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Old 06-14-2006, 08:14 PM   #1
sandwi54
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Default STi Pink Spring Rates

I read a whole lot of threads. Some people say the STi pink spring rates are 257/217 and some say 224/195. I just bought these springs on Jamie's website (https://www.subarugenuineparts.com/p...oducts_id=626). On the site it says 223/195.

Some STi owners say that the STi pink springs are stiffer than stock STi springs which are 224/195. What STi pink springs are they talking about? Are there two different STi pinks? Are the ones I bought 257/217 or 224/195??

*very very confused*

thanks for any help.
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Old 06-14-2006, 08:21 PM   #2
dvang
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the ones you bought were USDM pink wrx springs made by sti

jdm STI pinks have the higher rate depending on the year sti

yes its confusing

took me a while to figure which is which is which
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Old 06-14-2006, 08:30 PM   #3
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**repost from iwsti's "austinpike"**

There are a handful of pink springs. The most common ones people refer to as "JDM pinks" have a rate of 257 lbs/inch front, 217 lbs/inch rear, and are intended to match with the stock STi struts. SPT sells a "pink" spring that is sold through US dealers and is intended as an upgrade for the WRX. Rates are similar to the stock STi springs. Putting these on an STi will not be much of an upgrade. There are other JDM pinks (including the "Tuned by Arai" springs) that have higher rates than the standard "pinks" and are too stiff to be paired with the stock STi struts.

If you are buying new, your best bet is to buy from a vendor that is known to sell the JDM "pink" springs. Only a few places are importing them. These include: (list will be updated w/additional confirmed vendors)

http://www.gruppe-s.com/
http://www.mauromotorsports.com/
http://www.racecompengineering.com/
http://www.z1auto.com/

If you are buying used, the way to determine whether you are getting the "JDM pinks" is by a paint marking on the second coil from the top - it should be light blue. The US/SPT pinks will have a white paint mark.

JDM "pinks"




The Group-N strut top mounts are easier to come by as they can be imported by US Subaru dealers. A number of larger dealers have performance parts divisions that sell them. (As well as the vendors listed above.)

Buying used is more of a challenge, since the same mold is used to create both the stock and Group-N parts and they are essentially identical in appearance. If you can compare the parts directly to stock, you should be able to feel the harder rubber of the Group-N parts. Beyond that, the Gp-N parts carry a different paint marking.

stock front: white ------ gp-N front: green (+different location)
stock rear: pink --------- gp-N rear: white or yellow

In each pic the '06 mount is upper left, the GP-N is upper right, '05 mount is front center (uninstalled.) The '05 stock front has the paint pretty much rubbed off, but you can see a hint of it in the same position as on the '06.





Another pic of a completed rear assembly with Group-N top. This one appears to have a yellow paint marking, in a different location than stock.


(thanks to Rev for the image)

note that since this is iwsti.com, comments above apply to the '04-'06 Impreza WRX STi - I have no idea if any of the info carries over to parts intended for earlier cars or other models (Forester, etc.)

mods feel free to edit/update, others add comments/experiences. Especially feedback on the white/yellow rear marks (vendors?)
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Old 06-14-2006, 09:11 PM   #4
sandwi54
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wow thanks guys. it's all clear now. maybe when people talk about STi pinks they should specify which ones they are talking about? like USDM STi pinks or JDM STi pinks.
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Old 06-14-2006, 09:13 PM   #5
nhluhr
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sandwi54
wow thanks guys. it's all clear now. maybe when people talk about STi pinks they should specify which ones they are talking about? like USDM STi pinks or JDM STi pinks.
Or maybe SPT should stick to painting things blue instead of hijacking an existing product's identity.
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Old 08-09-2006, 12:45 AM   #6
dousbon
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alignment specs for the USDM STI pinks?
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Old 08-09-2006, 12:51 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dousbon
alignment specs for the USDM STI pinks?
Huh? What do you mean exactly? Spring rates are 224/195...are you referring to what the alignment of the car will be when the springs are installed? You should get an alignment done after the springs are installed, to specs for whatever driving you intend to be doing with them.
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Old 09-08-2006, 07:09 PM   #8
dousbon
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I agree. Alignment should be done on every car after installing springs. That's why I asked

Doesn't prodrive have alignment specs after installation of their springs? I assumed that these would have some alignment specs.
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Old 09-08-2006, 07:50 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sandwi54 View Post
I read a whole lot of threads. Some people say the STi pink spring rates are 257/217 and some say 224/195. I just bought these springs on Jamie's website (https://www.subarugenuineparts.com/p...oducts_id=626). On the site it says 223/195.
These are the SPT Pinks you bought, which are great springs for the non-STi WRX. Your car will sit just a tiny touch lower than a stock STi with the same spring rate, and your stock stuts will work fine with them. I'm using this spring on my '06 with the stock struts.

