Scoobyfreak86 2017 Lapis Blue Pearl STI Journal

[dichoi]

Originally Posted by ScoobyFreak86

Thanks Devin. It is really nice in person. Way nicer than the photos depict. I am used to dailying an alcantara wheel, so it's easy to keep clean. Also, I am a clean person so as long as you don't eat in your car and smear potato chip grease, you'll be fine. I normally wipe it down with a damp microfiber every wash and once in a while take a soft bristle toothbrush and fluff up the fibers. Sonax also has a microfiber cleaner as well that seems to work well, but I've never had to go that far to keep my steering wheel clean.

The S207 is nice and can appreciate the OEM quality. Just seemed too redundant for me since it's the same wheel, just different material. I wanted something thicker and a bit more to it. The subispeed wheel did it for me. Really nice stuff.

Me neither! I've been staring at this 4x4 STI for a while now and can't wait to get some time to put them on. Shooting for this weekend, but can't make any promises. Either way, looking forward to it.

I haven't done much research yet, but you are right. I would prefer a wheel that is slightly smaller in diameter and also thicker. I loved my m3 steering wheel as well. (M performance wheel). I know Prova used to make some nice wheels, and also gtspec. Maybe I'll have to buy a non alcantara wheel and have it wrapped by a third party. We'll see. But I'm excited for your coilover install. When I had my fortune autos installed, it took a shop maybe 2hrs to do it start to finish, and that was without a lift. So hopefully it goes smoothly for you. Looking forward to it!

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[ScoobyFreak86]

Originally Posted by dichoi

I haven't done much research yet, but you are right. I would prefer a wheel that is slightly smaller in diameter and also thicker. I loved my m3 steering wheel as well. (M performance wheel). I know Prova used to make some nice wheels, and also gtspec. Maybe I'll have to buy a non alcantara wheel and have it wrapped by a third party. We'll see. But I'm excited for your coilover install. When I had my fortune autos installed, it took a shop maybe 2hrs to do it start to finish, and that was without a lift. So hopefully it goes smoothly for you. Looking forward to it!

Also an option I considered, but wasn't a fan of the off brands that were off there. DAMD sells one, but it wasn't crazy about the overall look of that wheel

I've done numerous suspension installs and would expect to take roughly around the same time. Granted I will be working by myself, suspension installs on these cars are very simple. Few bolts and they are off. Now perfecting the ride height is what takes longer for me. I usually stress about this too much, but in the end it all works out and I get what I am after.

[jacket03WRX]

I haven't seen you posted any update on the Subispeed DRL harness, I am thinking about picking one up, most people seem to like it ok especially with the versatility.

[ScoobyFreak86]

Originally Posted by jacket03WRX

I haven't seen you posted any update on the Subispeed DRL harness, I am thinking about picking one up, most people seem to like it ok especially with the versatility.

I wasn't a fan of it. I took it out of the car and actually have I for sale if interested. I just prefer the inner DRL look. Maybe someday when I do the c light upgrade, I'll revisit the idea. For now, I decided to keep it simple.

[Northern]

Have you had a chance to get the coilovers on yet?
I spent a few hours last night doing some reading, and a lot of people were complaining about them riding a bit rough. I've been killing myself trying to find a good sub 2k coilover setup for my sti.

[ScoobyFreak86]

Originally Posted by Northern

Have you had a chance to get the coilovers on yet?
I spent a few hours last night doing some reading, and a lot of people were complaining about them riding a bit rough. I've been killing myself trying to find a good sub 2k coilover setup for my sti.

Not yet. I tried to get to then this weekend, but had a ton of other things to do. Planning on getting to then this coming weekend.

The STI is a rough ride from the factory. People expect it to ride like a Cadillac when they lower it whether it's on sub 1k coils or set of 5k coils, it's simply not going to ride that soft.

