Stupid STi strut question.

Red struts I believe aren't STi struts.. they're WRX V5 struts.

But I don't know what the difference is. The Pink are probably stiffer.

I've got spt springs, sti top mounts, and red v5 struts on my sedan. It's firm, and a little bouncy, but sticks like glue. Expansion joints hit pretty hard and noisy.

Ah! OK, now I get it. Aren't there Ver.6 struts as well? I'm trying to find the strut that will match the SPT springs almost perfectly.

From what I've heard the v6 setup is different springs on the v5 struts.

But that's just what I've read around here and i-club. Could be wrong.

Aren't the reds(STi) adjustable?

imprezadan said:

Aren't the reds(STi) adjustable?

Click to expand...

STi stuff = pink.

The red ones aren't STi, and they're not adjustable.

As far as I know the red ones are STi. The difference is that they are the OEM STi, whereas the pink adjustable ones are aftermarket STi.

Regardless, the red struts did not change between ver5 and 6. The springs did, but that doesn't really matter because, according to Mike Shields, the only springs that show up in the US are the the ver6 type RA springs.

kevin

So an STi part would sat 'STi' somewhere on it, right? The red struts are SUBARU stamped.

he is right

Landcruiser is right....
Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see:boxer:
Stock WRX STi comes with black springs and red struts in Japan
Only the aftermarket ones you purchase are pink
Most people only think pink ones are STi because they usually don't see take off sets from Japan.

Well regardless of whats an STi or not, I have the red strut bars and they work just dandy. I use DMS golds as my suspension of choice.

Nick C.

CONFUSED!!

OK,

So I just ordered the "STi" struts and matching "STi" springs from my local Subaru dealership for my GC8. I haven't seen them yet, so I don't know the color. What should I expect?? Will these struts be adjustable? According to Subaru, they are STi. According to Subaru, the struts and coils do not come in one kit like they do for the WRX, i.e. "STi Performance Suspension Kit".

Anybody have pictures with this combo on their car? I would love to see what it looks like on a silver RS. As well, if they're STi, will the be Ver 5 or 6. I'm glad there's some of you guys that really know this stuff....I'm f'ing lost right now.

- Tokay

If I remember correctly from a Subaru catalogue, they will be pink. They aren't adjustable and it will be really hard to see them on the car unless the car has a wheel off or has 17's or 18's with lots of space between the spokes. As for what version, does anyone know if there is a difference between the struts and springs for v. 5 or v. 6?

Nick C.

Hey tokay,

one way to get an idea of what you are getting is the price you paid for your setup. STI made adjustable and non adjustable struts in pink for the GC8. The adjustable set up will be much more expensive. Around $1500-$2000, maybe more. The aftermarket STI will indeed be pink. These are also expensive because they are low volume products. The FHI V5 struts are red, non adjustable and are mostly what you have seen floating around here for the last few years. These are KYB made, Bilstein licensed inverted struts.

I'm not sure about the difference between the struts in the V5-6 but the spring rates are higher on the V6 compared to the V5.I believe North Ursalia has those exact figures in his spring chart.

Hi Arnie!

Long time no see! Still have your Suby? I hope things are going well for you.

So, I went and took a look at the goods (they still haven't got 'em on the car yet). What surprised me is that they have SPT written all over the box, not STi. All I looked at were the struts, not the springs, but the struts were red, not pink. Also, the struts have 4 way adjustable dampening. The tech told me that that the springs were Eibach.

So what do I have? Good, bad, just so so? Version 5/6/7/8/9/10?

Hey drop me a PM sometime Arnie!

- Tokay

okay, first of all, HEELLLLLLLLLLO, this is my first post on this fine site! i'm usually an i-club drone...
this site has way cooler smiley faces though.

second, regarding your strut situation... if you got the parts from your subaru dealer, i'm not suprised everything came in spt boxes; i mean that is the official north american performance side of subaru right?
but i thought that subaru stopped making 'pink' stuff after v.4 and went to red... and arnie's right, the spring rates are super high for the ver.6 springs. the ver.5s are much lower.

either way, i'm sure you have a great set of struts on your hands. question is, how much $$$ did you drop on 'em?

greg

Tokay, you have decent struts. Are the pistons thinner or the large diameter one's? I think the STI one's I have seen that are pink and adjustable are also thin pistoned. I believe they are also KYB made. They look pretty similar to the KYBAGX's actually. Hmmm...

I also met up with Mike Shields the other day and asked him about the V6 strut and he said it is the same strut as the FHI red V5 strut. Same part number and everything.

The stock STI cars did not have adjustable shocks. The V6 spring rates are : F/286 R/274, SPT-STI: F217--R/190

So basically you have a great combo. Enjoy. You will love it.

Arnie said:

Tokay do you have these? With the smaller piston?

Click to expand...

I have what looks like these in red. The fronts are 4 way adjustable, and the rears are eight way. And yes, I LOVE them! It's like I have a different car. With the sway bar set to 24mm, I can toss the car like a rag doll. Awesome!!

- Tokay

If you are still lookin for a pic of a GC8 with the V5 struts and the eibach springs i can get one posted. I just installed the springs this past weekend but i am still having a little problem with them. They make a clicking noise everytime i go over a bump (which if you guys know anything about what might be causing that please post, i have a few ideas but im not completely sure ). This weekend when i take the rears apart again to fix the problem (or atleast mess with the few things i think it may be), i can take some pics of the assembly and the car after it is done (if i can snag a digital camera). Let me know if any of ya want pics of the assembly and/or pics of my car's ride height.

Ryan