RalliTEK Lowering Springs - In Depth Review

Hello fellow LegacyGTers,

I had the opportunity to drive both my Spec.B and my friend’s GT extensively today after getting the RalliTEK lowering springs installed. I wanted to get a review up while the experience was fresh in my mind.

First of all, I know that any thread is worthless without pics, so I’ll warn you that I don’t have any pics to share with you, but Sean took many.

First up: Legacy GT - From stock struts/springs to RalliTEK lowering springs.

Paul’s car is a 2006 Legacy GT 5EAT with stock struts and a JDM rear sway. The stock tires were recently replaced with Pirelli PZero Nero M+S. The car has been reflashed to stage 1, but has no other mods. Coming from my Spec.B, Paul’s car always used to feel sloppy and ponderous to me. In addition, I was never pleased with the stock ride height. All that has changed, and for the better.

RalliTEK installed their new lowering springs and it transformed the car. The car is MUCH more responsive now, reacting much more quickly to steering inputs. Pitch and squat (in my opinion a major weakness on the stock struts) have been significantly reduced with these springs. It no longer feels like your grandpa’s Buick when you accelerate or brake hard. We took the car through some aggressive corners on wet roads, and were VERY impressed with the results. Upgrading the tires from RE92s helped the overall feel of the car, but I never felt comfortable driving the car beyond 7/10ths. With the RalliTEK springs in place I was able to confidently grind through some high-g cornering that finally allowed the new tires to prove their worth. I know that a common concern of GT owners is how a suspension upgrade will affect the ride quality of the car. People often complain about how their car crashes over bumps when they pair the stock struts with a lower, more aggressive spring. That does not appear to be a concern with these springs. I went out of my way to hit every pothole in sight, and the car absorbed bumps without jarring us. More importantly, the car is better able to maintain its composure over uneven surfaces with these springs. The chassis seems to stay planted and not fall prey to oscillation. The stock struts have 38k miles on them, and felt absolutely great matched with these springs.

Not to be forgotten, let’s get a review of the drop. After all, no one wants a car that has an uneven drop, especially with the Legacy’s “challenging” rear fender that has a lower cut than the front. Rest assured Legacy owners, the drop on these springs is PERFECT. The car is lower, but has perfect visual balance front to rear. I did not measure the drop, but I’d estimate that it is perhaps 1.25” lower in the front, 1” in the rear.

I feel I can recommend these springs with absolute confidence, and I think that they are priced right for the quality.

Next up: The Spec.B – From JDM GT AT “pinks” to the RalliTEK lowering springs.

The first thing that I noticed with the RalliTEK springs on my Bilsteins is that they sit a little higher. The rear is a little higher than with my pinks, perhaps .25”. In my opinion, the rear height is exactly where it should be. The front sits a higher than with the pinks, perhaps a .5”, maybe a bit less. It was a bit higher than I’d like from an aesthetic standpoint, but it is still has a smaller front wheel gap than the stock Spec.B springs.

So, how do they handle? I must confess, I love my pinks, I think that they are a very good match for the Bilsteins, but I drive on smooth roads 99% of the time. The RalliTEK lowering springs handle very well, but the car does have a bit more body roll than with the pinks. The body roll does not seem to affect the car’s ultimate level of grip. It is my opinion that the slight increase in roll comes purely from the increased ride height versus the pinks. The car still reacts very quickly to steering inputs, and it stays planted over mid-corner bumps. There is none of the “floatiness” that is present with the stock Spec.B springs, which are just not a good match for the Bils.

What about the ride quality? Here is where the RalliTEK springs really shine versus the pinks. I already said it: I love my pinks. I think that they have a nice, composed ride. But remember, I spend most of my time on glass roads. I have learned to subconsciously flick the wheel to avoid potholes and even manhole covers, because I don’t want to feel the bumps with my pinks. Over Thanksgiving my girlfriend and I took the Spec to snow country, where the roads are brutal compared to the Portland metro. Frost heaves, craters of the moon potholes, and ruts deeper than the Grand Canyon are the norm. My girlfriend (who never complains about the car’s ride around PDX) asked me on more than one occasion: “Does this car have ANY suspension?” I have told numerous people, if I lived somewhere with crappy roads, I’d have to re-think the pinks. What would I replace them with? RalliTEK lowering springs. They are a major upgrade from the factory springs, and only a little less “tight” than the pinks. They also sit a little higher. The tradeoff? Much nicer ride quality (much better even than the stock ride), very composed handling, and a lower price than the pinks. And you won’t have to wait 8 weeks for them to ship over on the slow boat from Japan.

I had good opportunity to drive my Spec over every pothole and manhole I could find with the RalliTEK springs. The car feels great. These offer the “factory tuned” ride/handling quality that I would have expected the car to come with in the first place. I occasionally hit the bump stops in the back on my pinks. If I go over a very severe bump at speed, I will sometimes extend the suspension to the point where it makes a groan of protest. I could not replicate either issue on the RalliTEK springs. There is a “road from hell” near my house that has a “roadway not improved” warning sign. It is a very crappy road, and one that I avoid like the plague. The few times I have passed over it with my pinks, I have puttered over it like a Jeep owner rock crawling the Rubicon. To test the RalliTEK springs, I pounded over this section of road at 35MPH. No jarring. No hitting bump stops. No groans of protest, not even from my passenger. That, in my opinion, says A LOT about these springs.

