The major changes to the chassis are more castor in the front end and a higher roll center in the rear. These developments were proven with the 1999 Prodrive-WRC cars and are combined with a much stiffer chassis our "New Age Impreza" or GD series. The car has yet a better handling balance potential than the old chassis. This is quite a statement considering the balance of the early car.

New for 2003 are the Bilstein PSS9 400/350 full coil over kits.  These are on Derrick Punch's fast solo 2 car and my 1993 Impreza. For those of you into Autocross, ask about the San Diego seen. This is GREAT suspension.  Twin spring. single adjustable. It has VERY strict ride height recommendations that must be followed for maximum traction off corners. The results are 1.3 g on 225/45-17 track tires with proper alignment and tire pressures.  Stiff ride quality, some times pretty wild over large drop offs on the freeway, but it goes and goes at the track. A streetable competition setup.

At this time we are recommending the factory STI sport suspension. We offer the standard STI or the WRX-RA Type C STI. Great pricing on the Type C with top mounts. Limited availability. See below. The STI is sport suspension. Expect a tight ride. Type C is actually a stiff sport suspension and is not for casual drivers. It is for going quickly. With the excellent factory shocks, the Eibach or Prodrive spring kits are a good alternative if you have any reservations about ride quality. The STI are not harsh or aggravating, just noticeably stiffer than the stock shocks. It is sublime. Great ride, good turn in and great transition. Certainly better at it than most Japanese coil-over kits.

We have also tested the 50mm DMS with outstanding results at rally type #300/275 spring rates for those wanting a rock and roll setup that still retains an acceptable ride quality on the street.  These are expensive, very real, 2-way adjustable racing shocks that are rally championship wining setups. Available in a variety of spring rates and in long, rally or standard lowered street lengths. Recommended for competition use only especially at higher spring rates

The Eibach Pro-Kit and Prodrive spring kits are designed to run on the stock struts and will lower the car about 30mm.  The Prodrive is a more neutral handling car, while the Eibach have a softer ride quality. Your choice, either way is good with the stock shocks.

The second area of suspension that gives the car uncanny precision and poise is the installation of a complete Group N bushing kit. This complete eliminates any slack in the suspension for a precise turn-in, improved braking distance and instant response to control inputs. 

Note that the rear top mounts on the GD series present a problem with mounting small coil-over springs that is best met with use of the earlier GC mount and a simple adaptor. Stiffer mounts are essential with coil-overs at any rate. Do not over look the importance of a good, stiff sidewall performance tire to complement stiffer suspension or you will complain of ride quality problems that are not suspension related, but the poor coupling of a bouncy tire with stiff suspension. This is more pronounced with the added weight of the new car. Get good tires on the car if you are going to run DMS suspension!