Well from my frist thought of them was it was an overpriced piece of metal to make the stock silver ones gold. Well I was completly wrong on that. After debating on getting or not I decided to get them at the price I was offered. The were definatly worth it. Even though My engine is practically stock there is less movement of the front jumping up. Also these helped a lot on conering especially since I can get on the gas a lot earlier when coming out of a corner and not have to worry about understeering. I say they would help the best when you have a highly modified engine but they still work great for almost stock. Out of 1-10 I would give them 9.5, gold really doesn't go well with my car, but this problem can be sold with a little spray paint.

and to anyone who wants these for the best price (that ive seen) go here:

http://www.pdm-racing.com/products/subaru_corner.html

where exactly do these go? can I see some pics?

taken from www.scoobymods.com

http://www.scoobymods.com/mods/impreza/antilift.php

is wheel alignment necessary after installation?
since it alters the geometry of the suspension(correct me if i'm wrong)...

thanx

yes you should have an alignment, bacause you are changing the caster, which effect the camber and toe.


BTW I have a set and they feel great when cornering hard. under nornal driving, you don't notice them.

I got the ALK and have to say I don't feel it was worth the $116. There's an ever so slight difference on very hard cornering. For the other 99% of my driving there's no noticable handling improvement, just an increased amount of NVH. The hard polyurathane bushings don't soak up road bumps. What used to be a mild "brup brup" when crossing road brail, now is a car jolting "BAM!" Granted, it may not be so noticable if I had aftermarket springs and shocks whereby the whole suspension is stiffer and transmitting more road noise into the car, but I like the stock suspension's compromise of ride comfort and handling and personally didn't feel it was worth the trade-off for such a small change in handling. The quality build of the part was very nice and the instructions very clear, so I'd say that Whiteline is a manufacturer worth considering for aftermarket parts, but I'd skip the ALK if I were to do it all over again. If it wasn't such a pain to install 'em, I'd switch back to the stock mounts.

With respect, the antilift bushes are not made for the daily driver and standard suspensions. They are part of an overall suspension performance arrangement designed for competative driving at the cost of increased noise, vibration and harshness. In that venue, they do the job as advertized.

MM

I agree entirely. In the same way it wouldn't be optimal to put 500 lb springs on your stock struts, it isn't reasonable to expect the best performance out of piecemal suspension bushing upgrades.

I have to say I thought when I bought them that I was not going to see that much of a differance maybe a little less squeel powering out of a apex but dam these things are good much better then before well worth the price of 109.50$ and I don't know about NVH as I have alot of that before very pleased over all if you going for a front strut brace this is better investment.

Man, I didn't even realize what a great price I got on my Whiteline ALK ($50 on ebay from Rob at Mofugus Motorsports). Unfortunately I had it installed by Rallispec at the same time as my Whiteline front strut tower brace, KYB AGX shocks, Eibach Prokit, and 17" Euro WRX rims w/Potenza 011 tires...so I can't say exactly what imprvoment the ALK alone made. All I know is that my car now takes the turns at 50 mph like it's nothing, that it used to struggle w/at 30. Accelerating out of turns is so much fun, and I definitely notice the complete lack of lift or nosedive when accelerating or braking. I've enjoyed my car like never before for the past 3 weeks since upgrading suspension (among other things ;)

Is it true the ALK is harder to install on the 02's? My cousin is DYING to get rid of the front end bobing...

I wouldn't get rid of my ALK for anything...in conjunction with my other suspension mods i don't fear corners anymore..i look forward to them...You need a new level of suspension upgrades to take full use of the ALK...an ALK on an otherwise stock car "is" a waste of money...an ALK on a heavily modified one is a cheap and very gratifying purchase..

Cusco Comp2 Coilovers
Cusco 20mm Rear Bar
Cusco F&R OS Strut Bars
Whiteline ALK
Whiteline F&R Solid End links

I have the old style Whiteline ALK installed with the STi forged alum. control arms, DMS 40mm, and STi top mounts. I am very happy with the feel of the ALK. The light weight improved ones look even better.

A good product worth getting.

I just installed mine yesterday. The "on-throttle turn" was AMAZING! The car just plained flat and traction was THERE! (and theres still a little tire rubber there too) :D I also noticed there isn't as much "lurching" between shifts. Yes, especially with 17" wheels, hitting RR tracks or the reflectors in the road are quite noisey, but livable. I also somewhat blame my STI engine and tranny mounts because those give extra feedback from the road as well. Might not be fun off road. I'll have to give my off-road review after this coming weekend. :cool: A Good $120 investment for those who like to power through the turns.

