Yet another Pink Springs review...

[ERLoft]

So, last Saturday was my phase 1 install day.

 

Part of which was the STi Pink Springs that I bought from Unclemat. (Great guy to buy from BTW, quick & friendly!)

 

1) Installation review.

 

The install is pretty easy - on the fronts, remove the ABS & brake line retainers, remove the 3 nuts that secure the strut top, then undo the two big bolts at the bottom of the strut. I didn't even really worry about camber markings, as the camber changes with lower springs in any case. You really need some sort of spring compressor to do these though. For God's sake, don't attempt to take apart struts without them!

 

I'd highly recommend that you have an impact wrench of some sort for the job. I got a DeWalt 18v cordless from Home Depot. I'm keeping mine, but as I've learned from a couple of contractor friends, if you don't have the right took for the job, just buy it at Home Depot, go do the job, then return the tool for a full refund!

 

On the rear shocks, I had to work to get to the shock tops. I got to them by putting down the back seats, then getting to the trunk liner from the front of the car and peeling it back. I'd imagine it might be easier to peel it forward from the back of the trunk, but I didn't do it that way.

 

The only hard part about the rears was getting the shock mount bolt out. I didn't realize how far I needed to compress the shock to get it even with the mounting point in the trailing arm. Your best bet is to use a jack underneath the shock and jack it up until you can get the bolt out. The rear shocks, with their even, tight coils, are a breeze for the spring compressors, far easier than the odd fronts.

 

Don't forget to properly torque down the bolts once you're done!

 

2) Installed impressions.

 

Well, the stance is much improved. I could stand a tad lower in the front and/or a tad higher in the back, but I can't really complain. The drop is reasonable, with the back being close to tucked and the front being about a two finger width gap, which is almost identical to my old WRX. My biggest complaint about the car as it sat at the dealership was the stance. Now I'm pretty happy.

 

As for the ride, I can't complain at all either. I'm actually quite surprised at how well it handles the infamous freeway expansion joints here in LA. Far, far better than my STi strut/STi Pink Spring equipped WRX did. It seems to me that the Legacy setup is a fair bit softer than the WRX STi setup was, but it's still far superior to stock.

 

The ride defintely got the wifey seal of approval, which is a good thing, as now I don't have to hear any complaints when I drive!

 

I did a spin today through some of the canyons in the Malibu hills & can't really say anything negative at all about the springs. However, it's definitely made the wimpy stock swaybar setup stand out as a weak link in the suspension setup. Hopefully, with a new AVO rear sway shipment coming the end of the month, that will get fixed soon!

 

All in all, I'd give the STi Pink springs a 9 out of 10. The only reason they don't get the 10 is that I'd like a slightly different stance, but what the hell, 9/10 ain't bad!

[axis008]

Pics, pics!

[ERLoft]

Pics, pics!

 

 

I'll have pix of the car this weekend I think. I didn't take pix during the process, as I had too much on the agenda to do a full set of pix for the writeup!

[edkwon]

 

Well, the stance is much improved. I could stand a tad lower in the front and/or a tad higher in the back, but I can't really complain. The drop is reasonable, with the back being close to tucked and the front being about a two finger width gap, which is almost identical to my old WRX. My biggest complaint about the car as it sat at the dealership was the stance. Now I'm pretty happy.

 

 

Your comments about the stance is unfortunately normal for the Sti pink spring setup, the only real advantage with the swift springs is they lower the front a little more to visually give the car a more even front/rear wheelgap which is mainly why i chose them over the pinks plus i found for slightly cheaper from my source online.

 

Enjoy your new suspension setup, upgrading front and rear sways will definitely help with your handling, now that new springs are bringing out the inadequacies in the stock swaybar setup.

[VtspecB]

When in the process did you get the car aligned after the spring instal? I just ordered the STi Pinks from gtworx.com and they suggested to wait 3 weeks to allow the car to settle prior to aligning it.

 

Anyone's thoughts on this?

[Waxiboy]

I installed on a Sunday and aligned the following Friday afternoon. That is about 150 miles in between.

[bergs]

When in the process did you get the car aligned after the spring instal? I just ordered the STi Pinks from gtworx.com and they suggested to wait 3 weeks to allow the car to settle prior to aligning it.

 

Anyone's thoughts on this?

Yup....find a nice bumpy road after your install or jump it a couple of times.

 

It should be settled in 4 days or at least 200 miles (Those are my personal rules).

[VtspecB]

.... jump it a couple of times.

... so that's red cable to black terminal ... j/k

 

 

Thanks to both for the experienced input.