Spruxxx

Hello all, first post on Scoobynet, I'm not much of a forum user to be honest. Tried to search on this but not much luck - any thoughts or experience greatly appreciated.

I've had a near standard 2005 WRX for a few years now. What with crunch etc I've decided to keep it in the long run and now want to make a couple of changes to the looks. Just in case these are reversible in future.

The car is def for road use, and not for track or show. A / B road / motorway / city etc. So I wanted to subtly improve the looks without going too extreme, but not doing anything too cheaply either.

Love 6 spoke wheels, it used to be 5 spoke. Considered Rays Volk Te37s as the ultimate but simply too expensive to justify. 5Zigen GN+ seemed acceptable, sizes for both are PCD 5x100 18x7.5 Offset 48 or close. Rota GTRs are similar but 18x8.

Saw a US site with WRX and STi cars (WHEELDUDE.COM - #1 Rota Wheel Dealer.) with stunning Rota Grids in PCD 5x100 18x8.5 Offset 44. 18x8.5 allows for a more concave face, which looks great in my opinion. Bronze is my choice of colour.

Many have major suspension upgrades to match, but I'm told stock suspension can be used if the WRX rear wheelarches are rolled slightly, or a little negative camber if you have the adjustable bolts (mine's stock so not an option for me). At first no UK distributor could supply the 5x100s, but now a couple have offered a good price.

So...

1. Has anyone fitted 18x8.5s to a 2005 WRX or STi? If so, was it with stock suspension? Will extending the rear wheelarches be enough?

2. Someone recommended the Prodrive WRX spring kit in conjunction - 25mm drop, will this lower the car too much, or could it actually improve clearance with stiffer springs? I thought to get the wheels fitted and then see if there's room for the kit - or should I do it the other way? Could I leave the kit alone and just fit the 18s, or would that be a bad idea?

3. The tyres will go from 17" to 18" and the tyres (235/40/18) are slightly wider than the standard 225s - is this an acceptable compromise? I'm guessing so...

4. Rear wing - not a huge fan of the standard wing, but the STi wing is too much. Don't like big carbon things either. Seen a beautiful Orciari 4 piece spoiler (eg Impreza Blob Eye (2003-2005) : Impreza Blob Eye (2003-2005) : 4 Piece WRC Style Rear Wing (00509/L) [WRCREARWING] - £425.99) - but not common in the UK. Has anyone one fitted one?

5. Anything else to consider? Gonna replace my spare wheel at the same time. So my speedo should be sorted when fitted, and I accept fuel economy will drop slightly...

Thanks in advance, sorry for the long post!

Spud

Flaps

iTrader: (1)

Pm richiewong mate, he has the rear spoiler on his WRX, this is a link to his profile:
ScoobyNet - richiewong

Spruxxx

Cheers dude, I'll do that...

Casters450

Spud,

Choices, choices!!

I was running 18 x 7.5" Prodrive alloys with STi shocks and Prodrive lowering springs and 235/40/18 tyres on a 2003 bolbeye. I can't post pictures on here but if you want to PM me your e-mail address I can send you a couple of pictures. I think it looks about right.

Coincidently, I have just repaced my suspension for coilovers due to the dreaded rear end knock, so my springs will be up for sale soon!!!!

Spruxxx

Thanks Castors, PM on its way shortly!

Spruxxx

Any thoughts on the combination of 18" wheels and a Prodrive spring kit? Anyone running a similar setup on a newage car?

I guess I should fit the wheels first and see what the clearance is like - I would have thought that the car was more practical without the kit, but it seems many people get both better handling and a better ride as well, despite fitting lower / stiffer springs.

I need to carry a few people and load the boot with music equipment now and again, so I don't want to bottom out the car in those situations - would that be a risk with a drop of 25mm? At 18x8.5 my wheels will be a bit wider than normal too, so the rear arches won't have much room.

Cheers,

Spud

abc

I fitted Prodrive springs to my MY05 PPPd WRX and they make a big difference to the feel of the car: the whole thing feels tauter, less prone to understeer, quickens the steering and lowers the car quite nicely. It's a bit firmer for passengers, but not uncomfortably so.

Unless you want simply to change the looks, I'd recommend changing the springs as better value for money and a worthwhile handling improvement.

Spruxxx

Cheers abc, that's good to know.