It's all in the spring rates. Fortunate autos come with 8k stock. I went with 7k to give it a more comfortable ride. I honestly believe sub 2k, my setup is the best option. If you can bend the budget and spend a few hundred over 2k, ast 5100 is your choice.

[ScoobyFreak86]

Bored this afternoon and did a quick walk around of the car. Dirty as heck, but oh well! Forgot a few mods though haha.

Coils going on this weekend. Going to start on Friday night after I get the kids to bed and hopefully break it up over the weekend so it will be ready to go for work on Monday. Might try to document it via video, so I might have something else to post other than my review and pictures. Stay tuned!

2017 Subaru STI Walk around - YouTube

2017 Subaru STI Walk around - YouTube

[ScoobyFreak86]

Fortune auto coils are on. Full review to come.

[96accord]

Originally Posted by ScoobyFreak86

Bored this afternoon and did a quick walk around of the car. Dirty as heck, but oh well! Forgot a few mods though haha.

I can't believe I wasn't subscribed to you. Just did!

[ScoobyFreak86]

Originally Posted by 96accord

I can't believe I wasn't subscribed to you. Just did!

haha thanks dude. I hope to get more videos up of this car. I need to do an exhaust video and I recorded some quick clips putting the coils on. Not sure how much video I actually got since I got in the zone when installing haha.

[jacket03WRX]

looks good cant wait to see the review

[ScoobyFreak86]

Mid break in picture. I wish NT03's fit on this car without having to go above and beyond to get them to fit. I think a nice set of silver nt03's would look awesome.

[admiral snackbar]

Originally Posted by ScoobyFreak86

Mid break in picture. I wish NT03's fit on this car without having to go above and beyond to get them to fit. I think a nice set of silver nt03's would look awesome.

I feel the same way, spacers/extended studs just kills the affordability of the wheel. I would love them myself. Car looks amazing!

[ScoobyFreak86]

Originally Posted by admiral snackbar

I feel the same way, spacers/extended studs just kills the affordability of the wheel. I would love them myself. Car looks amazing!

Thank you! It's turning out pretty great. I am happy with the progress so far. Just need to do a few little things to make it perfect and all should be good.

Yeah, I agree. I don't want to run spacers, extended studs, or have to dial in some extreme negative camber to have them fit. I know they have those new RR's that are the NT03 style, but I don't like the flat face. Funny, the NT03's and RPF1's are two of my favorite wheels. And both won't fit without some serious work. I do know sometime in the future I would like to get a silver or gunmetal wheel to add some contrast. I love the black 57dr's, but I can see a lighter color looking better.

[HumanJoseph]

The car looks beautiful!

[dichoi]

Originally Posted by ScoobyFreak86

Mid break in picture. I wish NT03's fit on this car without having to go above and beyond to get them to fit. I think a nice set of silver nt03's would look awesome.

Funny you say that...I was thinking the same thing. I think 18x9.5 +27 should fit no? I know the +40 requires a small spacer. I've been thinking about getting a second set of wheels to swap between, but I really need to get started on power mods...

[ScoobyFreak86]

Originally Posted by HumanJoseph

The car looks beautiful!

Thank you! I got a chance to clean the car up this weekend and I must say, it looks so good. Really happy with the outcome.

Originally Posted by dichoi

Funny you say that...I was thinking the same thing. I think 18x9.5 +27 should fit no? I know the +40 requires a small spacer. I've been thinking about getting a second set of wheels to swap between, but I really need to get started on power mods...

Yes, the +27 will fit in regards to clearing the brakes. However, you're going to have to dial in some serious negative camber to get them to fit. I thought of this as well, but not willing to do the amount of work to get them to fit. Just not worth it. Plenty of other wheels out there that are priced like the nt03's if you are looking for something else.

[Northern]

Originally Posted by ScoobyFreak86

Mid break in picture. I wish NT03's fit on this car without having to go above and beyond to get them to fit. I think a nice set of silver nt03's would look awesome.

