Pineapples!

[KiwiRS4T]

Over the Christmas holidays I finally fitted the last two items in my Series I RS4 T suspension upgrade which consisted of: Bilstein shocks and Tein springs all round, heavier front and rear sway bars, camber and caster kits, and for the track only a set of R32 GTR forged wheels with Bridgestone semi slicks. On the road I have been using V35 Skyline wheels with Bridgestone RE001 tyres. I am currently looking for a set of 18x8in to replace them. The last two items were a rear strut brace (courtesy of another member) which together with the other mods have transformed the handling of the Stagea, and the real subject of this post the subframe lock kit or diff "pineapples".

These change the attitude of the diff to maximum anti-squat (for the Attessa equipped anyway) and also virtually eliminate the play afforded by the stock bushes. It made a big difference in getting the power down on the track and would probably help on the dragstrip (although I haven't got there yet). If these activities are a priority for you then "pineapples" are a must.

But if you need a comfortable family cruiser or you do a lot of long distance driving the buttoned down diff can be tiresome. The instructions warn of "increased NVH" (noise, vibration and harshness) and you will hear a new rumble from the diff and get really early warning of any wheel bearing problems as well as hearing every change in the road surface. The instructions say they are really easy to fit and you could put them in for track days and then take them out for the rest of the time but I can't see many people doing that.

So my conclusion is that they are of little use for everyday road use and have a signifcant down side so i would give them a miss unless the strip and track are the priority for you in which case they are a must have.

p.s the rear strut brace is rarely in the way and can be removed in literally 2 minutes if necessary.

[RBPOWA-(TJ)]

hey Robert, what are some of the items your are using underneath the car to stiffen things up ? if you know what i mean Whiteline make alot of products for underneath the car

cheers

[Tangles]

i reckon they are a good, cheap and home-doable mod.

great value IMHO for the money, in terms of how they make the Stagea "take more note" of the road.

my stag is for me and the family, and its a very pleasant ride. not 100% Calais-like plush kind of smooth, but nevertheless very nice in traffic and a blast in the hills with awesome "feel".

good writeup, make some good valid points, but I cant see any negatives to the pineapples in all honesty. having sampled the car for 1yr before and 2yrs after, definately a top mod in my books for around $110 and an hour of your time under the car. makes the Stagea behave perfectly, tbh.

* S1, auto, 200kw, bilstein shocks, stock springs, whiteline front castor kit, whiteline pinapple rear subframe alignment kit, whiteline front and rear adjustable swaybars, dayz engine swaybar

[KiwiRS4T]

hey Robert, what are some of the items your are using underneath the car to stiffen things up ? if you know what i mean Whiteline make alot of products for underneath the car

cheers

My car is pretty similar to Tangles' except that I have Tein Springs and a rear strut brace and he has an engine stabiliser. Under the car I have the KCA349 kit but there is lots more I could do but after the new turbo I am really broke. You could probably fit the whole RS260/GTR subframe. There is a kit for sale here at $2,400 which I won't be buying anytime soon:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...n-194850665.htm

or this:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...n-194850682.htm.

You have to draw the line somewhere! If I were starting from scratch I would save up and get an RS260 to start with but you could still spend another $10K to $20K (some have) making it go faster.

One mistake I made was buying a set of Bridgestone semi slicks (would cost you about $1600 - $2000) but a better idea would be to buy second hand slicks which are available (here anyway) quite cheaply.