I know ultimately it's a matter of opinion, some say it's fine and others say it's noticably worse in town. But it sounds more compliant than equivalents like Eibachs (who I think make the springs, but Prodrive do their own setup, looking at other threads) or full Tein setups.

Well as long as I don't have to avoid speed bumps and potholes, or change my passenger / boot habits then I'm pretty keen to get it done around the same time...

abc

Since fitting the Prodrive springs, my wife (who is the main passenger) hasn't complained, and when I've sat in the passenger seat, it hasn't felt too firm to me either.

You're right, Prodrives are different from Eibachs but someone else will have to explain the difference. Something to do with variable rate, I think.

Spruxxx

Ah, reassuring news. From what your good self and others are telling me, I'm strongly leaning towards getting it installed now.

Just put a similar post up in the Suspension section to try and gather a few more opinions, but very grateful for yours!

And yes, I think anything firmer than the Prodrives is almost guaranteed to be too much, without going for an expensive adjustable setup...

Fingers crossed in the near future I'll be able to put up some pics of the updates!

daijones

The 18x8.5s with a 44 offset could be a problem - AFAIK the offset shouldn't go below 48. The problem isn't so much with the rear arch as with rubbing on the front arch under lock I think. This is exacerbated with a lowering spring kit. It's worse with my wagon cos it hasn't got the widened arches - I'd need 18x7.5s with a 52 offset.

D

Spruxxx

Hi Dai, ah I see...thanks. I'm glad I'm getting a lot of opinions, I've got no experience with this.

So far I've spoken via email to a US tuner (wheeldude.com) saying he's fitted a huge number of customer cars, and his own, with 18x8.5 wheels. Often with 245 or 255 tyres, but full suspension setups to match.

I was expressing my concerns etc, and he was keen to make it totally clear that with std suspension on an 05 WRX, the rear wheelarches just needed easy modding and that was it (or add a small amount of neg camber) - no one is having any problems and it wasn't a big issue at all - a popular choice. However, 44 offset is specific to Rota Drifts for Imprezas - I'm sure you're right, it wouldn't work for any other wheel. So I have his assurance, which I think is worth something as it's a hugely popular site over there and there are a lot of happy customers. No mention of front wheel arch issues, so I'll have to ask.

There are also people fitting Drifts in 18x10s (and on a lowered wagon in particular), which must wreck the handling - fine if looks are the only concern! It does look amazing, no doubt. The owner's never gonna clear speed bumps!

Also spoken to TSL on email, and they say they can get the right wheels in (PCD 5x100 18x8.5 is hard to find here, but common in the States) and can fit them without problems.

I think I need to call TSL, discuss it in more detail and see what they say. If you're interested to know more I can send you some relevant correspondence or pics - also spoken with a US Impreza tuner / wheel "guru" - th3clap, who really knows his stuff on JDM wheels for Imprezas. t3h_Clap’s Wheel33tist Blog

Are you looking to change your setup or have you done so already? Are you having lock problems etc?

Spud

daijones

That sounds very promising: sounds like the geezer knows what he's talking about. If the wheels are specially designed to fit they've probably done the job properly - Rota are a good make. I was looking at a set of 18"s, but decided against it in the end. I've got Eibach springs on which increase the chance of rubbing, and the wagon has got a narrower track so yet more chance of rubbing on the inside of the arch. I might be able to get away with it, but I don't really want to drop the cash to find out! I doubt I'd notice a difference in handling anyway tbh, so I'm putting the money towards a new turbo instead Thanks for the kind offer of the details though.

18x10 on a wagon is shocking!! As you say though, must be just for looks. Good job US roads tend to be so straight, it must be a nightmare to get around a hairpin!!

D

wrx,sti

iTrader: (2)

I'm running prodrive springs and sti shocks and got 18" wheels with 225x40x18 on a wrx

Spruxxx

dai, yep totally understand - i'm still trying to see some wheels up close before making any final decisions. I think TSL are the best bet as they have plenty of Rotas in stock. A new turbo would be a damn good alternative

A lot of the Americans are very focused on looks and "croozin"... But there's def a few things we can learn!

Wrx,sti - looking good! I take it you are happy with the ride and handling balance, and no rubbing issues etc? Would those be 18x7.5 or 18x8s?