it as a daily driver, just looking to have more fun and better aesthetic. I would possibly consider sway bars in the future in regards to the understeer aspect.

Looking into getting a GH/GR sti for track/autocross purposes in the future.

[RaceComp Engineering]

Originally Posted by MIA20WRX

Thanks for the advice!

I intend on keeping it as a daily driver, just looking to have more fun and better aesthetic. I would possibly consider sway bars in the future in regards to the understeer aspect.

Looking into getting a GH/GR sti for track/autocross purposes in the future.

Doing sway bar(s) to resolve the understeer issue is a band aid. Changing the spring rates would be the best remedy and then yes adding sway bars.

Mw