I've been trying to find someone with a set of them in SBC to do a trade with me for my volks, but it's impossible.

[ScoobyFreak86]

Originally Posted by Northern

I've been trying to find someone with a set of them in SBC to do a trade with me for my volks, but it's impossible.

I had a set of SBC nt03's on my wrx. I loved the look of them.

[Northern]

Originally Posted by ScoobyFreak86

I had a set of SBC nt03's on my wrx. I loved the look of them.

They would looks so good on my hyper blue sti!

[ScoobyFreak86]

August 5, 2017

What's being installed: Fortune Auto 500 Gen6 Coilovers with 7k Swift Springs and Radial Bearings.

Mileage: 4,750

As most of you know, I have been researching the suspension aspect of these cars for a bit. I wanted to keep the same mindset in this car as I have with all the other parts I've chosen. I wanted to keep it simple, reliable, and do what I really want from the start. I've learned that going the cheaper route usually ends up with me spending more money in the end and I really wanted to stray away from that decision making. This is going to be a car I intend to keep for a while, so putting quality parts on it is important to me. I just want to put the part on I want and ultimately never have to think about it again (in terms of changing, fixing, or adjusting). With suspension, we all know this is a pretty touchy subject since there are quite a few options out there for these cars. In fact, it can become overwhelming since there are so many similar choices. Ultimately, I wanted something that would give me the comfort-ability of a daily driver yet handle as good as or better than stock. I would be lying if I said it didn't handle well out of the box, so if I was able to match that handling aspect (or better it), I would be a happy camper. I didn't want to downgrade the overall quality of the car just to close the wheel gap. I wanted something that can do it all.

Coilovers than can daily? Yes, that is what I was after. I have kids and a wife that ride in the car with me and passing the wife and kid test was extremely important. It would upset me to make the car so uncomfortable that no one would want to go in this car with me. Ultimately, I got this car because I decided it was the best family car for what I was looking for. If I wanted something that I would only be me driving, I would have gotten a 2 door e92 m. Either way, I needed something that could handle it all.

During my WRX days, I was always interested in Fortune Auto. They seemed to be a company that caught my attention. However, I felt that between those and the feal 441's, they were very similar. I had an extremely sour taste in my mouth with the Feal's, so I sort of dismissed the Fortune Auto's at first since I did not want anything remotely close to my previous experience. After tons of reading and researching, many of the VA sti's seem to praise the ohlin and ast 5100 coilovers. They seemed to be something right up my alley as many reviews raved about the daily drive-ability. So having my mind set on the AST's, I wanted to find a company that truly knew suspension. A company that would literally tell me "Hey, this is what you want." Cyngus performance kept popping up so I decided to shoot Geoff an email and pick his brain.

Without hesitation, Geoff battled my 1000 questions on every different suspension option I threw at him. And they weren't one word answers. They were detailed paragraphs of his overall experience, thoughts, and suggestions. It was easily the best experience I've had with any car company. Geoff went above and beyond to assist me and explain everything to make sure I ultimately was making the right choice. And I have no doubt he does the same thing for every inquiry he gets on the daily. Truly someone who loves the business and helping people. A company I can proudly stand behind and support from here on out.

After countless emails (and I seriously mean countless), I decided on the Fortune Auto 500 Gen6 coilovers with 7k swift springs and the radial bearing upgrades. Going with the 7k springs allowed me to keep the car compliant with everyday driving, yet keep that firm, planted feeling. They normally come with 8k's, so going a step down would definitely help with the comfort I was after. He also suggested the radial bearing upgrade as well. What this does is it brings the spring off the camber plate and sits on the bearing mount. This helps alleviate any unwanted clunks and noises you would normally get on a cheaper coilover. This is one major issue I had with my Feal's. The binding of the springs and clunks (especially in the cold) drove me mad. Ended up putting my order in with Geoff and had to wait 3-4 weeks for them to be built. Which I actually appreciated since it wasn't just something off the shelf. After a 3 week wait, they arrived and it was time to get cracking. Unfortunately, I had to wait about a week or two before I could install. Any free time I had was filled with home renovation projects or prior planned engagements.