P.S.: A larger rear sway bar must accompany this mod. ;)

I just had mine removed and the stock ones put back in. Why ? I do alot of driving (can't say how much since I may want to sell my GT to one of you if and when the B4 arrives ;) ) and the NVH of the polyurathane bushings just became too much. I could count each crack in the pavement, regardless of how small.

However, I immediately noticed the car (Legacy 2000 GT ) lifting on gear changes and alot of understeering when powering out of corners. Also, the front end doesn't track as well as before.

I miss them and the performance they gave. If you don't 'enjoy' your car, you may not experience the benefit of the Whiteline ALK, but the smoothness of the stock rubber bushings can't be beat for that comfort/sedan ride.

If only I could get the ALK with rubber bushings that 'gave' more than the polyurathane do.

Final word:

If you 'drive' your car and understand that there will be NVH, GET the Whiteline ALK. They are well worth it.

If you are a weekend warrior or do alot of driving (say to clients all day), then you may what to stick with stock
:(

Hi everyone,

It's great to see so many people getting value out of the peformance of the ALK but it does concern us that the some people find the increase in NVH unacceptable.

This prompted us to design a new style bush with a slightly different internal shape to deliver a little more impact compliance. We've been running a set on our P-Rex II car for a couple of weeks and can comfortably claim that the reduction in NVH is very significant though the response seems just as sharp on the road.

You can order this product via our dealers (they may not all know about it yet so just give them a copy of this post ) or our WebStore by quoting part number W0562. The kit comes complete with 2 new style bushes, tubes and grease but it will only fit the new style Gold mounts. It is relatively easy to remove the old bushes from the mounts and replace the news one and you don't need a press. Just a vice and some lever bars to force the bush out.

For those that still want more ALK benefits at ANY price, we also have a motorpsort version using 90 Duro polyurethane for next to no compliance. Order part number KCA319M. Kits are supplied with plain "OEM look" unanodised alloy mounts and black bushes, it seems some people want the mounts to look as stock as possible :-)

Cheers
Jim Gurieff
Whiteline Automotive

Wow, thats cool! Good job

Again, cheers to Jim Gurieff and Whiteline for their continued R&D efforts.

Jim,
Will the new bushes be included in future kits or will this be something that you will always have to special order? Also, it appears that there is little performance difference between the ALK with the old bushes and the new bushes. Is that correct?

Scooby Don't

the whiteline web store can't find part # W0526 ...

I had every bushing that connected the control arms to the frame of the car changed. One of these was the ALK.

I recommend a large 20mm+ swaybar inthe back and at least neg 0.25(minimum needed) degrees or more camber in the fronts. Also to get the maxium effect get some z-rated tires.

the first impact on drivability is the steering response. If you like that idot proof handling of stock form, say goodbye to it. With one swing you'll take a corner very quickely.

The ALK best works in normal hight cars. Also best at speeds of 50+mph, such as embankments or sharp uphill to downhill slaloms.

In auto-xing, you'll see no significant difference, since the car likes to revert to it's rudamentary stock characteristics at that time.

I consider it a fancy bushing mod.

Suspension mods:



cout << " FHI ver.5 stuts_
STI upper strut mounts_
Tien s-tech soft springs (lowers car 1.5 inches)_
kartboy front and back endlinks_
MRT adj. control arms with poly bushings_
rear ingalls camber kit_
20mm swaybar_
Of course Whitline ALK." << endl;

Just wanted to chime in with my thumbs up vote.

I installed the sports KCA-390M version on my RS and I would never go back. I busted a gut getting them in, but that's not why. Yes, NVH is significant on rough surfaces. Transient steering response and stability is fantastic. The car feels more "on the road". I'd rate the ALK right up there with a heavy rear sway bar.

Suspension mods:

KYB AGX struts
5Zigen springs (too low)
WL 20-24 rear bar, set to 22mm
WL rear drop links
WL rear subframe lock bolts
WL poly steering rack bushings
390M ALK
Generic front strut tower bar

Just wanted to chime in with my thumbs up vote.

I installed the sports KCA-390M version on my RS and I would never go back. I busted a gut getting them in, but that's not why. Yes, NVH is significant on rough surfaces. Transient steering response and stability is fantastic. The car feels more "on the road". I'd rate the ALK right up there with a heavy rear sway bar.

