VMaximus02

iTrader: (1)

I recently had the SFC installed. I bought stage 1&2 from Warpspeedperformance. Got the stage one installed but not stage 2 since the 4-rods that tied to the center brace were wrong in dimension. I called Dallas, from Warpspeedperformance and he thought that perhaps the rods (from 4-th gen) were mistakenly wrapped w/my stage one. He asked for the measurement of the rods to confirmed if that was the case and promised to ship me out the correct one...soon I hope! Anyhow, below are my reviews of the SFC's, stage 1:

As I pulled out from the parking lot, I immediately noticed the improved rigidity of my car. FYI, my previous setup were: fstb/rstb/rsb/OEM spring&shock...and with the addition of the SFC, the car is now MORE tighter and solid in feel. The car's structure reacts to road-imperfection as if it was made from one piece of metal. The more stiffer the structure, ofcourse the handling will improved. My intent of this Mods was not to autocross but my have a nice communitive steering/driving experience similiar to that of Bimmer's ride. There are other benefits, beside the increase in handling , the annoyant rattles from the dash has disappeared and the steering seems to firm up a bit too. Also, the car tracks the road much better.

As I am waiting for the correct parts from stage 2 to arrive, I can only wonder what other benefit will be gain from the SFC's stage 2 when installed?

PCGuRu2K

iTrader: (34)

Glad your enjoying the SFC.. I was gonna do that, but adding like 45+lbs ain't worth it to me if you ain't autocrossing.. All the other suspension mods will suffice.

VMaximus02

iTrader: (1)

I don't think it weights 45+ lbs. I've checked out your webpage and like WOW, you sure have done a lot of mods on your car! I do think you will benefit from the stage 1 SFC's (15-20 lbs the most) since it will smooth out the ride and eliminated most interior rattles. Thus, it sure helps make the transition on the highway better. To me, the SFC's stage 1 acts as a side-brace...as the fstb is for the front and rstb for the rear. I don't know if stage 2 is necessary if you don't plan autocrossing.

PCGuRu2K

iTrader: (34)

I guess you just took it to any muffler shop and had them do the welding?

yeah I was thinking about doing the stage 1 cuz I heard it stiffens up the chassis a lot..

RBa

iTrader: (2)

It's early and I only had 2 hours of sleep.. What's an SFC????

Mike S.

Sub Frame Connector

VMaximus02

iTrader: (1)

yeah, it costs me $60 for stage 1 installed. I saw the welding done and it did not look too complicated. I am sure midas or any muffler shops can do the job. Just make sure you take a copy of the installation instruction with you.


I think you will noticed a BIG different just w/the stage one.

VMaximus02

iTrader: (1)

I finally got the stage 2 installed w/some modifications and fabrications. I gave up on waiting for Warpspeedperformance to response in helping me with the installation issue, as stated originally! Here is my impression:

-The chassis is SO RIGID now that it moves like a solid piece of mass. Since I've braced everything on the car's frame that I can find(fstb/rstb/rsb/sfc 1&2), the ride is so communicative yet very smooth (still have stock spring & struts). I don't think I will upgrade the aftermarket spring/strut of yet since I really enjoyed the luxury ride of my current setup. I had done a noise deafening project earlier so the car is now really quiet! One of my friend whose owned a BWM530i test drove my car and commented on how tight, quiet and rattle free it felt. In addition, the stage 2 has improved the overall high speed transition, even better.
-Also, I had the shop cut off and replaced a segment of pipe that run from the back of resonator to the muffler. Since the pipe was originally bend (don't know why?), this easy mod helped free up some exhaust pressures.
-Overall, I highly recommend the SFC's mod. If I can do it again, I would only do the stage 1. The stage 2 has fitment issue. Personally, it's not worth the effort to do what I've done to make it work. Hope this infos help you guys!

Maximam

Thanks!

VMaximus02

iTrader: (1)

I finally got the stage 3 installed earlier today. There was a clearance issue at the rear due to the large OEM's B-pipe. However, it was resolved with a few modifications to the connecting bolts.

Here are my impressions:
-I took the car on the back road to test out its new-found ability.
The car definately handled much better in hard cornering manuver and lane change. I also drove the car fast in a circle and noticed no lean nor tires' squeal. I was not yet comfortable taking the car to the limit since I will need more times to get familiar with the new setup. The only drawback was the car now rides more bumpier than before. The steering felt heavier, though with more feedback. The whole structure seems as if it had gained a couple hundreds pounds (due to the improved rigidity of the structure).
The car currently rides as if it's a sport car and not a "near" luxury as it was originally designed to be. As for installation process, stage one was a straight forward installation with no need of extra modifications/fabrications compare to the stage 2&3. I think that the SFC's was orginally designed for the 4th gen. The 5th gen. must makes due to some modifications to properly installed the SFC's.

Recommendation:
-Stage 1= if you want to maintain the luxury ride. This setup will makes the car feels tighter on the highway w/less floating effects. Cost for the installation was $60.00.
-Stage 2= more sporty/tighter ride with good steering feedback. Though, the front end seems a little loose under hard cornering. Installation cost was $80.00 due to some fabrications work.
-Stage 3= Bumpier ride/better handling (more neutral)/the front end is improved due to the front rod, which acts like a FSB. Installation cost was $40.00 due to some modifications for the rear B-pipe's clearance.

Sam03

http://www.eclipseforums.org/showthr...24#post1283624

While the car isn't the same,(this is my forum for my other car) the principles are. This is a very good read about chassis stiffening, both the pro's and the con's. A warning though, its a very long read.