Had a weekend coming up and told my wife, "When we get the kids to bed, I am going in the garage for a few hours." 9pm came around and I gathered up my tools and everything I needed and got to work. Luckily, I have installed suspension on these cars before, so it was a familiar process to me. Got the car up on jack stands and got the OEM suspension off the car in about 1.5 hours. Keep in mind, I am working alone and taking my time. Putting the coilovers in were much easier since the overall size of the piece is much smaller than stock, so it's easier to maneuver into place. Popped everything in, tightened all bolts down to recommend torqued spec and brought her back down to earth. Whoops***8230; too low haha. I had about a half finger to no gap at all all around and basically left the car undrive-able for the time being. Since it was around 1am, I decided to call it quits for the night since I was beat up from rolling all over the garage floor all night (god I can't wait to get swisstrax).

The next night, I dedicated it to "dialing in" the ride height, damping, and front camber. I wanted to make sure I was really focusing on what I really wanted the car to look and feel like right off the bat. In the past I have set it a bit higher than I initially want just to get used to driving the car lower, but end up lowering it after my alignment. So this time, I want to get it perfect the first time. I wanted to be right around a tight 1 finger gap all around (little higher on driver side to take my body weight into effect. Dial in the front camber to around -2.2 to -2.4 (just eyeballing it for now) and setting the damping to 6-12 for everyday type driving. I first left the damping at full soft to get an idea of how soft it can really be.

Got myself cleaned up and jumped in the car for its first voyage to see just how much this car was going to rub. Pulled out of my driveway without any issue and off I went. Wow! No rubbing at all! I was incredibly shocked since I was pretty darn low and expected to in the rear. Went over some large bumps to try and get the car to rub and test everything out. At a faster speed, I did rub the rears a tad, but nothing to be alarmed about. Which really excited me since I am running a 265/35 tire on an 18x9.5 et38 wheel. It's as wide as I will ever go on this car, so it was a pleasant surprise. I hate rolling fenders since it never comes out the way you want it. It always ends up pulling and just deforming the fender. After spending a few more miles riding everywhere, I found that I rubbed a bit in 2 different spots on the rears. I ended up heating the fender up a bit and bent back the lip a bit. I also shaved off a tad of the rear bumper tab and I no longer rub anywhere. Even on the big dips! I think I am good for now on the rubbing. Either way, it was very minimal compared to what I was expecting.

Impressions: My first thought was how much the steering feel changed. The steering wheel felt, for lack of better words, more fluid. It felt so much easier to steer the car. Even going 10 mph, the car felt glued to the ground. Minor inputs of the wheel had a big effect on how the car moved. This I liked. I began remembering how the stock inputs felt. They felt as if the wheels were on the ground, but the car was simply floating on top and had to really struggle and work the steering wheel to get the car to move. It felt heavier, in a bad way. A lot more work to get the car pointed in the direction you wanted to go in. Now, it felt super smooth and fluid as I carved the back roads. This feeling alone made it worth it. It felt like butter. Now, I have had many sets of suspension in the past and know what it feels like to be in a back breaker. I was a little concerned that this would be the end result, but to my complete surprise, that wasn't the case. The car felt nimble and comfortable, in fact way more comfortable than stock. Out of the box, the suspension is pretty jarring. It actually sounds and feels like the cars already on coilovers, which is my exact thoughts when I went to test drive a 15 sti when I had my 2013 wrx. I hopped back into my WRX after the test drive and said, "it feels the same as my lowered WRX on coilovers." Now, It reminded me a lot of how a stock WRX drives. Which is awesome since I am lower and the car feels as comfortable as a wrx.

