JIM THEO

Once again I wonder why “Prodrive” Eibachs are worse than Eibach Pro kits as many of you mention?
I saw that Eibach are progressives (Front 171 – Rear 91-188) and lower the car about 2,5cm front and more or less rear (depends on model GT or WRX) while Prodrives are linear, but what makes the “original” Eibachs better? There are also so many variants GGR, TSL etc Eibach made kits in the market.
And what about ride quality with each spring set compared with the factory ones?
As a coilover set is quite expensive what do you thing is better for a >MY02 Impreza and every day driving on bad road surfaces regarding NVH with performance in mind?
Your experiences please.
Thanks
JIM

Edcase

I'm getting the latest Eibach (non prodrive) kit for MY02 fitted tomorrow. Will let you know the results, but friends who have it have nothing but praise.

Ed

blachie

jim hello " >my02"???
did u change cars?

JIM THEO

Probably....I like the new shape and AFAIK it's much better from the MY01-02.
I found already three buyers and offer me more or less 32500 euro - very good price - what do you thing?
JIM

JIM THEO

Unfortunately, nobody wants to answer my question...

Apple

Hello Jim

I don't know how many "variations" there are on the modern Eibachs but the Eibach site only lists one for the classic and one for the bugeye AFAIR

I get the impression it's different end suppliers inventing their "version" as a sales pitch (flame suit at the ready)...

Are you going for the my02 so you can get the Ohlins? - let me know how you get on with them

Apple

PS Edcase - any feedback yet or are you still out "testing"

JIM THEO

Hi Apple
I am thinking about the new WRX03 and I am going very soon to sell my current MY00.
I think Eibach will get my money as don't like harsh ride, coilovers(Ohlins or DMS) are quite expensive and Eibachs lower the car exactly the same with Prodrive kits/springs thus reduce body roll - COG and appearance of the car, and it's best compromise between performance and comfort.
Of course I'll fit also thicker rear anti roll bar as usually drive my car on mountains with lot of "stiff" corners and need better turn in response.
What do you think about mate?
JIM

Edcase

OK, i'm back, after almost 1000 miles on my new Eibach setup on some of the best roads in Britain! Let me just eat my tea and I'll tell you my thoughts.

mutant_matt

Jim,

As I understand it there are:

pre MY01 Eibach Pro Kit
MY01/02 Prodrive Eibach springs
MY01/02 Eibach Eibach (IYSWIM) springs
MY01/02 TSL spec Eibach springs

The pre MY01 "old" Eibach springs work well on the MY01/02 WRX (and some say STi (though it's heavier and they are not really designed for the STi)) and give a decent but firm ride on the WRX and STi. The springs are progressive so can give a decent "normal" ride and stiffen up nicely when you lean on them.

The Prodrive Eibachs are softer and have (IMHO) excellent ride quality and good fast performace too, but the old kit has the edge.

The TSL Eibach's I can't comment on as I haven't tried them and I think, they were withdrawn but you'd have to speak to TSL.

The new MY01/02 springs deigned for the WRX are the replacement springs for the old Pro Kit for the 01/02 WRX. They also say that these are ok for the STi but they can't suit both as the cars are different weights and I suspect they are optimised for the WRX.

Does any of this help?

Ta,

Matt

Apple

Edcase - that's one heckuva tea - must be a lot of pies to shift before the report...

Jim - looks like I'd be going for the MY02 specific Eibachs when I get round to swapping mine I'm realising at the moment that the brakes and suspension aren't totally up to the power of the car
Aren't you waiting to see what the MY03 setup is like before changing - they might have sorted out all the idiosyncrasies (sp?) by then and you don't need to swap the springs

Matt - thanks for the info on the different versions - has TSL really had their own version or is it sales talk? I'll have to have another word with Trouser at some point...

Apple

JIM THEO

Thanks guys, I know about the above versions and GGR-Eibachs also but as I understand Eibachs (pro kit) should be the best overall, no experience from Prodrives though!
The new MY03 is available before Christmas here in Greece and some friends tested different versions on track!
It has better throttle response - as they told me - slight better ride quality, but soft suspension (as MY01-02) for fast driving (and some other tweaks - different O2 sensors - I think the back is wideband but not sure, improved handling etc.)
I just try to have different opinions about cheap alternatives.
Cheers
JIM

Edcase

Sorry, Scoobynet was down after dinner and I was away yesterday

Ok, MY01/02 Eibachs - where to start.



Ride height - Marked difference! This is how the standard car should look IMHO. Best judge of difference was the mudflaps...where the fronts used to sit well off the floor they are now practically touching. I'd guess a good 35mm drop from standard. I can now happily put my 17inch lightweight wheels on and not feel like I need to sacrifice ride to get 18's to fill the arches!

