The Subaru WRX is a great handling and looking car from the factory, but many people want to modify their suspension, whether it's just for the aesthetics of having a lowered car, or to improve the handling further. While coilovers are one option for lowering your car, a more affordable option is lowering springs.
Lowering springs replace the stock springs of your car's suspension. The springs go on top of the struts, and when compressed, determine the ride height of the vehicle. There are many options to consider when looking to buy lowering springs for the WRX. We've compiled a list of the best.
READ ALSO – Best Coilovers for the Subaru WRX / STI
Lowering Springs for 2015-2020 WRX / STI
Front Drop: 1 inch
Rear Drop: 1 inch
Front Spring Rate: 335 lbs/inch
Rear Spring Rate: 402 lbs/inch
The Swift Spec-R lowering springs are some of the best quality springs that you can buy. These lowering springs drop the 2015+ WRX by 1-inch in both the back and the front, which substantially closes up the wheel gap for a more aggressive stance. These have an increased spring rate, but are designed to work with the factory shock valving, maintaining comfort on the street and offering increased track performance.
Front Drop: 1.3 inches
Rear Drop: 1.2 inches
Front Spring Rate: 291 lbs/inch
Rear Spring Rate: 291 lbs/inch
The Tein S.Tech Lowering Springs offer a substantial drop at an affordable price. They reduce the ride height on the 2015-2020 WRX by 1.3-inches in the front, and-1.2 in the rear. If installed on the 2015-2020 WRX STI, they reduce the ride height by 1-inch in the front and 0.8-inches in the rear. These lowering springs are designed to be used with the OEM dampers, and will lower your car without making for an uncomfortable ride, great for a daily driver.
Front Drop: 0.8 inches
Rear Drop: 0.8 inches
Front Spring Rate: 331 lbs/inch
Rear Spring Rate: 343 lbs/inch
These lowering springs from Eibach offer a more conservative drop of 0.8-inches in both the rear and front of the car. If you want to lower you car and you're worried about scraping on driveways and speed bumps, then these springs are right for you. They'll give your car a noticeable reduction in ride height and make the wheel gap smaller, and give better handling performance, but they won't make it so low that it's impractical to drive. Eibach's lowering springs are excellent quality and will give you car an aggressive lowered stance.
Front Drop: 0.87 inches
Rear Drop: 0.87 inches
Front Spring Rate: 350 lbs/inch
Rear Spring Rate: 350 lbs/inch
The RaceComp Engineering Yellow Sport Lowering Springs are some of the most popular lowering springs for the WRX. They'll lower your car by 0.8-inches in both the rear and the front. They offer a substantially increased spring rate, and while these still work with the OEM struts, the ride is a bit harsher than stock, with the benefit of much better cornering ability and handling.
Front Drop: 0.8 inches
Rear Drop: 0.8 inches
Front Spring Rate: 347 lbs/inch
Rear Spring Rate: 330 lbs/inch
Whiteline offers quality lowering springs for the 2015-2020 Subaru WRX at an affordable price. These springs will lower your car by 0.8 inches, both in the front and rear. The increased spring rate offers improved handling, letting you more quickly maneuver the car and take corners at higher speeds with more confidence.
Front Drop: 1.4 inches
Rear Drop: 1.4 inches
Front Spring Rate: 308 lbs/inch
Rear Spring Rate: 319 lbs/inch
The GodSpeed Traction-S Performance Lowering Springs give the WRX 1.4-inches of drop in both the front and rear, lowering the car much more than any other springs for a similar price. If you really want to go low, and you don't want to break the bank, then these are our top pick for WRX lowering springs.
Lowering Springs for 08-14 WRX
Front Drop: 1 inch
Rear Drop: 1 inch
Front Spring Rate: 280 lbs/inch
Rear Spring Rate: 211 lbs/inch
Whiteline's lowering springs for the 2008-2014 WRX come from a well-established brand, and offer an excellent value and high quality. These springs will reduce the ride height of your car by 1 inch, in both the front and the rear. With their increased spring rate, and by lowering your car's center of gravity, these springs offer increased handling performance on both the track and the street.
Front Drop: 0.6 inches
Rear Drop: 0.6 inches
Front Spring Rate: 335 lbs/inch
Rear Spring Rate: 402 lbs/inch
The Swift Spec-R lowering springs are some of the best quality springs that you can buy. These lowering springs drop the WRX by 1-inch in both the back and the front, which substantially closes up the wheel gap for a more aggressive stance. These have an increased spring rate, but are designed to work with the factory shock valving, maintaining comfort on the street and offering increased track performance.
Front Drop: 1.4 inches
Rear Drop: 1.4 inches
Front Spring Rate: 189 lbs/inch
Rear Spring Rate: 241 lbs/inch
If you want to really go low, these springs offer 1.4-inches of drop in both the rear and front. We've recommended these for the 2015+ WRX as well, and the Goodspeed Traction-S Performance Lowering Springs for the 08-14 WRX are just as good. With these springs, you can lower your car without spending a ton of money, and they're great for daily drivers with their softer spring rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the stock spring rates for the Subaru WRX?
For the 2015-2020 Subaru WRX, the OEM spring rates are 324 lbs/inch for the front and 291 lbs/inch for the rear. The STI for these years has a slightly stiffer rear spring rate of 298 lbs/inch.
For an 11-14 WRX STI, the spring rates are 250 lbs/inch in front, and 297 lbs/inch in rear.
For an 09-2014 WRX or 08-10 WRX STI, the spring rates are 217 lbs/inch in front and 194 lbs/inch in rear.
For the 08 WRX, the stock spring rates are 151 lbs/inch in front, and 136 lbs/inch in the rear.
Should I get lowering springs or coilovers?
For most people, lowering springs are a perfectly good option. Coilovers offer more adjustability, but this isn't important unless you're trying to tune your car's suspension to shave every last tenth of a second off your laps. Lowering springs are much more affordable than quality coilovers and will get the job done, lowering your ride and stiffening the suspension.
Do lowering springs ruin ride quality?
In general, all lowering springs have a stiffer spring rate than the stock springs. This will result in a hasher ride. However, most are designed with a progressive spring rate, meaning the spring rate increases as the spring compresses. This means for smaller bumps, the spring is softer. You can also make sure to select springs with a lower spring rate if this is a concern.