they are the same. some rare LNF turbos are 24.5 BUT most are 24.0 mm LSJ is 24 and fe3 redline is 23 MM with shorter ends. end story. fix the tab and bolt fixing on early cars.



background: adjustable drop links. middle Fe3 bar.
front FE5 bar
note the pillow blocks the single bolt beside the two bolt.

note that the FE3 has shorter plastic travel limiters than FE5, and the clamp blocks will stop the bar from walking to one side. The plastic limiters move easily.
here it has been moved.

Here I have installed the clamps. The plastic sleeve is left on, I normally take it off. Its soft brittle and removes easily enough.


note the length of the arms ( FE3 has longer drop links and the FE5 shorter with different geometry.

 

john check yuor email.

 

So John maybe you've answered this elsewhere but curious as to your opinion on what will or is the next replacement to the cobalt ss? Will the focus st be the next small car you design for or is there anything else in the works? Just curious your thoughts

 

dont know. I did a dry flow air filter for the ATS but thats a tough market and not a lot of interest....

If I knew the answer I would be there. Cobalt maybe like the Bug Eye Sprite in SCCA racing lasted for decades lol

 

Any opinion on the focus st or wrx Sti as a platform?

 

looking for some advice on some basic house keeping for a 7.5 year old cobalt that's been through every winter so far. just bought a truck which will allow me to garage my cobalt during the winter time. going to be getting the turbo shocks/struts with the yyz springs, but also thinking about changing out some other parts that may be worn and getting old from winters and whatnot. would definatly love to upgrade some stuff over stock if possible, wondering what would be good to look into? already have new endlinks (went moog).

 

spherical trailing cabs for sure 199 sounds like a good recipe you got going for your 'balt

 

awesome. definatly want to get some newness back in the steering once winter gets out. hardcore bar is in the plans, gotta get rid of my coilovers first, get some more money in the bank, and go from there!

 

What do you wanna know? I know the stubbies well

 

Just more curious what johns gonna design for next lol. And really just if there's a preferred platform between the sti and focus st that John would design for or anyones opinion overall on the two

 

I just installed my F23 rotated mounts and LNF rear mount and I have vibrations at idle, especially when the AC is on, it's bad. And I still have wheel hop and drive train lash. John and I are corresponding via email so hopefully we can figure this out before the vibrations ruin something... this is my DD

 

personally im a subaru guy over the focus.... the focus does nothing for me and im not impressed with it all. i feel people blew up the car for more then what it really is.....

the subarus are awesome as long as you find a good tuner and dont throw tons of boost at them. i know guys with 300k on their older sbarus. but theres a large aftermarket for them with a lot of big name companies backing the work.

 

Omiotek- yea I would agree. I just didn't know if there was a particular new car John would build for. I have contemplated an Sti for quite some time need to save more and pull the trigger and get one. Figure throw intake exhaust tune and few odds and ends make 350+hp and be a fun dd and winter whip.

 

If you stiffen the mounts its not going to be like stock, some vibes are normal with AC on. When I installed the front F23 rotated mount I had some vibes with the AC on. Def weird you still have wheel hop tho, mine never wheel hopped after installing the mount

 

Replied to email. Pitbull did a very thorough install pretty much but there maybe a glitch. note to all at high mileage Control arm bushings are most likely stock and can cause issues also. 35 psi tire pressures on a 17 inch wheel can be a problem for tramp as well.

 

They don't like making power like that. Stock STI's dyno ~250 whp and don't respond well to mods. They're fun as hell for rally-cross though, ask me how I know

/thread jack

 

I wouldn't surpass that 350 mark. the second you split a block they are never the same and 400whp is asking a lot of out an sti. you can follow my rs build if you want I can pm you a link.

 

I've got the front mount with rear spacer in my 08 F23 (installed by John a couple of years ago). I have no vibes at idle, or cruising. I get "light" vibes on initial clutch engagement when accelerating. Once the clutch is engaged, the vibes diminish. Although the vibes have reduced since first installed a couple of years ago, I do not recall any vibes at idle even after first installed. Maybe the LNF rear mount has something to do with it.

