cobbtunedsti
New member
Now your thinking... My car has 40,000 miles on it and it's rattles everywhere because of the mounts.. It even sounds like I have strait cut gears.. Lol
GD LJ's E85 STi: Addicted To Suspension Mods!
- Thread starter icudruln
- Start date
:lol: My buddy actually has PPG gears in his 2.0 WRX, and that thing is nuts. I love the sound. Too bad a similar setup is crazy expensive for the 6 speeds.
I'll be building the boost leak tester tomorrow afternoon, and will hopefully find the cause of this P0371 Bank 1 System Too Lean issue. The last 6 months have been issues with both of my Subies, and I'm hoping this'll be the end of it. I plan on celebrating by finally installing all these parts sitting in my basement. 
So, I got both cars running right! One of my buddies works at a local shop, and he ended up being my second set of hands to install and adjust the clutch cable in the 93 Legacy. We were just hanging around, and he was asking how the STi was, and I told him the issue I was having. He has a 93 Legacy 2.2T, so he's familiar with our cars, and he was dead set on it being related to the fuel system, or the Cylinder 1 Coil Pack itself.
He recommended the BG 44K fuel system cleaner, so I got it instead of going straight to the $127 coil pack. Put it in my fuel tank, filled up on E85, and drove around. After only burning 1/4 tank, the car feels, runs, and idles SO much better. No hesitation anywhere in the RPM range, no jumpy idles, doesn't die out at stop lights like it was before, nothing! I never really bought into fuel cleaners that you'd find at places like Autozone, O'Reily's, or NAPA. For the $25 the bottle costs, its worth it. 70 miles with no CEL so far!
In other news, I gotta get going on installing the parts I've ordered. We're moving June 1st, and plan to be out of the old house May 30th, and I'll be in San Diego on vacation from May 9th-May 17th. I'm gonna go by Subaru and pick up an oil filter and crush ring for the oil change, as well as get some boxes for moving, and swing by a parts store for a couple of cans of PB Blaster for the suspension parts install.
He recommended the BG 44K fuel system cleaner, so I got it instead of going straight to the $127 coil pack. Put it in my fuel tank, filled up on E85, and drove around. After only burning 1/4 tank, the car feels, runs, and idles SO much better. No hesitation anywhere in the RPM range, no jumpy idles, doesn't die out at stop lights like it was before, nothing! I never really bought into fuel cleaners that you'd find at places like Autozone, O'Reily's, or NAPA. For the $25 the bottle costs, its worth it. 70 miles with no CEL so far!
In other news, I gotta get going on installing the parts I've ordered. We're moving June 1st, and plan to be out of the old house May 30th, and I'll be in San Diego on vacation from May 9th-May 17th. I'm gonna go by Subaru and pick up an oil filter and crush ring for the oil change, as well as get some boxes for moving, and swing by a parts store for a couple of cans of PB Blaster for the suspension parts install.
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HolyCrapItsFast
Drinks beer!
Good news! Sometimes it's the simple things!
:lol: I hope so. I'll pull a datalog and compare old to new after I go through the full tank of gas/fuel system cleaner.
I'll definitely check it out. The 44K stuff works great, but $25 is a bit pricey compared to the other fuel cleaners.
I'm off today, and it's nice out! Time to get off my lazy ass and install some parts!
- Whiteline Subframe Lock Bolts
- Grimmspeed MS Brace
- TiC Tranny Crossmember Bushings
- Litespeed Rear Chassis Bridge
- Whiteline Rear Sway Bar & Endlinks
Maybe more. Depends how far I get. If anything else, it'll probably be the front sway and endlinks. I should have the first three installed in around an hour and a half with prepping the car. Maybe 3 hours max including the rear sway. The rear sway bar looks pretty easy, no idea about the chassis bridge install though.
I'm purposely putting off the ALK and Steering Rack Bushings more and more. :lol:
- Whiteline Subframe Lock Bolts
- Grimmspeed MS Brace
- TiC Tranny Crossmember Bushings
- Litespeed Rear Chassis Bridge
- Whiteline Rear Sway Bar & Endlinks
Maybe more. Depends how far I get. If anything else, it'll probably be the front sway and endlinks. I should have the first three installed in around an hour and a half with prepping the car. Maybe 3 hours max including the rear sway. The rear sway bar looks pretty easy, no idea about the chassis bridge install though.
I'm purposely putting off the ALK and Steering Rack Bushings more and more. :lol:
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cobbtunedsti
New member
You'll love the lock out bolts
You'll love the lock out bolts
I keep hearing for how small of a mod it is, it makes a surprisingly big difference. I'll find out soon.
Whiteline Rear Subframe Bolts
At first glance, most won't believe a mod that costs $30 is really worthwhile. I was one of those people in the beginning, but I tossed them in with my order of suspension goodies. I'm on an essentially stock suspension, minus Fender Cowl Braces, and WOW! What a difference these things make! I did a test drive, and the rear end feels much more planted. It feels like its actually doing some work, instead of being along for the ride during corners.
During my install, I ran into issues on the driver's side bolt. I was having a hard time getting the bolt to thread in properly, but i undid the subframe bolts down to their last few threads and finally got them in. FWIW, I'd recommend a rear end alignment if you end up moving the subframe, as you'll end up throwing off your Toe specs. I'll probably go ahead and get an alignment just to be safe.
Note to self: Don't let friends, no matter how good they are, borrow your tools. Instead of using your typical 1/2" drive ratchet, I was stuck using a 1/2" breaker bar. The Whiteline bolt uses the same 17MM socket as the subframe bolts. How-To coming soon!
