Tahoe
Reader
11/21/17 3:19 p.m.
Okay, so I purchased an '02 WRX Sedan as a DD with the hopes of having a well handling street machine, but not going crazy spending money. I've upgraded the sway bars, added a short shifter, and purchased new Koni inserts for an excellent price off of CL that were new and came with a complete set of strut assemblies off of an '04 wagon. So what I have just installed is the '04 strut bodies with the Koni inserts, USDM STI pink springs, and Group N strut tops. Tomorrow I get the alignment. FYI, the wagon strut bodies give you more front camber, and I added rear camber adjusting bolts to dial back some camber in the rear. I really don't think I need to go crazy on camber, but since this is my very first WRX and I know their must be WRX gurus here, please make sure I'm on the right train of thought. First of all zero or as close to zero on front and rear toe. Front camber I'm thinking -1.5, and rear camber I'm thinking -1.2. Preliminary measurements (very crude using straight edge and trig) show I have the ability to have crazy camber on both ends, like -2.5 easily, but I don't think that's the way to go. So what do early WRX drivers think?
I've owned a few WRXs and STIs now. In my opinion, I'd really not go too wild on a daily driver suspension alignment. Most people I've seen with WRX's start by completely mismatching the sway bars to the springs and dampers and make it understeer even worse than from the factory. You haven't mentioned anything about tires, but in my opinion on a daily driver excessive camber is just a waste of money due to excessive shoulder wear. If you were doing HPDE's then I would consider increasing camber from factory specs but only after measuring tire heat/wear after sessions.
Tahoe
Reader
11/22/17 9:09 a.m.
I don't want excessive camber at all. That being said, I'm just trying to optimize for street. The Koni's and pink springs are a very good match and the sway bars are not too big. Tires are high performance all season. I live in the PNW so it makes sense to have all season tires. I leave in 30 minutes for the alignment, and I'm going with my first thoughts, if I don't like the results I can always change the set up, but my gut tells me I'm just fine with those numbers.
trucke
SuperDork
11/22/17 9:12 a.m.
Our local WRX guys adjust the camber at autocrosses. Then set it back for the drive home. Of course, they have the adjustable camber plates at the top.
Tahoe
Reader
11/22/17 1:58 p.m.
So had the alignment, and then took a 75 mile drive. Went with -1.5 in front, -1.2 back. The alignment with the Koni's and USDM STI pink springs transformed the car incredibly. Couldn't be happier compared to where I started. Next I'll play with Koni adjustment and rear sway bar adjustment to get right where I like it.