I don't abuse my car in standing starts, so I cannot comment on dry pavement wheel hop, but in my case, the wheel hop is completely eliminated in wet weather conditions. (When stock, wet weather wheel hop was extreme, to the point of being dangerous IMO. You had to be very careful pulling out into fast moving traffic, otherwise it would start hopping, and you had to back right off while fast moving traffic was climbing up your backside.)

The vibes are noticeable with the AC on, and when using the defrost. Mind you, the AC on vibes have lessened since first installed.

I have also noticed that the strength of vibes is inversely proportional to outside temperature. ie the vibes are noticeably worse during cold winter weather.

By drivetrain lash, I assume you mean what I have referred to the "rubber band" effect on clutch take up, and throttle on/off performance in stop and go driving. I found that John's mount reduced this effect measurably. I can now engage the clutch more smoothly and make fast positive shifts, where as before you felt the compliance in the drivetrain as things moved around.

Lastly, is your car stock, (or just bolt ons) or significantly increased power with forced induction?

I'll be running up to see John in a couple of weeks (holidays . . , Yeh!!!) and I'll get him to take my car out for a spin, with AC on/off etc, etc, to judge vibes.

 

That sounds awesome. I wish my car did ran like that. My vibrations have diminished after loosening the rear cross through bolt and loosening the top two motor mounts and then tightening the rear.

However, I still have incredible wheel hop. It's almost not measurable from the stock mount.

John said my install was very thorough, and I went back and checked on some things he wanted me to check on.

Cabs are good, tires are factory 205/50/17 and I have no mods other than a GMPP intake.

Also, the lash is still the same, even with the LNF rear mount. Maybe I should drive it up there for him to look at.

 

I am not sure what is going on with your car; it has 90 k miles, and you mentioned that it had a new transmission under warranty. Thats unusual for a n.a F23. Not sure what is going on. I am going to check the mount series to see if there is an issue in our manufacturing, and when Dave comes out for his rear bar I may look at swapping his out and qualifying another mount; I have access to the original test car for this mount; the test car still runs great,at way higher mileage than your car.It delivered Pizza for years lol

Its always hard in cases like this to know what is going on without being able to see the car. The science behind the rotated mount is good; the results from hundreds of cars running them, consistent.

Try dropping the tire pressure as i suggested, and review all the parts that come into play in launch control- struts and mounts, cabs and ball joints, all engine mounts, axles and bearings.

finally, there may remain some trace wheel tramp in some conditions - I get it once in a blue moon. But its not the killer wheel hop that breaks transmission and axles.

I wonder why the trans synchros were shot. Glad you got fixed under warranty, wish your car could talk about its previous life before you purchased it.....

 

This was brought up in your other thread, so I'll throw in that my car still has the OEM (voided) CAB's in it. The car is 4.5 yrs old with 70,000 kms (44,000 miles). John inspected them last month and said they are deteriorating and should be replaced. So if worn CAB's didn't seem to affect wheel hop my car, I'm not sure that the solid Malibu CAB's in your car is the problem either. (I'm getting John's spherical CAB's installed.)

I had the FE3 OEM struts and springs on it until this summer. (John installed his YYZ springs/TC struts/shocks/PowerGrid package a couple of months ago. Get it. You'll love it.) Again there was no problem with wheel hop with the old worn OEM suspension.

FWIW, I'd start with the easy things. Eliminate the tires. If you have a buddy with a 5 bolt Delta, swap front wheels/tires and then check for wheel hop using his. Frankly, I think this is a stretch because it still doesn't explain the vibes. (Mind you, the vibes you are complaining about, may not be a problem for the rest of us, and the only way you can determine that is to test drive someone else's F23 with the PRS mount.)

 

I know, I appreciate it. If you find anything while looking into It, please let me know.

 

Just wanna post what john helped me out with in person the other day.

if people dont see what im talking about, its his PCV solution made to fit my LSJ. seems like its working alright. i just need to plumb one more line into the front of the head and i should be good. thanks again john.

 

your welcome...parking lot installs are sometimes awkward, but it worked out. Sending you a new seperator Monday and hopefully a check valve if they come in , so please send me your addy to make sure I dont mix that up. cheers

 

Was at Johns place on monday getting a new blower (which ended up being for fun as it wasn't my issue....derrrrrrp).

Always worth the drive to see John and chat, although I always leave wanting to buy more stuff....lol