Author Topic: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?  (Read 969 times)

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Offline Bandit

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2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« on: June 03, 2019, 06:08:04 pm »
My struts are weak, and I can ignore the banging around no longer. I'd like to stay OEM or equivalent as much as possible, but was turned away by a "Subaru specialist" shop saying OEM equivalent struts do not exist.  :sarcasm:

What's out there that I may not have seen?

FYI, this is what I have been eyeballing currently:
https://fealsuspensionstore.com/feal-fixed-perch-struts-05-07-subaru-wrx-sti/

Offline jellynuts

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2019, 07:46:56 pm »
, this is what I have been eyeballing currently:
https://fealsuspensionstore.com/feal-fixed-perch-struts-05-07-subaru-wrx-sti/

Just to clarify, you'll reuse your current springs and tophats?  I don't know much about the FPS, but I'll still stand behind it as a Feals product. 
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Offline Ambystom01

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2019, 08:35:08 pm »
Are the Feals inverted like the OEM pieces?
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Offline diamondedge

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2019, 09:57:57 pm »
Are the Feals inverted like the OEM pieces?

They don't look like it from the pic

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Offline jellynuts

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #4 on: June 04, 2019, 12:18:00 am »
They don't look like it from the pic

Yeah, skinny strut with external bumpstop.
uckfay, Johnny with the back-handed slap. You're clearly the Oracle.

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Offline Bandit

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #5 on: June 04, 2019, 08:04:24 am »
Just to clarify, you'll reuse your current springs and tophats?

That was my intent. Good / bad idea?

Offline Ambystom01

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #6 on: June 04, 2019, 08:35:18 am »
Might as well get Group N top mounts while you're at it.
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Offline diamondedge

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2019, 08:45:43 am »
Welcome to the slippery slope.
Lowering springs.
Fender rolling.
Sway bars.

I'd just get some RockAuto KYB's and replace them essentially like for like. It'll still handle well, but not as well as some Feals + RCE Blacks + Swaybars haha

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Offline Bandit

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #8 on: June 04, 2019, 09:22:35 am »
I'd like to keep it as stock as possible. The only updates to my Hawkeye are Primitive plates and removing the rear seat. Tweaking it to tha nutzzzz is not really a path I had intended.

Anyone got any stock STi struts kicking around from when you did you suspension updates?  ;D

Edit: KYB doesn't offer anything for 2006 WRX STi

Offline Mason

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #9 on: June 04, 2019, 09:40:19 am »
Are you able to buy replacement cartridges for the sti suspension?

Offline diamondedge

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #10 on: June 04, 2019, 10:00:53 am »
Are you able to buy replacement cartridges for the sti suspension?

I don't think so. If you get Koni's you still have to cut and modify the housing to fit the insert/cartridge.

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Offline Canuckrz

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #11 on: June 04, 2019, 10:09:04 am »
I don't think so. If you get Koni's you still have to cut and modify the housing to fit the insert/cartridge.
I thought that was just with the WRX struts?

Also feal was doing rebuild/revalves of the STI struts at one point.

https://snctuning.com/feal-suspension/feal-suspension-wrx-sti-rebuilt-revalved-struts-/g-75337.aspx

Offline Ambystom01

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #12 on: June 04, 2019, 10:48:47 am »
KYBs and Konis aren't for the STI.
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Offline diamondedge

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #13 on: June 04, 2019, 11:17:24 am »
Well then.

I've been learned. Makes sense though. The Koni isn't an inverted monotube.

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Offline jellynuts

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #14 on: June 10, 2019, 09:32:05 pm »
It just occurred to me, there's a stock set from an 06 for sale if you want to just go that route:

http://www.westernsubaruclub.com/smf/index.php?topic=57175.0
uckfay, Johnny with the back-handed slap. You're clearly the Oracle.

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Offline Bandit

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #15 on: June 12, 2019, 01:35:25 pm »
It just occurred to me, there's a stock set from an 06 for sale if you want to just go that route:

http://www.westernsubaruclub.com/smf/index.php?topic=57175.0

Thanks J-Nuts, that is a very good option.

Otherwise I'll be ordering some NIB OEM 06 struts for a couple bucks from subaruparts.com

Offline JJx

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Re: 2006 Sti strut oem-esque replacement?
« Reply #16 on: June 12, 2019, 11:50:16 pm »
I believe you can get the konis to work by using rear wrx housings and fitting the inserts into the front sti housings.
https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1276865
Never tried it myself but was looking into it