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Old 09-08-2006, 08:16 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nhluhr View Post
Or maybe SPT should stick to painting things blue instead of hijacking an existing product's identity.
should they also take off the STi emblem, STi part #'s, Japanese writing and FHI paint dobs



We'll leave the blue for the non STi parts
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Old 08-20-2009, 03:46 PM   #11
bnr34rb26dett
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BIGSKYWRX View Post
should they also take off the STi emblem, STi part #'s, Japanese writing and FHI paint dobs



We'll leave the blue for the non STi parts
bumping and old thread...
looking to buy used JDM sti pinks..
that picture above confused me.
am i looking for blue markings or white markings? for JDM pinks
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Old 04-11-2010, 09:48 PM   #12
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not sure if your still iinterested but your looking for blue markings.

on a side note does anyone have low mileage usdm pinks that they are willing to part for a good price?
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Old 04-11-2010, 09:56 PM   #13
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Yes i have a two set for sale..
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Old 04-28-2010, 09:17 PM   #14
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I've got a stock DD 2002 wrx sedan, and i plan to keep it as a DD. i recently purchased a set of the sti pink springs. when i got them, the front springs had the white markings (USDM?) and the rears had the blueish (almost lavender?) markings (JDM?). I was told the fitment of this set is for 04+ models (requiring 04+ tophats which i have, and fit with the top of the rear springs)so my questions are:

do i have usdm front springs and jdm rear springs?

i know that if this is the case, the spring rates vary, how detrimental will this be, if at all?

also, im planning on going with the kyb-gr2 struts, any comments on this supposed set-up?

thanks!
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Old 04-28-2010, 09:54 PM   #15
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if you have the usdm fronts they are 223#, jdm rears are 217#- personally I think this will be a good combo spring rate wise- having the rear rates approach or even equal to the front dials out understeer- just look at the oe WRX rates to demonstrate the opposite 168 vs 117 rear

two potential problems I see, the USDM springs provide very little lowering ~ 10 mm, the jdm springs provide ~ 20mm on a STi, on a WRX you could see an additional 10mm of lowering

the other potential problem I see is that the GR2's might be a little underdamped for the job especially in the rear

that's IF you have mismatched springs
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Old 04-28-2010, 10:28 PM   #16
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so im pretty sure (99%) that the fronts are usdm pinks because they're the only one with a white strip. my concern, now that i have the rear springs in front of me is a comparison to this link i found http://www.iwsti.com/images/faq/pinkspring_note.jpg
the top most coil on my rear springs wrap up another 180 degrees, hence probably adding some overall height, and the paint marking on mine are much more towards being purple than those in the link

in terms of the gr-2s, i dont want to risk buying something that will fail, so what would you suggest, especially being that the top of the rear springs fit the 04/05 (i dont remember which) tophats that i have. ive heard some good things about the koni inserts, but my oem satruts have 135,000+ miles on them
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Old 04-28-2010, 10:42 PM   #17
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if you get the koni inserts than your old struts are like new again. The outter shell that holds that spring can be 135k, that doesn't matter, all your internals will be Koni and brand new.

who was the vendor for your pink springs, i would like that combo with the closer front to rear spring rates...if that is the case.
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Old 04-28-2010, 10:45 PM   #18
alx8283
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i got the springs through a private sale on this forum, hence the discrepancy with the rears.
how much of a hassle is it to do the koni inserts and should they be applied in the front (with the usdm sti pinks) as well as the rears assuming i have the jdm rears?
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Old 04-28-2010, 10:53 PM   #19
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also, im planning on retaining a dd, and the kyb gr2's are $70+/- per corner versus 200+ for the koni inserts. i dont have that kind of money, but i dont want to put something on that will cause more problems. as bigskywrx stated, the kyb's in the rear may be underdampened, what would the result in?
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Old 04-29-2010, 09:08 AM   #20
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I think it's highly unlikely that you'd end up w/ a mismatched set, possible, but not probable

if you have USDM springs f/r then the GR2's would work- you will have to get the correct spacer and 04+ tops to complete the swap- the GR2's I'm pretty sure are only offered in a 02/03 config (if they are offered in 04+ then you won't need the spacer)

you'll also want a pair of 04+ rear bump stops- they differ from the 02/03 ones- you can get these at your dealer

if it was me and my struts were toast (at 135k I can guarantee you your struts are toast ) I'd opt for the Koni inserts- much better damping and adjustable. you have a set of struts that instead of going in the garbage can be freshened w/ new inserts- get the old ones sandblasted and re-paint or powder coat them so they look new

the Koni install is pretty straightforward- there is a good step by step in the stickies (w/ photos)

having said that, for a daily driver the GR2's would certainly suffice
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Old 04-29-2010, 11:26 AM   #21
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theres a member on here named subysal who just used a dremel to widen the hole on the rear tophats to get the strut to fit nice and tight instead of using the scooby spacer. Once the strut goes through the tophat, he did the same thing to a regular washer and sat that on top of the top hat, right before you put the main top hat nut on the strut and tighten the whole thing down.

i guess thats just an option he used with the dspec struts, which happens to be another option for you.
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Old 04-29-2010, 12:29 PM   #22
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Ive got to say thanks to everyone for your input and help, especially bigskywrx!
so, im going to try to figure out the spring rates on my own. sounds silly to me also, but...tell me if im wrong, please!

spring rates are measured in lbs/in

so if i figure how much weight it takes to compress the spring 1 inch, i should have the spring rate, then take the number i have obtained and compare it with those found here and other sites listing spring rates.

once i get the spring rates, i will be able to make a more educated decision on which strut i want to go with.

Once again, thanks for all the help, and any info regarding which springs i have and how to figure out spring rates on my own with no fancy equipment, would all be much appreciated!

Thanks!
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Old 04-29-2010, 12:52 PM   #23
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[IMG]C:\Documents and Settings\L11502.CITYINS\Desktop\photo.jpg[/IMG]

finally got some pics of my dilemma, i hope it works
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Old 04-29-2010, 02:17 PM   #24
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^ you have to have photos hosted (ie photobucket or the like) that's an image on your desktop and won't show up here
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Old 04-29-2010, 05:46 PM   #25
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yeah the link doesn't work...i use imageshack.com, but i know there are others out there.
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