Suspension mods:

KYB AGX struts
5Zigen springs (too low)
WL 20-24 rear bar, set to 22mm
WL rear drop links
WL rear subframe lock bolts
WL poly steering rack bushings
390M ALK
Generic front strut tower bar

install took 2 hours, by myself. i did it with the wheels loaded (on ramps). during the removal of the stock mounts, i took out the tranny crossmember. i used a claw hammer to pry the OEM mount down to remove the end-nut. i used my 18" 1/2" drive breaker bar extensively. the old leg power trick works wonders on this install. one good trick when you're putting it back together: use the OEM scissor jack to manouver the control arm so you can get the bolts back through the ALK and into the chassis. i braced it against the tranny, and it worked a charm.

i also turned out 1/6th of a turn of each tie rod, giving me about 2mm toe out. since the fitting of the alk gives you from 1 to 2mm of toe in, this should offset it nicely until i can get a real alignment.

when putting the front subframe/crash brace back on, fit the two front bolts, but keep them loose. then move back to the rear bolts, get those fastened loosely, and work your way back forward. finally tighten them all down when they're all in place.

impressions: i DO feel more up and down movement in the nose. under hard braking the dive is a BIT more severe. (note: those folks who report LESS lift and dive haven't read the whiteline paper on what this relocated front control arm mounting point does!)

i don't have the comfort bush--after a quick spin, i gotta say i wouldn't want it! i noticed no discernable increases in NVH, to be honest. i like a firm ride anyway. tire pressure adjustments seem much more noticable than the reduced compliance of the bush.

i took a corner at a stop sign that i typically spin the inside front wheel on and i got a little chirp but no spin... that seems to be the big positive thing with this kit. i attribute this to the decreased anti-lift in the front end causing a more even load between the two front tires.

i took another larger radius sweeper in a parking lot and i got some additional howling from the rear end, which means it's working harder without the front end rolling over on itself. this i attribute to a bit more caster netting me more dynamic camber, and the stiffer bush holding its shape better retaining my static camber.

i also noticed a greater self-centering action while driving straight, again from the additional half degree or so of caster.

all in all worth every penny of the 90 bucks i spent for it (used)! :D

hth
ken

Originally posted by bender
yes you should have an alignment, bacause you are changing the caster, which effect the camber and toe.


BTW I have a set and they feel great when cornering hard. under nornal driving, you don't notice them.

Since you change the OEM caster, do you need to tell the people doing the alignment that the specs are different than OEM now? And if so, what are the correct new specs? Thanks, Ryan.

afaik, the caster is not adjustble with OEM bits. nor is it adjustable with the addition of the ALK. you've got to get some caster plates for the strut tops if you want to be able to adjust this, so it's sort of a moot point. i'm sure they'll tell you what it is, but since there's no way to adjust it there's no point telling them what you want to see.

jm2c
ken

I'm resurrecting and old post, but I'm frickin' happy about my Whiteline Sport (KCA359) ALK. My suspension is stock, but I do have some drivetrain bits including Group N tranny mount, tranny crossmember bushing, Group N pitch stopper, outrigger bushings, and oh yea, (suspension) 20 mm rear sway bar. I also got an alignment using stock bolts from Mach V Motorsports.

And Wow! I didn't expect this car's attitude to change so noticeably. Highway on-ramps are "funner," so are just about any turn you'd want to throw the car at. The traction limits are much higher, the front end doesn't wash out as badly at the limit. On the street, which is the only driving I do, turn-in is definitely sharper. Reminds me of the initial sharpness of my friend's S2000 (Ok, I'm lying, but you get my drift). With this mod, I truly wish I had dedicated performance tires instead of my Continental ContiExtremeContact tires (which have high grip and are comfortable, but ultimately too soft and not as responsive as my previous Kumho ASXs) but I don't have a garage to store wheels, oh well.

Also, I haven't had the harshness that others have complained about which prompted them to get the "Comfort" kit. That could be because of my combination of soft sidewalls and stock springs and struts.

Anyway, if you want to change the handling attitude of your car, but don't want to lower it, and don't care about certain autocross rules, get this ALK. You will appreciate the suppleness of the stock suspension instead of cursing that "tippy" feeling.

Sooo.:banana:

I have them on both my cars as well and there is definitely a noticeable difference by having them on. Check out the ball joint extenders also.

Ferdie