Why do so many people speak so highly about the Prodrive Bilstein Eibach suspensionkit?
May 28, 2013 Free: Misc. Wrx parts and Rs parts. Discussion in 'For Sale: Group Buy/Bulk Lot/Part Outs' started by stiv5, Apr 24. Oem Front sway bar. Oem Hood scoop back plate Proud owner of the Aspen White Subaru Prodrive P1 #0023/1000. Stiv5, Apr 24. The probability that both front sway bar links on a 3 year old car are worn out is practically zero, unless you’ve been driving on washboard dirt roads for the entire (so far brief) life of the car. More likely the dealership is doing what they all do, looking for signs of minor or even non-existent issues in order to sell parts and labor.
Prodrive is a contract race car developerin the heart of England's Formula One country. All Subaru World Rally Championship Group Acars (hand built from a bare shell and almost as trick as a Formula one car) and manyregional Group N Championship cars (Stock based rally car conversions) have beendeveloped by Prodrive for over eight years. The Prodrive kit has been very carefullydeveloped to get the most out of the suspension by optimizing the front and rear rollcenter relationship, the proportion of front to rear spring rates and most important, theshock damping, again, with special attention to front to rear proportions. The Bilsteinshocks have been evaluated at different velocities, travel positions, separately forjounce and rebound and tuned to give the car an amazing combination of ride and handlingqualities.
In 1999 STI began producing a regular productionversion of the Prodrive suspension for the WRX STI ver 5, using a Bilstein licensedinverted strut. The are minor differences in shock valuing, due to the Japanese driver'staste for stiffer damping than is really necessary for good performance. The two sets,Prodrive or STI, are about the same in performance, with the ride quality still going tothe German made Prodrive kit. Note that wee only have one or two 'take-off setsavailable of the Japanese made STI suspension each month. What are these take-offsuspension sets replaced with? Prodrive Bilstein/Eibach rally suspension!
These are not the fastest suspension setupswe sell. However, for faster lap times you have to sacrifice ride quality due to stifferspring rates and shock rates used in track biased suspension kits. The Prodrivesetup is not about the fastest lap - It is road suspension intended for everyday use withthe grip, and most important, the balance for keeping the car on your side of the road inmost any sensible driving situation.
With that said, Prodrive has taken theSTI V6 shock and made a special spring set for the Impreza P1 currently on salein England. We have been given 50 sets of this suspension in excess of the 400made for the P1 production run. It is a very firm, no holds barred sportsuspension for a 280 hp WRX. The price makes it a special bargain for those whowhat a powerful, yet balanced setup.
The roll centers on the Impreza are a function ofride height and thus the car is lowered by only a certain amount in the front and aonly certain amount in the rear (about 3/4') best suited to optimum handling. Thelong and the short if it is, if the car were lowered more, the chassis would not work aswell. The ride height/roll center equation is combined with properly proportioned springrates front/rear. The car has much less dive under braking, and is much quicker to respondto steering inputs with a fine turn-in balance that neither the RS or the WRX have instock setup.
The heart of the Prodrive suspension system isthe several years experience the staff at Prodrive have put into the valve settings of thespecial make Bilstein shocks. Bilstein damping rates are both velocity and positiondependant. These settings have been tuned by the same engineers that won the World RallyChampionship three years in a row. The suspension is remarkable in that the car has aperfect balance on turn in and the ability to come off of corners under power with minimalundersteer. This is accomplished be careful balancing of the rebound and compression ratesof the shocks at the appropriate velocity and ride position. Quite a trick to get right,as any dirt track racer knows, and Prodrive has it just right!
These are the reasons, aside from unquestionedbuild quality, that this suspension is so important. Many owners ask what the differenceis between our suspension kit for the car. The answer is the shocks valving is justnot as refined and the less expensive suspension's ride height needs to be higher to workwith standard length struts! What you will find is that you can lower the car with othercompany's springs and make it stiffer and lower, but discover that the car only has a muchrougher ride than it did before and has poor or even unpredictable handling.
A well sorted suspension is a very special issueand at present only Prodrive has anything that works really well for a road suspensionsetup. All the Japanese coil-over setups seem to be way off the mark, too high a springrates and always over dampened shock rates that are great on a smooth track and justimpossible in all other conditions.. That is why we have stayed with the European units.
This 2000 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS coupe is a lifetime Florida car finished in Blue Ridge Pearl that was purchased in December 2001 by the seller, who has since added 137k of its 153k indicated miles. Power comes from a 2.5L flat-four paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. Modifications include 17″ wheels, Koni dampers, Prodrive P1 springs, Whiteline sway bars, a UEL exhaust header, Stromung exhaust, a cold air intake, Kartboy short shift kit, and more. The seller has primarily maintained the vehicle himself and replaced the head gaskets, cooling parts, and other items at 135k miles in additional to other recent service work. This 2.5RS is offered at no reserve with a clear Carfax and a clean Florida title in the seller’s name.
The car retains its factory Blue Ridge Pearl finish according to the seller. The original clear coat has failed in several areas as shown in the photos below. Additional blemishes include dings, scratches, and paint missing from the sideview mirror bases. The seller had the windows tinted in 2014.
This Impreza sits lower than stock on a set of Koni dampers with Prodrive P1 springs. Group N top mounts and a pair of Whiteline sway bars are also installed. The braking system has been kept stock and the aftermarket 17″ wheels are fitted with 215/45 series Champiro UHP1 tires.
The grey cloth interior features an Alpine stereo head unit and Kartboy short shift kit. The dashboard cubby lid is cracked as detailed in the gallery below. The odometer shows just over 153k miles, 137k of which have been added since the seller’s purchase in December 2001.
The naturally-aspirated 2.5L flat-four produced 165 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 166 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm when new. A cold air intake, Stromung exhaust system, and UEL header have been added by the seller, who has also carried out the majority of maintenance. The battery was replaced a month ago and other recent service work included is detailed below:
- 135k miles: New head gaskets, radiator and hoses, water pump, timing belt and tensioner, left front axle, clutch, oil pan gasket, spark plug gaskets, various other gaskets, transmission/differential fluid, valve adjustment
- 146k miles: New front/rear brake pads and rotors, replaced right front inner and outer tie rods
- 150k miles: Repaired power steering fluid leak and loose shifter linkage
- 153k miles: Replaced left front inner/outer tie rods and right front axle
A cold-start video is shown above.
Additional undercarriage pictures are displayed in the gallery below.
The accident-free Carfax shows just one owner, though the seller purchased it in December 2001. The car appears to have stayed in Florida from new, and nine service history records are also displayed.