S204 Style Polyurethane Lip

I am personally a big fan of all the JDM STIs, and believe me, if you aren't familiar with the WRX STI, there are many MANY versions. One of the most iconic STIs is the S204. It has a different rear wing, and features a very clean and simple looking front lip, also known as the V-limited lip.

The V-limited lip is an OEM part, which you can imagine is much more expensive. How much more? Well, it is easily upwards from $400. Unless there are special offers or discounts, you won't be able to find a brand new V-limited any cheaper. Because this lip is an STI part, it is obviously branded as such, so on each V-limited lip, you will find a small "STI" branded plaque on the center of the lip. The V-limited lip is made of high quality grade ABS plastic, the same material used in the front bumper, so you would imagine it's well worth the price right? Well, let me continue.

The 2006-2007 "Hawkeye" STIs generates a pretty good amount of downforce on its own when you hit 80+ MPH. The V-limited lip was designed, not just for looks but, to improve the front end downforce. You will not get much difference with this installed polyurethane replica. After installing this lip, I had an opportunity to test this car at higher speeds. There was so much down force generated from this lip that the lower part of my bumper is trying to separate itself from the rest of the car. What I mean is, my bumper is cracking, severely. (There will be more updates on this cracking bumper later.)

Lesson One: ABS Plastic is highly prone to cracking. This is the number one reason people usually purchase the polyurethane replica. For a long time, I thought I would be buying the OEM V-limited lip, but it never justified the cost. The polyurethane lip can be purchased for around $100, and I will tell you I am 100% satisfied with it.

Lesson Two: This lesson came from one of Machine Zealots' very own subscribers. He told me that his V-Limited lip had been stolen. The thief really knew what he was doing, he had just got himself a $400 car part, without actually having to break into the car. I won't mention any names here, but you know who you are, and thanks for sharing that story.

Both lessons, and many convincing words made me jump onto this polyurethane replica instead. I don't see any shame in it personally. In the end, it's how you use your car, that really shows the car's value.

There isn't much to be said about the install itself, it was pretty straight forward. However, as mentioned in the video, the polyurethane lip CAN be painted. If it was, it would probably look a lot better than it already is. However, because this lip automatically makes the front end of the car an inch lower, I will leave it unpainted in case of "accidents".

Another thing you can do is to drill more holes, and reinforce the lip with bigger mounting hardware: Nuts, bolts, and washers. I'm personally going to leave mine as it is, and upgrade when I need to.

As for the cracking bumper, I am already preparing to fix that. A member on the STI forums has a very helpful write up, which I plan on using to fix this issue. I will most likely make a full episode on this as well, so stay tuned.