JM75

I've owned my wrx sti 330s for about 6 month's now and I can't say I'm overly impressed with it. So my question is are they worth spending some money on, thinking of lowering it ,putting better disks and pads on and and uprating ARB's and bushes, all aiming to make it feel better on the road and some track.

adam.pah

What don't you like about it specifically? How regularly is it used and where is it used?
Handling is a very subjective issue depending not only on the driver but also where the car is being used. Fitting coilovers and thick ARB's etc may actually make the car handle worse on the road, conversely it may make it better on the track, depending on how it's set up of course.
I'm led to understand that the hatch back is heavier than the newage cars but has a better chassis, so with the right modifications can be an exciting car.
There are a few hatch owners on here who can give you a much better insight that I can but they will probably ask you the questions above so it would be worth sharing that in advance.

JM75

I only use it as a weekend car and would want to use it on B roads and occasionally track

matt-c

iTrader: (5)

Is the car completely standard at the moment?

If so then the suspension mods you identified should sharpen it up (ARB's and some poly bushes).
For the brakes, at standard power level they should be ok, but it would be worth putting new pads on with the characteristics you are looking for.

The cars are sensitive to alignment so it's important to get that checked, of course new tyres will make a difference as well.

Performance wise, no doubt you have seen about the issues with the 2.5 engine, so keep on top of maintenance.

JM75

ye, the car is standard at the moment,was gonna get disks and pads all round from godspeed, lower it with h& r springs . Not sure how far to go with ARBs, bushes and drop links. Was thinking, hoping ,praying that a oil catch can should help protect the engine, off what I've read

Gambit

iTrader: (6)

standard STI springs in MY08-10 are terrible

facelift MY11-12 got stiffer springs, 5mm lower also, rear pillow ball bushed front wishbones, 1mm larger ARB front & rear.

i tried the prodrive eibach springs in my 330s and they werent much better, eventually picked up a set of CS400 bilstein/eibachs and they totally transformed it. The main issue in the 08-10 is the standard sti rear spring is way too soft.

set of braided hoses, decent disks n pads on std calipers are more than enough

JM75

thanks for this, this helps a lot

hedgecutter

iTrader: (5)

Stiffen up the rear sub frame with some bush inserts.... a very cheap mod which cuts out the wobble slop from the rear

Gambit

iTrader: (6)

@Don Clark might have the info on the spring poundage difference between 08-10 & 11-12 springs, itll give you a decent yard stick when selecting new springs. H&R are usually pretty decent poundage. I'd a set in my old hawk sti after fitting then removing eibachs for again being too soft, h&r where night n day.

I have a picture of a mates old hatch with h&r fitted which I can dig out which will give you an idea how low it is with them fitted.


Here is a log of my car also from day I got it back in 2015 if it interested
https://rmsmotoring.com/forum/thread...i-330s.182692/

Gambit

iTrader: (6)

not the clearest of pics but thats with H&R springs fitted

NOSSY_89

Is it just the handling thats causing the issue. Tyres might be worth changing too.

A remap would change the way the power comes in too. If handling wasn't the only thing you were talking about.

JM75

I like the look of that👌

JM75

just handling for now and tyres will definitely be on the list.

JM75

I will have a read of that cheers

JM75

I've seen some2nd hand bc coilovers for sale, advert says they would fit newage 5 x 100, would they fit mine?

hedgecutter

iTrader: (5)

No they won't fit. 2nd hand coilovers, especially with unknown spring rates, are a lottery.

I will have some hatch spec C springs and shocks going for a song in the nxt couple of months; they are the same spec as the 2011 spring/ shock combo. Whilst I wouldn't bother with the shocks, the springs will be good.

JM75

it was a good read that pal, lots of info to take forward

The Joshua Tree

My Sti Hatch has BC Coilovers, it came with them already on. I'm liking them so far, i know they are not at the high end of coilovers but they seem good value for money and so far they seem to perform well.

Gambit

iTrader: (6)

hasnt been many updates since Apr 2020 as it pulled the headstuds out of the block not long after that so its been off the road since then awaiting a new bottom end build - which should hopefully be ready in the coming weeks.

be like getting a new car its been away that long!

1509joe

iTrader: (2)

Could you not get a 14mm headstud conversion done it would be very beneficial plus closed deck inserts if its a UK car.

Gambit

iTrader: (6)

yeah that is what is happening sorry not a new bottom end as such. 14mm stud conversion on existing bottom end & given a refresh - but no closed deck insert - wasnt needed for what & how ill be running it, and that's advice from fella who looks after the car and is building the bottom end - Michael @ OMA

1509joe

iTrader: (2)

Michaels far far from stupid but while in there getting that done I personally think it would be silly not to get it done

Gambit

iTrader: (6)

things are never that straightforward though - the question was asked do i need it he said no and give me reasons why and then said he can do it if i wanted but said its up to me...then its a set of rods also in there while im at it? - but in this case the car will never be over 450bhp - it target from the day i got it was built as a solid 400/400 car otherwise its just burning money into something that i didnt want to be burning more money into in the first place

the machine shop work isnt done locally either

JM75

Is there anything that can be done about the light steering? I feel this is a big let down on
the car.

The Joshua Tree

I've not experienced any light steering on my 08 Sti Hatch, are your tyre pressures ok and not too high, what tyres are you running, i have Michellin Pilot Sport 4 on mine and they grip well with no light feeling from the steering.

hedgecutter

iTrader: (5)

Litchfield used to revalve the power steering pump. Or a tiny amount of toe in up front

matt-c

iTrader: (5)

2015+ Steering rack will transform the steering feel.

JM75

Are these a straight forward swap

matt-c

iTrader: (5)

Yes, just make sure the steering wheel is centered and is braced to not move during the fitment. It's a great upgrade if you can find a rack at a good price.