Howdy all,
I've got a whiteline anti-lift on my SH XTP and after speaking with Whiteline, it's agreed that the excessive NVH I'm experiencing is from this kit (#KCA334). I'll definitely have this removed but now I'm stuck as to what option to go with and am unsure if there's an aftermarket solution that uses an offset rubber bushing instead of PU.

If I'm unable to get an offset rubber bushing, I may just go back to OEM rubber and see how that goes.

Edit - I should mention this is specifically for the lower control arm inner rear bushing. Superpro do a variant but I'm unsure if there's a difference in the material its made from, compared to the Whiteline part.

What kind of NVH are you experiencing? I have the same kit on my car, but i guess the level of NVH is subjectively different to each person.

I run the STI Group N bushings in mine. Harder than OE, still made of rubber. No castor addition.

I rate.

The best way I can explain it is quite violent "crashing" or "shock" being transferred into the body of the car - specifically when going over crappy sections of road (ie; botched potholes etc), metal grid lines (the flat kind - like on bridges etc) or cracks in the road. It feels like that initial shock is transferred directly from the wheel into the body of the car. The noise is heard and felt in the car and it vibrates and rattles everything.

There was no noticeable increase in NVH when fitting the STi struts. There was also no noticeable increase when adding the Whiteline Com C strut tops (done in phases 1 & 3 respectively). Phase 2 was the addition of HD Steering Rack bushes + Whiteline ALK + Whiteline RCA kit all at the same time. Castor is ~6.5deg R + L.

I've had Whiteline ALK kits on both of my MY06 STi's - the first running OEM struts with lowered springs, the other having every whiteline piece possible under it, including subframe bracing, MCA coilovers (9kg F / 8kg R) etc. Neither of those cars had the same shock being transferred into the car - they simply absorbed the shock.

I've also had a turbo MR2 with incredibly stiff coilovers - so I know what a stiff car feels like and also what a very well set up car feels like. The Forester is intended to be comfortable enough for a daily but with all the "SUV-ness" taken out of the suspension/steering. The steering rack is awful and will be replaced and I was honestly pretty happy with how it felt with just the STi struts on it, but with a **** alignment and limited scope for camber adjustment, my hand was forced into fitting the top hats and RCA kit (as it dropped about 4" or so) but I'm not so sure about the ALK and how necessary it is.

What's NHV?

NVH = Noise, Vibration and Harshness

Id love to know if you solve this.
I reckon i have the same NVH issues an that is with changes to coilovers, swaybars, endlinks etc.

Halfway through buying property at the moment so I've had to save my pennies lately. I've got solid links on my RSB and running the OEM front link/FSB setup as well. It has to be the ALK - I'd be extremely surprised if it was anything else. I'm just not sure what it is about the Forester chassis/body that makes it so much worse than the sedan? I get that there's no separate boot so the noise reverberates around but the amount of shock coming into the body kinda feels like the car is slowly destroying itself.

I'll have to get back to Fulcrum to check the alignment but will need to see if I can source some Group N bushings. Will look into the STi forums and see if any of the MY08/08 owners have had similar NVH issues with the Whiteline ALK.

Thanks Craig - do you happen to have the part number for them?

I bought them from this shop:

https://www.japanparts.com/parts/detail/47767

They are sold individually.

Part # 20204ZR010
https://www.sti.jp/en/competitor/n_parts/partslist.html
https://www.sti.jp/competition/groupn/p ... 170717.pdf