I simply love how the car feels and looks now. It really made it feel like an entirely different car. And all of this praise before I even got an alignment. Coming in hard on back road switch backs, you can feel the car stuck to the ground. It never wants to leave the line you are in. You aren't fighting the wheel anymore. The car stays exactly where you put it on your first input before the turn. No body float or feeling like the car is going to slip out of your hands. The more fluid steering feeling gives you so much more confidence since it allows you to focus on the drive as opposed to how tired your forearms are getting fighting the car to stay hooked. It's such a confidence inspiring feeling that would do wonders on a proper track.

I spent 4 more days perfecting the ride height and settings of the car to get it exactly where I want it. Minor adjustments, ¼" higher on this side, 1/8" on this side, etc. I made sure I got it right where it needs to be so I can bring my vision to a reality. Now all that is needed is a proper alignment and some new tires to finish it off. My final ride height is 25 3/8" front and 25 ¼" rear, with the driver side about a 1/16-1/8" higher. Damping, I found 16 is the sweet spot for a happy medium. Comfortable for everyday yet flat enough to handle the twisties. I still haven't bumped it up to the full 24 yet, but might try it someday soon to see how stiff they can get. I did try it at 20 and found the car to feel really planted, but it was a little bouncy over the smaller cracks in the road. For a spirited drive, it would definitely work well.

I would be lying if I said a nice rear sway bar wouldn't be the icing on the cake. I think that would really finish the car off suspension wise. It would definitely remove any extra slop the car has. Either way, a good future project for the car.

I am so happy with my overall experience. From Geoff at Cyngus to receiving, installing, and driving on the Fortune Auto's, I couldn't have asked for a better experience and choice. Very happy with the final outcome of the car and I look for any excuse to drive. This is truly turning out to be one of my favorite cars I've owned. I will be sure to do a follow up review of the car after I put more miles on it and get a proper alignment, which is scheduled for this friday. I can only imagine how this thing is going to feel after that.

What's next: I don't have too much planned as of now. The alignment and new tires are for sure next and happening in the near future. I have a few interior bits I would like to touch, but going to dive into them a little later on. I felt like I've got the car to where I wanted it in a rather short time, so going to really take everything in that I've done and enjoy it. The major stuff is complete, so I feel a little more at ease haha. Tint is something I'd like to do at some point, but I am in no rush. I enjoy the dark wheel and fish bulb look currently. I have been drooling over the Invidia Gemini R400 catback though. Maybe someday! But for now, really going to take in the current mods and enjoy the simplistic outcome.

[wannarally89]

those fortunes look gorgeous. both mechanically and aesthetically. do they color code springs by spring rate?

as for stance, your car is sitting perfectly!

[ScoobyFreak86]

Originally Posted by wannarally89

those fortunes look gorgeous. both mechanically and aesthetically. do they color code springs by spring rate?

as for stance, your car is sitting perfectly!

They really are nice looking. I felt bad putting them on the car haha. Nah, I got a special edition set, which is basically just different coloring that cyngus performance offers. I actually preferred this over the normal FA green's. I don't like anything too flashy, so this really fit my style. Not to mention matching the black and blue theme for the car overall. Just a plus in my book.

Thank you! I spent a solid 4 days perfecting the ride height. I always stress about this too much, but in the end it always turns out just right. I like to keep it practical, but still low enough to give it a good stance. I was tempted to go a tad lower to be honest, but I didn't want to deal with the hardships of dailying a super low car.

[ScoobyFreak86]

I have been contemplating a different set of wheels. The current 57DR's need new tires and got me thinking about picking up another set in something gunmetal or a darker silver. Not sure what though. I prefer something with concave in the 18x9.5 varriant. Any suggestions? I know i want a set of the gunmetal color volk ze40's, but not sure if I can swing those at the moment.

[Obviously Tyler]

Subispeed has some special colors on the 57CR at the moment. Gunmetallic was the last one I looked at. I love the 57CR but I don't love +38.

http://www.subispeed.com/2015-subaru...4#.WZcZJ1V9670