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Bilsteins or Konis with Spec b springs?


bbjones121

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Okay, so I am looking to get out of the coilover setup I have now (my wife doesn't like it). I do not want to go back to my stock 06 legacy gt struts. I was thinking that getting some Spec B springs might be nice and keep the slightly lowered look. So my questions are as follows:

  1. What do people think about putting Spec B springs on stock 06 LGT struts? Is this a bad idea?
  2. Should I try to find a full set of Spec B springs and struts?
  3. Should I purchase some Bilsteins new and find someone who is selling some Spec B springs? If I go this route, could my stock LGT tophats work so that I don't have to buy new tophats?
  4. Or should I purchase some Koni inserts and modify my stock 06 LGT struts and use Spec B springs?

Please let me know if you can answer any of these questions or if you have any pros and cons to these setups. Thanks.

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spec b springs are nothing special. get a spring meant for LGT oem struts like cobb or rallitek, or tien and get the koni inserts. that way you use your stock top hats, have even ride height, and have the best aftemarket non-colover oem style dampers made for our cars (aside from the ohlins which are $$$).
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spec b springs are nothing special. get a spring meant for LGT oem struts like cobb or rallitek, or tien and get the koni inserts. that way you use your stock top hats, have even ride height, and have the best aftemarket non-colover oem style dampers made for our cars (aside from the ohlins which are $$$).

I would like about 1 inch lower in the front and .75 in the back. How much stiffer are those spring options?

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I would like about 1 inch lower in the front and .75 in the back. How much stiffer are those spring options?

 

if spec b type springs u need spec b top hats in front.

 

if your only looking for a 1" front then your stuck with tein h tech because eibachs are discountinued

 

any other spring will lower the car more than 1" in the front

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Since you have the USDM struts do a set of Rallitek springs and Koni inserts. I think that will get you where you want to be. Search the Rallitek spring threads for installed pictures and see what you think. I'm actually getting rid of my Spec B springs this summer, most likely the Bilsteins as well. The Spec B springs still feel squishy; the Bilsteins are good but I already had Koni's waiting to go on the old car. Here's another option if you want to go to Spec B / JDM tophats: I'm doing Konis with Pinks with Spec B tophats with a spacer from ifbiker to make it all mate up. I hear the lower perch on the USDM style strut is also around 3/8" lower so I should get just a hair more drop in front than a Bilstein/Pink combo.
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Since you have the USDM struts do a set of Rallitek springs and Koni inserts. I think that will get you where you want to be. Search the Rallitek spring threads for installed pictures and see what you think. I'm actually getting rid of my Spec B springs this summer, most likely the Bilsteins as well. The Spec B springs still feel squishy; the Bilsteins are good but I already had Koni's waiting to go on the old car. Here's another option if you want to go to Spec B / JDM tophats: I'm doing Konis with Pinks with Spec B tophats with a spacer from ifbiker to make it all mate up. I hear the lower perch on the USDM style strut is also around 3/8" lower so I should get just a hair more drop in front than a Bilstein/Pink combo.

but how stiff are the Ralliteks? My wife wan'ts something smoother. I want something that is stiffer than the stock LGT springs, but not by too much. Are the Spec B springs stiffer than the LGT springs?

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No first hand experience with the Ralliteks but I've read very good reviews here. From owning both cars, the Spec B's are not noticeably stiffer, they're just more composed with the Bilsteins vs. the garbage KYB's. As far as ride is concerned, the damper makes the difference. Even high spring rates will ride smooth with an appropriately matched damper. For example, one of my best friends has a race prepped E36 M3 on TC Kline coilovers that use Koni yellows as the core. Even with track springs, that car rides better than my old LGT. Over bridge expansion joints it feel smoother where my LGT felt like half of the suspension was in the dash.
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As mentioned earlier, Spec B springs are designed to work with Bilstein-style top hats and they won't lower your car at all. I'd recommend either going w/ Koni inserts and Rallitek springs OR Bilsteins w/ pinks designed for JDM LGT wagons (to help correct the saggy butt). You will need to purchase Bilstein-style, i.e., Spec B, tophats to run the Bilsteins.
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The Front Spec B springs should be shorter due to a higher, lower spring perch on the Bilsteins and the JDM tophats, so that should lower the car when used on USDM struts. However, the rear springs should give you the same height. My gut feeling is you will get the face down ass up look pretty bad.
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Okay, I am gett confused now. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

If I purchased a set of Bilstein HD's, I would need to get spec-b springs, the spec-b tophats and use other such components from my exisiting stock struts for the build?

 

Are the OEM spec b bilsteins and the bilstein HD's different?

 

I am assuming an inch drop with a spec b setup just because a spec b has larger rims than my lgt, correct?

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Okay, I am gett confused now. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

If I purchased a set of Bilstein HD's, I would need to get spec-b springs, the spec-b tophats and use other such components from my exisiting stock struts for the build?

 

Are the OEM spec b bilsteins and the bilstein HD's different?

 

I am assuming an inch drop with a spec b setup just because a spec b has larger rims than my lgt, correct?

Read this thread:

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61108

 

Yes, you will need Bilstein-style top hats to run Bilsteins. Regardless of what you call them, these were used on USDM Spec Bs and JDM LGTs and Spec Bs, but not on USDM LGTs, which used KYB-style top hats.

 

Yes, you will need springs that are designed to work w/ Bilstein-style top hats, but there are many choices, including, but not limited to, Swifts, Pinks, Wangans, JDM LGT, JDM Spec B, and USDM Spec B.

 

No, USDM Spec B Bilsteins are NOT the same as Bilstein HDs. USDM Spec B Bilsteins are the same as JDM LGT Rev. C Bilsteins, the softest of the JDM Bilsteins. Bilstein HDs are replacement struts and are more stiffly valved than are the JDM LGT Rev. C/USDM Spec B.

 

No, you won't get a 1-inch drop because 1/2 of the 1-inch difference in diameter reduces your fender gap, the other 1/2 changes your ride height.

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