At first glance, most won't believe a mod that costs $30 is really worthwhile. I was one of those people in the beginning, but I tossed them in with my order of suspension goodies. I'm on an essentially stock suspension, minus Fender Cowl Braces, and WOW! What a difference these things make! I did a test drive, and the rear end feels much more planted. It feels like its actually doing some work, instead of being along for the ride during corners.
During my install, I ran into issues on the driver's side bolt. I was having a hard time getting the bolt to thread in properly, but i undid the subframe bolts down to their last few threads and finally got them in. FWIW, I'd recommend a rear end alignment if you end up moving the subframe, as you'll end up throwing off your Toe specs. I'll probably go ahead and get an alignment just to be safe.
Note to self: Don't let friends, no matter how good they are, borrow your tools. Instead of using your typical 1/2" drive ratchet, I was stuck using a 1/2" breaker bar. The Whiteline bolt uses the same 17MM socket as the subframe bolts. How-To coming soon!
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U Brace Removal
In my quest to reduce weight, I've looked high and low for any big things I could remove. My interior is very minimal, especially past the front seats; no carpet, pillar covers, sound deadening, trunk accessories or spare tire items.
Properly reducing weight is just as crucial as just pulling things out of the car. You don't want to have a car with little to nothing in the rear or front, as you mess with weight distribution. In order to balance this, I discovered people removing the U Brace.
While removing the U Brace, I realized what exactly it was and how big the thing actually is. One of the 14MM bolts on the passenger side was a bit of a pain, but PB blaster helped get it off. When I pulled the last bolt and eased the brace down, I realized why people see it as a big weight reducer. After dragging it out, it feels like a solid 25 lbs of metal.
To those who are iffy about removing the U Brace, I recommend removing it if your STi is NOT your daily driver. While I believe it won't help much in a crash, it's obviously there for a reason. Eventually, I plan on installing a Beatrush (or something similiar) lightweight subframe brace.
In my quest to reduce weight, I've looked high and low for any big things I could remove. My interior is very minimal, especially past the front seats; no carpet, pillar covers, sound deadening, trunk accessories or spare tire items.
Properly reducing weight is just as crucial as just pulling things out of the car. You don't want to have a car with little to nothing in the rear or front, as you mess with weight distribution. In order to balance this, I discovered people removing the U Brace.
While removing the U Brace, I realized what exactly it was and how big the thing actually is. One of the 14MM bolts on the passenger side was a bit of a pain, but PB blaster helped get it off. When I pulled the last bolt and eased the brace down, I realized why people see it as a big weight reducer. After dragging it out, it feels like a solid 25 lbs of metal.
To those who are iffy about removing the U Brace, I recommend removing it if your STi is NOT your daily driver. While I believe it won't help much in a crash, it's obviously there for a reason. Eventually, I plan on installing a Beatrush (or something similiar) lightweight subframe brace.
cobbtunedsti
New member
Pics please!!
I didn't get very many good pics. I'll grab some Thursday when I install the front and rear swaybars and endlinks, as well as the tranny crossmember bushings.
Litespeed Rear Chassis Bridge
When I first started becoming curious about modifying the chassis and suspension, one of the first things I stumbled upon was a rear X-Brace. I was dead set on picking one up when I planned on getting some sway bars, until I found out that the premier company that made them had since discontinued making them. I searched high and low for a used one, but people wanted crazy amounts for a now rare item. Then, I found Litespeed; the type of company that I will gladly support. Small, personal, and innovative.
The rear chassis bridge does things similiar as an X-Brace does, but allows more lateral roll (a good thing) from side to side of the car, instead of putting all the stress on one side of the car during a turn. The more I read about it, and the more guys I trusted (see: Joey) were both using and promoting it, I decided to pick one up for myself.
For how cheap the part is, talk about a difference! I installed it just after doing the Whiteline Subframe Bolts and U Brace Removal. I haven't even installed the rear sway bar, and the rear feels VERY planted to the ground. You can actually feel the chassis bridge work, and feel how tight the rear of the car is compared to the front().
I kept putting off this install, and was actually going to install some other parts first, but I was tired of laying on my garage floor :lol:. In terms of cost versus benefits, the chassis bridge is an EXCELLENT addition to any car.
When I first started becoming curious about modifying the chassis and suspension, one of the first things I stumbled upon was a rear X-Brace. I was dead set on picking one up when I planned on getting some sway bars, until I found out that the premier company that made them had since discontinued making them. I searched high and low for a used one, but people wanted crazy amounts for a now rare item. Then, I found Litespeed; the type of company that I will gladly support. Small, personal, and innovative.
The rear chassis bridge does things similiar as an X-Brace does, but allows more lateral roll (a good thing) from side to side of the car, instead of putting all the stress on one side of the car during a turn. The more I read about it, and the more guys I trusted (see: Joey) were both using and promoting it, I decided to pick one up for myself.
For how cheap the part is, talk about a difference! I installed it just after doing the Whiteline Subframe Bolts and U Brace Removal. I haven't even installed the rear sway bar, and the rear feels VERY planted to the ground. You can actually feel the chassis bridge work, and feel how tight the rear of the car is compared to the front
(). I kept putting off this install, and was actually going to install some other parts first, but I was tired of laying on my garage floor :lol:. In terms of cost versus benefits, the chassis bridge is an EXCELLENT addition to any car.
very nice sir i have done alot of the same things u have in the waight reduction only thing i wont do is remove the subframe (u brace)... and how do u like the rear sube fram locking bolts i cant decied if i want thembut sence i upgraded 2 the solid motor mounts i want to upgrade every stock bushing 2 hard bushings from the trans back but anyways man very nice project u got going on here
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