martinl

Looking to fit new drop links at the back.
Can anyone recommend what make I should buy and a dealer that sells them.
I think I'll fit them myself it looks simple enough.
Cheers
Martin

ozzy

Powerflex or Whiteline heavy duty solid ones are good.

Jap Innovations and Scoobymania spring to mind as suppliers.

Stefan

p1doc

what difference do they make?
martin

ozzy

The help make the ARB work a little harder and should help to minimise body roll. I noticed a difference on my MY99 UK when I replaced both front and rears from the OE plastic to the Whiteline solid ones. It wasn't a night/day difference, but the car felt a little sharper.

Big difference was replacing the OE ARB with a stiffer whiteline one (22mm-24mm adjustable). Stiffening the rear through ARB and drop links makes the front end work more and should help reduce understeer.

You need to check what ARB's and drop links are already on the car to make a judgement on what the difference will be.

Stefan

p1doc

i have an sti8 with prodrive springs,front sti strut brace and prodrive geometry
would drop links and uprated arb increase oversteer dramatically or just at the limit?
martin

p1doc

bttt

ozzy

You need to check the specs of your existing front and rear ARB and drop links. i.e.

Are your STI8 drop links plastic or metal solid ones?
Do you know what thickness the front and rear ARB's are?

Drop links themselves will just tighten things up. I doubt they would introduce dramatic oversteer.

The extra stiffness the ARB gives will make thr front work harder. If you went from a 18mm to 26mm ARB, then the effect may be dramatic. A smaller change (say 22 - 24mm) would give more of a controllable change.

Any changes should be balanced with the front so you avoid going from a neutral car to one which badly oversteers (too stiff a front end) or understeers (too stiff a rear).

Stefan

simo

I put an adj 22mm white line arb on mine. It is suprising what difference the 3 settings make, I have settled on the mid setting as this tightens it up just nicely . Tried the hardest setting and made it very oversteer happy, to much for the road imho.

simon

AvalancheS8

Other way round, stiffening the front will cause understeer, stiffening the rear will cause oversteer.

ozzy

doh! So it is. I'm afraid I can't edit my original post

If you stiffen the std rear, then this will overcome some of the understeer dialled into the car. Go to far and it will swing to oversteer.

I agree, too stiff a front introduces understeer. Too stiff a rear (oh er) introduces oversteer.

Stefan

p1doc

thanks for the info,as an on call psychiatrist with an interest in freudian psychotherapy you can appreciate the irony of floppy and stiff rear ends!!
it looks like i will get a adjustable rear arb,alloy drop links and try middle setting-i think the sti8 runs on rubber drop links and 19mm rear arb but i will check first
martin

drb5

iTrader: (4)

personnally i wouldn't go for whiteline. as time goes on and the more i look at the whiteline drop links i have fitted, the more i see them corroding!!!!! i'm waiting on me cusco bars appearing and then i'll see if the drop links make any difference once all the rest is fitted.

fuz

PE do some nice ones @ a good price aswell

Apple

I thought STis had solid droplinks anyway so what's to gain by changing them?

I noticed a difference for a few days or so on my WRX (until you get used to the changes) as I'd replaced the OE plastic ones with Powerflex ones

PC555

The out of the box MY03 STi has plastic droplinks ...... changed mine along with the rear ARB and had the Geom set for 'spirited driving' and it virtually removed all understeer.