If you want to upgrade the handling of your Spec.B from stock but aren’t willing to sacrifice ride quality, these are your springs. If you absolutely must have the additional drop and lack of body roll offered by the pinks, then by all means, those are a great choice. But at that point, you may be a better candidate for coilovers….

My compliments to Sean and company for doing an exceptional job of designing a set of lowering springs that offer measurable increase in performance AND drop, without sacrificing daily comfort.

-DJ

Waits patiently to find out how these springs are on an LGT Ltd wagon on stock struts...

Enjoyed the write-up BTW

LaterZ!

Darren!!

+1 for DJ and his review!

Nice write up Sir! Maybe I'll take another trip down there and have these put on

^ Have you driven a Spec with aftermarket springs?

Your review would have been more pertinent if you had gone from OEM directly to Rallitek. Basically, it seems to me that you are comparing Pinks to Ralliteks. And no, I haven't driven a Spec with aftermarket springs because I don't find the OEM set up to be all that "floaty" and want to keep the all weather capability that lowering by means of springs would compromise. There is a great post on this site about how lowering a car negatively affects suspension designs. You should check it out.

Basically, it seems to me that you are comparing Pinks to Ralliteks.

^ Which was my goal indeed.

The RalliTEK lowering springs handle very well, but the car does have a bit more body roll than with the pinks. The body roll does not seem to affect the car’s ultimate level of grip. It is my opinion that the slight increase in roll comes purely from the increased ride height versus the pinks.

doubt it. ride height doesn't affect roll as much as the spring rates. the rallitek springs are likely either progressive or softer. either way it would be nice to have some specs, especially if it solves the saggy but issue with the pinks.

sirsimon,

Great review, and I personally want to thank you for the time and effort I know you invested in it.

I have a couple questions for you regarding the spec B findings. First, the body roll you noticed in the spec B with the new RalliTek springs, is it more than what you noticed on the RalliTeck equiped LGT? Secondly, as I though, the front drop of these springs on the spec B, being designed for the LGT, is less because of the upside-down Bil's different design. Because of this does the car retain the "rear heavy" appearance the stock springs have? And to clarify, you do have the factory USA-spec Bil's, right?

These sound almost perfect for what I want, my only concern is that the front drop is not what the swifts, or properly selected pinks would provide.

I look forward to your response:)

Laurence

Hi Laurence,

As far as the body roll, I'll have to drive the two back to back again. Won't happen until Wednesday, but I will be able to compare them.

Here's a visual comparison between the three...

USDM Factory Setup:

http://www.secure-digital.net/SoWa/springsb401.jpg

JDM GT AT Pinks:

http://www.secure-digital.net/SoWa/springs01.jpg

RalliTEK Springs:

http://www.secure-digital.net/images/rallitek_springs.jpg

Thanks for the pics, ss. That really helps visualize the difference.

As for the stock springs - wow, I forgot how high those puppies rode. Looks like an old AMC Eagle!

And Vimy - I agree with your assessment about the suspension. Which is why SOA should have stuck with the stock JDM configuration that was engineered for the car instead of messing with it.

And Vimy - I agree with your assessment about the suspension. Which is why SOA should have stuck with the stock JDM configuration that was engineered for the car instead of messing with it.

Hear, hear!!

I'll try to get some good pics of the GT tomorrow. It will look a little lower than it is because it is running my original Spec.B wheels, but since so many people run 18s it should be of little consequence.

And Vimy - I agree with your assessment about the suspension. Which is why SOA should have stuck with the stock JDM configuration that was engineered for the car instead of messing with it.

I guess that's why the Spec.B spanked the competition on the track test in that infamous 2006 comparison.

It's interesting that you would compare a Subaru OEM developed system with those cobbled together by some of our adventerous weekend modders (and more power to them). AFAIK, the USDM OEM Spec.B suspension is the same set up found on the JDM OEM LGT.

Hear, hear!!

 

I'll try to get some good pics of the GT tomorrow. It will look a little lower than it is because it is running my original Spec.B wheels, but since so many people run 18s it should be of little consequence.

It's too bad we don't live closer. I'd be totally into doing a side by side OEM/Rallitek comparison.

I don't know whether it's a result of the suspension settling over 47k miles in or me really learning the car but the Spec.B handles better now than new.

I just don't know. Your pinks look better than the RalliTek's do because they are made for the shock. I'm gonna have to beg someone in socal to let me drive their swift equiped specB to see is the ride is acceptable. I guess I'm stuck betwen the RalliTeks and the swift still....

Sirsimon's Spec. already has Bilstiens and Al suspension components that make a world of difference in handling. This provides a substantially different modding base to start with than the steel parts and stock struts of the OEM LGT.

I guess that's why the Spec.B spanked the competition on the track test in that infamous 2006 comparison.

 

It's interesting that you would compare a Subaru OEM developed system with those cobbled together by some of our adventerous weekend modders (and more power to them). AFAIK, the USDM OEM Spec.B suspension is the same set up found on the JDM OEM LGT.

I think we are in vehement agreement.

The JDM spec.B has different Bilsteins and springs closer to pinks than our stock springs. Check this great reference by unclemat here.

^ As I said, the USDM Spec.B has the same set up as the JDM LGT. The USDM LGT is something different. You have to take into consideration the markets in which the respective products are offered. North Americans put far more miles on their cars than Japanese. Less kidney punching FTW from SOA's perspective I'm guessing.

If you are looking to reporduce the JDM Spec.B set up, why not just order the OEM parts?