STi critique my Winter Setup

[bulldog8567]

So I have a 04 STi lifted just under 2" and i'm back down to stg2 cobb ots power levels.


I'm looking to have outrageous amounts of fun this winter and need to know what you guys who drive in crazy amounts of snow or ice race do to make the best winter suspension possible.


TELL ME HOW I CAN IMPROVE THE FOLLOWING

My current suspension:

TiC SST coilovers with group n top hats 7/5k rates front rear
Cobb 25mm hollow sway bars front and rear (front not adjustable rear is on middle setting) with Karboy endlinks
TiC fender cowls
strut braces
subtle solutions 1" spacers front 1 3/8" rear

Nokian Hakka R 215/55/17 tires on stock BBS wheels
a lot more bushings under the car as well (diff/outrigger/cusco tranny/motor mounts/crossmember/etc)

Running 1.5 neg camber rear and 1.8 degrees neg camber front with 0 toe.


My car really turns as one unit and feels extremely solid in corners but might rotate too much. I'm really looking for better turn in...just point and shoot.


So should i get rid of the sways for winter?
Get some Assist springs to go with the coilovers at a softer rate?
Get some Nokian Hakka 5's studded tires?
Change back to stock tire size (225/45/17) or a different size?
Lower my car to get a better Center of Gravity?
Run some serious positive caster or change my other alignment settings?

I have steering rack bushings that i've been too lazy to install but not sure how much these will help for winter anyway.


I'm really leaning towards some 5k/4k Assist springs and maybe lowering it back down 1/2". Then maybe the Hakka 5's.

But feel free to shower me with your snow rally knowledge. (i don't even know if they use stiff or soft springs for ice racing lol!)


Here she is in 8.5" of snow
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp336/bulldog8567/IMG_1589.jpg
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp336/bulldog8567/IMG_1586.jpg
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp336/bulldog8567/IMG_1595.jpg

[Bubba02sti]

lowering the car is a good idea... however it depends on what the terrain you are going to be going through is like (alot of deep snow i would keep the lift) 8" of snow is nothing for these cars ... so if there is no need for a lift then i would come back down to stock... narrow tires are better then the big foot width of the 17's... I would keep the sways for dding but take the FSB off for playing around... (its a blast)... short wheel bases are good so bringing you caster back a little isn't bad... toe it out to 0 and center your camber.... soft suspensions are the way to go when off road period... but when it comes to playing on ice its one of those 'where do you want to throw your weight around too' IMO i like med rate fronts and soft rears when out on the lakes... so in that aspect i would say get out and find your own comfort setting... TIRES TIRES TIRES... make sure you have a good set of tires... those hakas look decent enough... studs on ice always help but can take some of the fun away and also create a lot of fun as well... i know what an oxymoron... your best bet would be to get some td's and do the brake conversion... and run a 175/65/15 (or something like just thowing it out there)... the better the bushings the better in any case...


but with what you have right now... I would say your pretty much good to go

[bulldog8567]

yeah i thought about the brake conversion but i don't want to have to take my entire car apart for 4 months and then reassemble my summer setup. I'll go as far as coilovers/struts and sway bars, and alignment settings but that's about it as far as the "extra" work i want to do.


I think i'm going to buy some d-specs and give up the SST's and maybe get a studded set of Nokian Hakka's as well.

My roads are absolute garbage up here in Canada so softer would definitely be better.


What springs would you recommend? Prodrives/Stockers/Swift progressive springs (if they even make lower rates)/etc

I'll probably still run a 1" lift on the d-specs but it will be lower than it is now.

[409industries]

My advice:

Get good winter rubber... and run what ya brung. Its a Subaru... it'll be fine.

Really though, a lot of those mods are all installed on the premise of grip and transferred force. On snow and ice you don't really have the grip you have on tarmac so things like the cowl stays, strut braces, endlinks, and swabayars aren't going to make much of a difference. Really harsh springs and stiff struts might get really abusive on broken up ice and snow covered roads (they can be as rough as dirt roads with potholes!) so if they are adjustable dampers i'd set them to soft.

I did SR bushings a long time ago and noticed nothing.

Have fun! Good luck!

[bulldog8567]

my Nokian Hakka R's are currently the best studless tire i can buy and i may upgrade to some studded one's.

My setup is "fine" i know...much better than 99% of what's on the road and i see it everyday (people sliding all over the place and not making their turns).

I'm just wanting the absolute BEST that i can do without swapping my brakes.


In fact i had more lateral grip with my stock struts and I'm really thinking softer is better.

This was basically my Summer setup besides lift and tires so I guess it's not transferring to snow as well as i'd hoped lol!

At this point i'm going to try a 13mm rear sway bar and remove my fsb. Strut tower brace is just there to relieve that window squeek that's pissed me off for 3 years.


Tokico d-specs i'll order sometime soon as soon as i know what springs to get with them. Should i be looking strictly at linear springs or do i include progressive rates to that hunt? I would like to try prodrive springs (very minimal drop) and then i'd still notice better clearance with my spacers...that is if i can find a used set.

Swift has a progressive spring (that's really progressive) but i'm also a little concerned that my height will be lowered back down to stock even with a lift.

Other than that maybe i'll find a place that does corner balancing and make sure the rest of the suspension is perfect.

[Bubba02sti]

yeah i thought about the brake conversion but i don't want to have to take my entire car apart for 4 months and then reassemble my summer setup. I'll go as far as coilovers/struts and sway bars, and alignment settings but that's about it as far as the "extra" work i want to do.


I think i'm going to buy some d-specs and give up the SST's and maybe get a studded set of Nokian Hakka's as well.

My roads are absolute garbage up here in Canada so softer would definitely be better.


What springs would you recommend? Prodrives/Stockers/Swift progressive springs (if they even make lower rates)/etc

I'll probably still run a 1" lift on the d-specs but it will be lower than it is now.

i run the d specs on pinks with paranoid spacers in the rear... i couldn't be happier.. (ok a dms 50 and i would feel like im god but ok...) the pinks only dropped me maybe a 1/4 inch...

[bulldog8567]

DMS is that good huh? I'll have to look into them.

[GreenMtnMan]

Keep the lift. Definitly severe duty snows for sure.
Go down 1" in rim diameter if they will fit over your calipers.
Narrower tread.
Big voids.
Studable if legal.

Party on.

[bulldog8567]

17" is the smallest rim i can run with the calipers.

I think i'll get the hakka 5's studded and i'm definitely getting some d-specs with hopefully prodrive springs and i'll keep my spacers.

I took my sways off yesterday and my grip increased significantly!

[Reecers]

yea there is .25 inch between rim and caliper on STi's lol

[wr-ecks]

My STI has almost the exact alignment specs. Same Hakka tires (no studs) and is other wise factory when it comes to anything that might help in the snow. I get tons of grip, in fact 2 yrs ago (same setup) I had to drive out in front of my friends Ford Ranger with 35's and locked front and rear, to plow the snow so he would stop getting stuck. I've driven in a foot of powder without TOO much issue. Anyways, what im trying to say is all you need is some decent snow tires and everybody will be envious of your car in the snow. 8)

[bulldog8567]

yes my setup was actually more fun when i was stock (in the snow that is lol!)

i could go into some pretty deep power and just hammer out donuts and then shoot out in a straight line and was going 100km/hr within seconds.

Now I don't have the grip that i did before. I need some softer springs so my car gets more dig in the fluff.