Wild Bill

I've had my Stinger GT2 for 2+ years now, neighbor just offloaded his '10 LGT with motor issues for a Stinger, co-worker just got a G70 on Monday. It is a lot of car for the money.

+1 on the JB4, I've been map 2 for 2 years and love it.

Cargo space is less than my '10 LGT was. but it is better/more versatile than some other options. It is most definitely going to be less than a SS.

Recall # is NHTSA ID 18V-626

Good on you for this build thread, glad to see that people are picking up these older cars and giving them the love that they deserve. Kind of missing my old girl from time to time

If the Stinger didn't have the following issues:

1) paint flaking

2) unsettled suspension in corners (some call it dangerous)

3) GT2 "DBW" gearshift won't stay in manual

4) insane lease interest rate

 

it would be more attractive. I am STILL considering one. However, I hear the "buy out right after leasing it to get a huge discount" trick doesn't work anymore, so your deal isn't reproducible anymore, AFAIK.

1)Yes people with a few colors have had legitimate issues with flaking, but with all the hype there are also a lot of people that are complaining about normal rock chips.

2)The suspension is worlds better than my '10 LGT was factory. I know what you're talking about but I have never felt it was unsafe with the little bit of mid corner bounce. I have F&R sways on order and from other reviews they make a world of difference.

3)This is an annoying trait but it is not that difficult to get in the habit of hitting the downshift paddle at a stop to kick it back into manual mode.

4) Didn't lease, not sure why the lease buyout trick wouldn't work. Wish I would have known about it when I bought mine...

But you're going to have to come to terms with the fact that there are two types of models Subaru sells right now: Toyotas with AWD, and fast-ish cars for 22-year-olds who don't give a shit about refinement. If you want one of those things, okay, go buy one, but most people on this forum don't, and shouldn't.

I agree with this. I would have bought another new LGT if I had the choice, To me, the car was more engaging to drive than the the Stinger is.

I don't share your thoughts on depreciation though. I can't think that the value will be there 5 - 8 years down the road. Not when they were knocking $10k off of the retail price a couple of months ago.

You don't have rake because you used 3/8" top hat spacers also.

Haha your right, I totally forgot that Joe lmao!! I even installed everything myself..

The amount of information lodged in GTEASER's mind is quite astonishing. He knows what other people have done to their vehicles and it's implications better than the owner's sometimes. Hats of to you. You've been a huge help to the community!

Turns out, if you pull all the way back (or push all the way forward) and let go, it springs right past the position it's supposed to go in and into the other one, and thus into neutral. Basically, there should be more resistance between the two positions to prevent this, and there's not. Without that, when the shifter springs back, it goes too far. At least now that I know what causes the issue, I can work around it.

This explains a lot. Why when your driving normally it works one way and when your in a hurry (you slam into gear and release) it can swing back into past center into neutral.

Thanks, never seen this explained on either Stinger forum.

I never posted a ton here because I never had the intention to go all in on the mods but I've been a member since early '10 when I bought the car. It was always fun to watch the activity and ingenuity of people finding parts that work, reaching out to manufacturers, etc.

Since the purchase of my Stinger I'm of course reviewing the Stinger forums and it very much reminds me of the earlier years here. Lots of discovery (good and bad) and vendors coming in with aftermarket parts. It's exciting.

Miss the MT though...

Thanks, If you go with the GT model, not the GT1 or GT2 you can get it in Panthera Gray which is like a charcoal gray. Looks pretty nice.

I was looking for a GT1 in blue but couldn't find any nearby so I ended up in a GT2. I figure I'll learn to like the extra features. HUD, cooled seats, power side bolsters, LSD, and low beams that turn with the steering.

I also liked how the ivory interior had a two tone to break things up. Most were black black black. Nothing but black.

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I ended up going the Kia Stinger GT2 route.

Pulled the trigger yesterday.

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Everything is up in the air, no decisions are made.

The problem with the Koni's is that I hacked apart my original struts so I'd have to sell them and basically do an exchange with the seller. Can be done but kind of a PITA.

The WRX is a performance per $ leader in AWD sedans, that's why it's on the list. It's just smaller than what I'd like.

The A4 is no larger than the WRX (back seat wise) at least on paper.

Going to test drive a Stinger GT tomorrow night. A bit more than I was hoping to spend there. So that will likely all come down to how much I can get out of my car.

Well, I’m at the point where I think I’m looking to trade/sell. Not that I really WANT to, but I think from a value proposition it makes the most sense to let it go this summer while values are still pretty good and before it turns into a rust bucket.

What are people getting on trade? I got a dealer a couple hours away offer me 6-7 sight unseen in trade for a WRX at invoice. KBB and Edmunds are saying around $5800 and NADA is saying $9,900 That’s a big difference.

I could go several ways. Private sale as is, dealer trade and remove/sell the small number of goodies I have, or just let it go as is to a dealer.

I’ve got the following:

-2010 LGT Limited w/ moonroof, @ 125,000 miles, Average to good condition

-Factory STS, Perin shifter bushing, Clutch damper delete

-SS Brake Lines, cryogenic rotors up front, Hawk HPS pads all around

-Mach 2 BPV, COBB Stage 1 OTS

-Koni yellow adjustable struts, Eibach 1” lowering springs, 20mm WRX rear sway bar

-A brand spanking new set of BFG G-Force Comp-2 A/S tires

-A set of Cooper Weather Master 215/50-17 tires on cheap aluminum rims

Just did mine and I replaced the 20326AA000 strut spacers and 20323AG00B upper spring seats. For the $30 a piece I would upgrade the springs.

