Koni / RalliteK setup on wagons

First, I'd like to see some pictures - I've seen many talk about having this setup but not many have actually posted any pictures. Are you guys running the Saggy Butt Shims in the rear. If so, how thick?

I'm stuck in my decision to install the RalliteK springs on my car - I often have 3 or 4 people with our gear filling the hatch, and I'm concerned about the ride quality on hilly back roads with a full load.

Are the RalliteKs going to keep the rear off the bumpstops or am I going to be bouncing off them all the time with a full car?

I have ordered:

- Koni Yellows

- RalliteK Springs

- RalliteK 5EAT Transmission Mount Insert (Street)

- Whiteline Anti-Lift Kit

- Whiteline Steering Rack Bushing Kit

- Whiteline Front Inner Control Arm Bushing Kit

I would obviously like the looks of the ~1" drop, but since I bought the wagon to be used, and use it quite a bit - I don't want to sacrifice any of the utility. Should I send the springs back or should I use them?

I'm also wondering if all the LCA bushings I have will substantially increase NVH. What about the Steering Rack Kit?

I'm tired of the wandering and vibration over certain surfaces because of the worn (and torn - though still considered "fine" by SoA ) LCA bushings.

Finally, I'm looking for a 335 or A4 wagon type ride compared to the floaty ride I have now. What type of improvement am I looking at with the components I've ordered?

thanks in advance

Anyone? I've seen 6 or 7 guys who have claimed to have this setup. I've read about 30 threads in the last 3 days and none of the people who claim to have this have posted pictures or even a good review of the suspension on their wagon.

Can some of you please respond? Or if you have comments on the bushings I've ordered, I'd like to hear about them as well. These bushings are going to tighten up the front without introducing NVH, right? These all claim to tighten up the front without sacrificing comfort. Just want to make sure they do the job properly.

I put in the Konis and the Ralliteks. It dropped about 1.2 inch in the front and about .8 inch in the rear. I dont have the saggy butt shims. The floaty is gone. Huge improvement. The cornering is much improved I think. I also have a 2000 2.5RS with KYB AGX struts and stock springs to compare to. The Legacy now handles closer to the Impreza. Not the same though. But in the right direction. The Impreza is 500lbs lighter also. It does everything with a lot less input.

I think the Konis and Ralliteks made a good improvement on the Wagon. Make no mistake the road irregularities are felt a little more, but not offensive in my opinion. I have not run with a heavy load so cant comment on hitting bump stops.

The adjustment in the rear is done on top. You have to remove all the floor pieces to get them in and to adjust them. I also had to make some cuts to the side panel to make access to the adjustment. The cuts are covered when all the floor panels are in place as well as the Subaru floor mat. PM me if you have any other questions. Hope this helps.

One of the reasons I went with Rallitek for the springs was the minimal drop in the rear. They have some great pictures of a Wagon at the Rallitek website: http://www.rallitek.com/RalliTEK-Sport-Springs-Legacy-GTSpec-B-2005-2009/p-4271 - Go to the product pictures tab.

I also found a set of used struts with the springs for around $200. That gave me a set of front struts to gut for the Koni install, and eliminate down-time.

The first thing I noticed was that the ride was actually improved from a comfort perspective, especially on the highway. As far as body roll, it is minimal. I am running a whiteline rear sway bar and the car feels really balanced with the struts set on a medium setting.

I took some pictures of the strut housings after I fussed over them (primed, painted and re-stickered). I figured I could take my time having a set of doner struts.

http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss178/shoneal55esp/konifinal1-1.jpg

The rear adjusters are a bit difficult to get to. It helps to have a bit of the rear trim cut out as an access. I have a rear rubber mat and it covers the cut-outs fine.

Overall

Good - the Koni/Rallitek set up is great for minimal drop, good balance, even fender gap in the front and rear, compliant ride and fun (project), quality.

Not so good - Down time to gut the front struts and install the housings.

Great, thanks a lot. Sounds like exactly what I want.

Have you carried a large load in the back or 4 people since installing this?

I had a canoe, Kayak, two people, camping gear in my car last weekend and it did fine. I think that the moderate drop has alot to do with it. The increased spring rate is nice for the rear of the wagon as well. I routinely pick up bags of rock and dirt at the hardware store and can carry 250-300 lbs. in the back before you can see the rear end drop.

Awesome, thanks - I'm still flip flopping on whether to use the springs - but this is nice information to have

I ran the Konis + STi Pinks for about 30k miles. I also had WL Sways, LCA Bushings, Roll Center Kit and Steering Rack Bushings. The ride in my wagon was great and there was a little more NVH it was a good feel, much more european-like than stock. I also loaded it up on a regular basis (once I put in enough wood to fill the entire back seat and rear section and drove 200 miles home from my house Upstate NY). With that load yeah it bottomed out a bit but that is to be expected.

-mike

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This is the exact set-up I am running on my wagon. I have no real complaints about it and it eliminated the floaty feeling this car had stock. I did not run a saggy butt shim and the spacing looks good to me (around 2 fingers front and back). I do wish I would have wrapped the top and bottom coils on the front struts as they have a rattle I hear when the windows are down. I will be installing some new whiteline fixed camber plates soon and will remedy it then. I have carried plenty of luggage and the kids/dog with no issues. I have some pics I can post if you are still interested.

I also recently replaced my tranny mount with a group n, on my 5 speed it made a world of difference and is one of my favorite mods. I have also begun purchasing the lca bushings.

Hope the front struts I sent you help you out

This is the exact set-up I am running on my wagon. I have no real complaints about it and did not run a saggy butt shim. I do wish I would have wrapped the top and bottom coils on the front struts as they have a rattle I hear when the windows are down. I will be installing some new whiteline fixed camber plates soon and will remedy it then. I have carried plenty of luggage and the kids/dog with no issues. I have some pics I can post if you are still interested.

At this point, I've opted to just go with the Koni's on stock springs. I'd really love to drop this, but as much as I use my car for things slightly off the beaten path and with a full load on back roads - I would have to know for a fact that I won't be hitting bump stops all the time.

I wish there were a set of springs that dropped it less than .5" and increased spring rate substantially.

However, I'd love to see pictures of your wagon. And if you have any where the hatch has a large load as well, that would be awesome!

I wish there were a set of springs that dropped it less than .5" and increased spring rate substantially.

 

This is why I went RCE Tarmac 1 + 3/8" saggy butt spacers = ~1/2" drop F&R.

I wish there were a set of springs that dropped it less than .5" and increased spring rate substantially.

 

This is why I went RCE Tarmac 1 + 3/8" saggy butt spacers = ~1/2" drop F&R.

 

That's definitely what I'd like to do, but for 3x the price of what I paid for the Konis, it was out of the question at this point.