Ride quality - Again, this should be the standard ride! In many situations it is actually BETTER then standard. Cobbles, for example, are now almost unnoticeable. This is probably the area that has surprised me the most as I was expecting a marked increase in ride 'noise', juddering, crashing, and yet whilst it is noticeably stiffer, it seems to work better with the standard dampers!

Handling - Right, the crux of the matter. Here is a simple example. Before replacing the shocks, my front mudflaps sat roughly 45mm from the floor, but scraped under anything approaching hard cornering. Now, they sit about 1 / 1.5 cm off the floor and I am yet to make them touch the floor.

And before anyone asks have I driven it hard, not only did I have the brown trouser experience of Paul TSL demonstrating what my car can now do in knowledgeable hands, I was also fortunate enough to have to get from Manchester back to Notts on Monday, and so I cut through the heart of the Peak District on a piece of famous biker road known as 'Snakes Pass'.

24 miles of the most testing, winding, flowing, scenic road you ever did see. I wont go into huge detail as I'm planning on writing the drive in detail when I get time, but even on the OE tyres, the handling is flat, and almost totally neutral (and we are talking severe three-figure apex-hugging, lane changing cornering, to the point that the OE tyres at the rear gave up the ghost and nearly tread shuffled me into unrecoverable oversteer!)

Steering is...not neccessarily lighter, but feels so much more direct and alive that to the average driver it would simply seem lighter.

The ABS is now desensitised to a point that is liveable (however the OE brakes started fading BADLY after about 10 miles of Snakes Pass...just need the money for 6pots now ) They are also more effective as the nose hardly dives at all under hard braking.

It has also ironed out some of the front to rear looseness, which makes the car much more adjustable on the throttle mid-bend, and I took one 'private' roundabout so hard in an attempt to force some lairyness that it simply skipped, BTCC-style rather than throwing me off the road.

Downsides - well, not really anything, although tramlining is slightly more pronounced and it picks up even minor camber changes on the m-way, but its so minor its barely worth commenting on.

The suspension now far and away outperforms theh OE tyres and brakes, and sure enough taking Graham TSL's test car out with 6 pots and Toyos, the car literally does EXACTLY what you tell it to. Any margin of error becomes purely human and not down to the machine, which allows you to concentrate 100% and have confidence putting the car exactly where you want it on the road.

Any other questions, let me know.

Ed

Chris L

Pretty much agree with Ed and Matt. I have the 'original' Eibachs on my MY01 - very good. Ride is firm, but not bouncy. Handling and turn in are improved. And it looks a lot better

Recommended

Chris

Mark.S

Getting the TSL Eibach treatment in a couple of weeks also getting their new drop links fitted at same time!
Cheers,
Mark.

mutant_matt

BTW,

I *think* the TSL Eibachs' have been superceeded by the specific Eibachs for the MY01/02 WRX.....

Matt

JIM THEO

Ed, your view is very helpfull mate, thanks.
JIM

[Edited by JIM THEO - 1/29/2003 9:12:52 PM]

Apple

Ed,

I'll second Jim's comments - many thanks

It looks like they'll do the job

Apple

PS what was the insurance hike in the region of - asuming you've told them?

austen_wrx

edcase,

Exactly what springs did you have fitted? The TSL Eibachs?

Edcase

No the latest MY01 / 02 Eibachs.

Fitted by TSL tho

DAZ6151

iTrader: (1)

Cheers edcase this does help lots as was going to ask peoples oppinions about eibachs but u have answered everything that i was concerned about cheers again matey.

Darren

EwanS

I had the My01 Specific Eibachs fitted to my impreza 2 days ago (At Falkland ) and was immediately surprised at the difference in ride height - someone told me that i would be lucky to see any difference but only 1 1/4" remains above the wheel - big difference over OEM -Big difference !! I agree with the comments of Edcase - yet i still have to get reasonable weather to really start to re-learn the handling characteristics - impressed so far though. Big smile !
Question - have fitted powerflex rear droplink bushes and front ARB bushes. - will solid rear links make a difference ? should i consider repalcing wishbone bushes aswell - what is the next step ??
EwanS

Edcase

Ewan, bear in mind that as soon as you start changing bushes you are going to get an immediate hit on ride quality. The benefits depend on what kind of driving you do most. If you do regular trackdays, then yes, uprate, but if you prefer blats on b-roads and use your car for everyday commutes, leave it as is.

I'll probably get anti lift when my power gets up near 300bhp

EwanS

Edcase,
okay,i'm with you on the upgrade front, but do you really require the AL kit ? I was under the impression that the chasis was far superior to earlier models and the AL kit was not a requirement...what benefit will you get ?
Anyway back to the Springs - My car has just reached 40k (MY01)but with the new Eibachs - it feels a little bouncy at the front end - are the dampers a little tired ? - how is yours ??
Ewan

Edcase

When you get nearer 300hp you will find handling problems accelerating out of corners. Even the sti7 chassis has this problem, but the antilift kit will sort this out and keep the front planted.

My car is only 5k old so no shock probs for me yet