suspension changes

[mulcibre]

My friend just got a 1991 (I think) Mazda miata, and that thing is absolutely awesome through the corners. Even with the small 1.6l motor, it hauls coming up my hill. I'm planning on getting subaru impreza RS by June, and I have to be able to keep up with him through the twisties. So, I decided to come up with a side-by-side suspension comparison of the '00 impreza RS and a 2001 mazda mp3, to figure out what must be done so I can hang with the mazda folks in the hills.

I was wondering how the MP3 suspension is different from say, a stock ES. Here's what I came up with:
-Tokico shocks
-increased diameter sway bars, and associated hardware
-tighter springs
-better tires
-strut tower brace
-klunk

I can only assume that the rear endlinks and mounts for the sway bar must be different as well, because that is what causes the klunk. If anybody has anything to add, that would be dandy. So far, I've got quite the shopping list:
-Shocks, front and back
-20mm swaybars, front and back
-endlinks, front and back
-swaybar mount, rear
-anti-lift kit
-strut brace, front
-rear lower arm bar
-steering rack bushings (they are apparently a good upgrade for the subies, I never heard of that being a big upgrade on the mazda boards)
-And of course, some yokoham parada spec II tires

From the looks of it, that would upgrade the subaru to an MP3 level of suspension goodness, or better. Plus, those upgraded rear swaybar mounts are clunk free! And to you skeptics, the '00 RS weighs about 2800 pounds, and an STI motor drops in with very little modification. Should be fun!

 

[kwjhduibd]

ur comparison is good but something u have to remeber is that you have 4 wheels u have to worry about keeping grip opposed to 2 as well you have 4 wheels ur pushing 225 hp to opposed to 2 wheels i dont know what the % between front and rear is on ur car but i know DSM's are 60f/40r so u might be able to get by without as much as you listed because ur comparing a FWD to an AWD car think about that before your poor ass loads of cash into ur car. either you can learn to drive with stock suspension and get use to knowing when say ur rear end breaks or your front breaks and then compensate for whats happening in turns or u can buy a bunch of s*** and put it all on and not know what is doing to most work for you

 

[mulcibre]

The '00 RS pushes 165 bhp, with a 50/50 torque split front to rear. The stock rear sway bar is only 13mm, compared to 20mm front. The addition of a 20mm bar in the rear should make a huge difference. I don't know what the exact weight distribution is, but the guys on the subie forums reported understeer with stock suspension, and neutrality with both bars upgraded to aftermarket 20mm. I understand what you mean, about pouring in money. All the upgrades I listed come in at just a shade over 1500$, much less than the average coilover suspension upgrade for that car. The jetta I have right now has terrible understeer, I don't really want another FWD car. It is my intention to do the upgrades one by one, so I can get a feel for the car's behavior after each step. I intend to do all the work myself. I try to avoid the "boy rice racer" stereotype whenever I can, because I had a friend who was like that with his mustang.

After NA upgrades, should be pushing 200bhp.

 

[AznXstazy]

if your goin to do that, u might as well get coilovers. they would problay be better. but it depends on budget. ya those are about right. mostly wats needed to get good cornering
1. TIRES
2. struts
3. springs (linear)
4. sway bar (at least 21 in the rear, i think thats what the mp3 is)
5. endlinks (those stock ones might get bent due to the extra weight transfering)
6. strut braces (rear and front) mostly the front would matter, but some stuff like the trunk brace acually does work better than just strut braces. might want to see what are avaliable for ur rs
o ya, and gl on ur suspension work and have fun smoking the miata in a turn lol. but also remember the miata is lighter, it has less weight to transfer around the corner. while your wrx has more weight, so put that into consideration.

 

[mulcibre]

I had concerns about ride quality. I should also clarify that it isn't a WRX, its a pre-02 impreza, so it's quite a bit lighter. The ride quality concern is mostly what turned me off of the coilovers, I also believe most or all coilovers are higher maintenance and wear out quicker than a sturdy set of sport struts. Thanks for the replys, this clarified a lot!

 

[AznXstazy]

they might wear out faster than sport struts and springs, but they give u a alot more adjustablitiy over struts and springs. and sorry, i thought u had a wrx lol. ya that would make it a bit lighter. but not much closer to a miata i dont think.