Sti as Starter struts for impreza?

I am trying to get my car up and going for an event this year, I don't even care what event at this point I haven't driven it in a year. I spent some time on the phone with JVL a few weeks ago and want to do his struts but it sounds like he has a waiting list. To be fair I don't quite have the budget yet, but will within the coming months.

What I do have is a set of 04 STI struts that I can gusset up and use for the time being. But I wanted opinions. Will they work to get me going/ as spares? Has anyone in a similar situation used them before? Keep in mind any event I can hit this year is going to be smooth-ish, not pretending that they will hold up at Gorman etc.

Also wanted to post a picture of them on a GC body since I have yet to find one on the interweb.

Here is a pic of said front strut at full droop. Thoughts/concerns?

Um, let me preface this by saying that I haven't actually used them, but I have second-hand experience with them and a lot of experience rallying on cheap shocks.

For what they are, they're a pretty decent shock. They're an inverted design so you get the heat dissipation and some strength from that. Both the people I know of with '04 STIs had them develop a clunk and slight stiction and that was enough to convince them to switch to TEINs. Neither of them rallied them, just rallycrossed them, but weren't kind to them and in both cases the shocks seemed to hold up just fine with the exception of that clunk/stiction issue. I've recently come to find that may just be the result of the OEM grease and that you can just pull off the bottom cap and regrease them with good stuff and they'll work fine. Again, I have no experience with that myself.

My concern with them would be their valving. My recollection is that they're fairly stiff, and come set up with a street rate rather than a somewhat softer rally rate. The '04 shells are somewhat heavier than the GCs too, so the rate may be a little extreme on the older car.

For robustness, well, they're no match for a proper rally shock, but if you drive precisely and don't go out of your way to hit every rock, tree, and hole, and if you don't insist on flinging the car flat out over every jump, you can get pretty far on fairly basic stuff.

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Self-righteous douche canoe

pretty sure the sti struts can be re valved but then you are spending money that you were trying to save for something better. I owned a set but never used them. IMO if a proper suspension is keeping you from getting out there, run these, bring some stock spares and don't expect the world from them. Just remember you are there to finish not win.

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-KTurner
Stomp down on the exhilarator and hold on to the wheel.

We've done that on two different GC non-turbo Imprezzas at three events. We bent or broke every strut at every event. Not worth it. For playing around in the dirt, or rallycross they seem to hold up. But at rally speed, forget them.

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Jason McDaniel

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hoche
I've recently come to find that may just be the result of the OEM grease and that you can just pull off the bottom cap and regrease them with good stuff and they'll work fine. Again, I have no experience with that myself.

I used to use 04 STI struts on my former street 04 WRX, and it's definitely true about the grease thing. At TSD rallies they clunked and stuck like a mother. This is mostly a problem with the rears. I pulled them apart, removed the nasty yellow OEM grease, used the best grease I could find for strut type applications and they were great right up until I sold the car.

Chris Martin may be able to chime in here, he told me when I bought some plain 02 struts off him that the 04 STI struts can be gusseted and used, but mostly as spares though. FWIW, I never ran the 04 STI struts at even a rally-x because they're even lower than 04 WRX struts and yes, they're a bit stiffer.

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modernbeat
We've done that on two different GC non-turbo Imprezzas at three events. We bent or broke every strut at every event. Not worth it. For playing around in the dirt, or rallycross they seem to hold up. But at rally speed, forget them.

I see stories like these and have to ask how? My first year in an open light car I used KYB AGX struts and used the same set all year. They finally gave up the ghost at rally Colorado (alomg with the headgaskets crushed exhaust etc) but we were able to make it through the whole event winning OL and 3rd OA in the regional.

Odi at Feal can revalve the struts, but like someone mentioned $400 for a band aid could be 400 toward real suspenders. But, of $400 gets me going and John has to wait 8more months to get inserts (figure not quote completely pulled out the ol' rectum), then it might worth it

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AlexeiS

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hoche
I've recently come to find that may just be the result of the OEM grease and that you can just pull off the bottom cap and regrease them with good stuff and they'll work fine. Again, I have no experience with that myself.

Chris Martin may be able to chime in here, he told me when I bought some plain 02 struts off him that the 04 STI struts can be gusseted and used, but mostly as spares though. FWIW, I never ran the 04 STI struts at even a rally-x because they're even lower than 04 WRX struts and yes, they're a bit stiffer.

I had the struts apart already and could see that grease was terrible. Someone suggested Mobil 1 what did you use.

Are wrx struts taller than those for the GC? I have the stock rear out and they seem to be the same height, though the front are about 1/2" shorter

I forget, it was some sort of red lithium grease I think. I sold the car 3 years ago, sorry.

It's mostly the 04 STI springs vs 04 WRX springs that changed the height I found, but the 04 STI struts would also be designed for that height as well. I'm sure they're usable but YMMV. The WRX struts are weak anyways, I bent one of those at a rally-x.

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FunctionAuto

We've done that on But, if $400 gets me going and John has to wait 8more months to get inserts (figure not quote completely pulled out the ol' rectum), then it might worth it

They said a week ago that shafts have arrived and things are happenin'.
If fact I gotta call with credit card info since we're back to normal hours.

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2012 10:55AM by john vanlandingham.

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FunctionAuto

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modernbeat
We've done that on two different GC non-turbo Imprezzas at three events. We bent or broke every strut at every event. Not worth it. For playing around in the dirt, or rallycross they seem to hold up. But at rally speed, forget them.

I see stories like these and have to ask how? My first year in an open light car I used KYB AGX struts and used the same set all year. They finally gave up the ghost at rally Colorado (alomg with the headgaskets crushed exhaust etc) but we were able to make it through the whole event winning OL and 3rd OA in the regional...

Were you competitive?

We were in our OL car. And we used them with both OEM STi springs and higher rate 2.5" springs. We found you had to slow down too much for small bumps to keep from bending the housings or overheating the internals.

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Jason McDaniel

I'd say Tyler would be in top 3-5 in Open Light at a competitive event from what I have seen.
That said, Colorado Hill Climbs and Rally Colorado are not rough events.

If you are planning to go with real suspension sooner than later and looking towards and nicer event you may consider selling those and using that money to buy some AGX or GR2 struts that at least have a warranty so you can get them replaced for free after you are done with them and they are bent to shit then keep them as spares, put them on the Forester or sell them.

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Grant Hughes

Damn it! I just took the agx off and dave was looking at buying them for his wagon.

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modernbeat
We've done that on two different GC non-turbo Imprezzas at three events. We bent or broke every strut at every event. Not worth it. For playing around in the dirt, or rallycross they seem to hold up. But at rally speed, forget them.


Were you competitive?

We were in our OL car. And we used them with both OEM STi springs and higher rate 2.5" springs. We found you had to slow down too much for small bumps to keep from bending the housings or overheating the internals.

Speaking of which, weren't you 'spossed to send me some piccies of the mayhem in Mexico?

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2012 02:17PM by john vanlandingham.

Yeah, next time I'm at the shop (3 hours away) I'll take pics.

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Jason McDaniel

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modernbeat
Yeah, next time I'm at the shop (3 hours away) I'll take pics.

OK. I've been nibbling the fingernails thinking about this since then...

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.