I did not replace the strut mount which has the bearing. At 115k my bearing was pretty gunky. I cleaned it up and hit it with a decent amount of Tri-Flo lubricant and it freed up nicely.

Thanks folks, I'm pretty happy with how it feels right now. If not before, I'll definitely get it aligned when I put the winters on.

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I did install the spacers, and I believe that I got the orientation correct.

The car rides is a lot tighter now that's for sure. Loving it!

I found M12x1.25 thread and M12x1.75 last night but no M12x1.5

I'm positive I would have been able to find one on Monday but apparently not on a Saturday night. Should have gotten them months ago and let them sit around with the inserts.

Now that I'm done my only questions are:

1- I did not use the plastic washer on the front struts as depicted since only one insert came with one. Hoping that's not a bad thing.

2- Rear dust covers don't really stay up. Will they get wedged up in there on their own after I hit enough big bumps or do I need to do something?

3-How long should I wait to get an alignment? (Koni Yellow's & Eibach's went on). The car feels good, does not pull or anything. Right now I am using up my summers which will be replaced in the spring after my winters come off. So I really don't care what happens to the current tires, as long as they last another month or so.

Yes I know that I should have gotten them before hand. It was kind of a spur of the weekend thing on Friday. I thought I'd have to take a kid to soccer practice and my wife volunteered since my week was so busy. So with nothing else going on till Sunday the car was well underway Fri night. Figured I could get the bolts when I needed them.

Got the inserts in. Amazing how much weight it took. Used my floor jack and my 3+ ton tractor to do it. It would lift the front end up off the ground. Note: I Just used the weight of the tractor for resistance. I did not use its hydraulics.

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The fronts donors after they are cut and deburred (the cut edge must be totally smooth), measured from the inside bottom of the donor to the top of the tube (cut end), MUST BE between 11-7/8" and 12". Any longer and the Koni will not go all the way in, any shorter and the nubs on the top of the Koni will not seat into the strut tube entirely.

 

Do not bang on the top of the Koni to get it started in the tube, banging will cause it to leak.

So nobody around around here that is open on a weekend has longer M12x1.5 metric bolts to suck the insert into the donor.

Instead of banging with a BFH, would a crude press made out of a bottle jack be a suitable method of seating the insert far enough for the supplied bolt to get a bite? I wasn't sure if it was the banging or the pressure on that end of the tube that would cause the leak GTeaser is speaking of.

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I've had a bunch of thunks/chatter from the front suspension when going over smaller choppier bumps for about, well... the last year and a half.

I was thinking it would likely be the bushings. I'm at 115k and have not done anything yet. I was trying to get everything around so I could do a big suspension upgrade when I do the Koni's and Eibach's.

You're not thinking I should go with poly in either front LCA or CAB bushing? or just do the CAB? or am I looking in the wrong place?

Here is what it looks like assembled. The shaft pivots in the outer bushing and the two ring bushings handle vertical load and squeegee crud away from the shaft. I use "pivot" loosely since it moves exactly zero in my hand but with 900 lbs on it, it'll moves. Greased up, it should last forever.

 

So is this something I can change out in my garage or is a press required?

I would also be changing out the front LCA bushing as well

Love what your doing and all, but where is the pic of you towing your GT with the lawnmower?

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Just learned about this thread. About a month ago I Spotted a charcoal gray 5th Gen GT with red badge overlays and red rally armor flaps in Horseheads. Came up hard on my tail before turning right on Grand Central. Sweet looking ride.

There used to be at least 5 or 6 in the area. Now just mine and my neighbors that I know of.

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Just pulled the trigger and bought the 8610-1453Sports for the front and 8610-1453Sports for the back. Convinced the accountant to take advantage of the $50 rebate in its final days.

Also picked up the WRX 20mm 20451VA000 sway bar for $67 on Amazon tonight. Can't beat that.

Already have the Eibach 7722.14 springs waiting in the barn, grabbed them at the closeout price of $93 that they have apparently been at for the last year. I got the WRX struts just in case I can't make the 1" drop work due to parking lot approaches and plowing snow in the winter. Hope I don't have to go back to OEM springs...

So the car has 110k on it. Correct me if I'm wrong, I think I'm supposed to replace the front strut spacer (20326AA000), Front upper spring seat (20323AG00B), and the rear upper rubber seat (20375FG000). Anything else?

Probably new bushings for the 20mm sway bar. Was thinking the 20464VA000 part from the 2015+ WRX.

Can we get a sticky for that btssm for the 5th gen? I would like to know enough about it to decide if it was worth while, and exactly how it works.

 

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Yes, I have the old COBB APA v2 and would love to have multiple displays. I also have other questions like can the COBB OBD2 to USB be used with the app or if you need to purchase one of their listed adapters. None of this should be posted here though.

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Wow, haven't heard that one in probably over a decade.

would love to grab the inserts from you but it's just bad timing for me right now.

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