ISC Coilover/ Rallitek Swaybars Review

Purchased some ISC coilovers along with Rallitek Front/Rear Swaybars (22/19mm) a while back, thought i'd post up my "layman" review of them. I refer to it as such, because I did not purchase these parts to tear up an autox, fly around a track, and don't even really intend to take my car up the 1/4 mile much either. This is not to say that none of this things will ever happen, but just I did not purchase these parts with that type of driving in mind.

 

My goal with the car is to increase it's performance in all areas over stock. Power, suspension, looks, interior amenities, I want them all to perform much better than on a stock car. With that in mind, these coilovers and swaybars are perfect for my needs. So, on to the review...

 

Installation

The installation went smoothly for the most part. There are other threads which cover the installation of the ISCs, and several which cover swaybar installs. Referencing those made the installation pretty much a breeze, and the most difficult part of the installation of any of these parts was breaking lose all the of the bolts necessary to pull the stockers off.

 

Measurements

Stock, the top-center of each of my fenders we're around 26 1/4". I wasn't looking for a big drop at all, so I set my sites on lowering the car about 3/4-1". I adjusted all four coilovers to be about 3/4" shorter than the total length of the stock struts they were replacing.

 

I didn't want to run any preload on the springs, and didn't on the fronts. However, to run no preload on the rear ISCs made them longer than the stockers by about 1/4", even with the height adjustment on the coilovers as low as they'd go. This forced me to run about an inch of preload on the rear spings, but I stuck with no preload on the fronts.

 

After installing the coilovers, and giving them a couple of days to settle, I noticed the fronts were sitting higher than the rears. The rears sat exactly how I wanted them, right at about 25 1/2" fender height. I pulled the fronts off, lowered them the necessary amount, and tada, I was riding even on all four corners, with the top of all four fenders at 25 1/2". This is not a large drop at all, but I feel it looks good, and will look perfect once I get myself some 18s.

 

Driving Impressions

After getting the car aligned and putting a couple hundred miles on it, I'm very happy with this set up. There is some increased NVH over stock, but the ride quality suffered hardly at all from stock. The girlfriend hasn't made a single comment as to the ride quality, so that's always a good sign .

 

The ride is much more firm, and the confidence with which I can take turns is greatly increased. I've got the dampening set at 16, which I feel is perfect for every day driving. As far as the NVH goes, I feel it's tolerable but i'd like there to be less. Essentially any bump, rut in the road, or uneven surface crossed results in some noise, mostly from the rears. But as far as trade offs go, i'd say the increased enjoyment I get out of the increase in performance definitely offsets the disadvantages.

 

Conclusion

All in all, i'give these coilovers and swaybars two thumbs up. Again, i'm sure this isn't the greatest set up for someone very serious about handling, and I can't provide any at-the-limit driving experiences, as that's not what I intended these parts for. However, for you're everyday driver, I feel you can't ask for much more.

 

Pics

To come, stand by...

great review, looking forward to some pics!

looking for to pics as well

 

what does NVH mean??

saweeet

how is the road response. meaning: bouncing on the highway? bottoming out at all? but main concern would be the bouncing like you see all the time. had a set of K-sports that did that, had to yank them after only 300 miles. could tolerate it.

 

T

what does NVH mean??

Stands for noise/vibration/harshness. Basically means how much do they shake and squeak and carry on while you're driving.

Well after several hundred miles of driving on these, i'm beginning to weigh my options with these coilovers. I really like them, but I don't feel as though they're fit for my car and my personal needs. While I probably wouldn't mind and could easily tolerate driving on them for another 25-30k miles, for a daily driver which never sees any type of track time, I think they just might be too much for the car. I'm not the type of enthusiast who wants to post up the best lap times, carves corners every weekend, or needs to have the most adjustable suspension. I'd rather enjoy a composed, better-than-stock type ride, which does not require me to make adjustments to it for various conditions, bounce on rough roads, etc.

 

The road response and ride is very similar to stock, when the condition of the road you're traveling on is good or even fair. However, on very bad road (something there's no shortage of in my area) I feel as though they're not what i'm looking for.

I feel as though these coilovers are for more of a "purist" when it comes to handling, than myself. I have no doubt they'd do great (certainly much better than stock) on an autox or circuit course. But that's not why I bought them, and not what I use them for.

 

All that being said, i've put them up for sale/trade in the marketplace. I'm only gauging interest at this point, if nobody bites, i'd just as soon drive on them rather than replace them. But if someone is interested in them, i'm going to give a Bilstein/Lowering spring set-up a shot, and see if it suits my needs better. Overall, i'd say these are perfect for someone who's really an enthusiast, but likely not for someone like myself, who's looking for more of a suble upgrade. I'll still update this thread with the pics of the installed ride height, etc. once I get a chance.

 

If anyone's interested, take a look:

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/gauging-interest-ca-fs-wtt-isc-coilovers-140945.html?p=3008151#post3008151

how is the road response. meaning: bouncing on the highway? bottoming out at all? but main concern would be the bouncing like you see all the time. had a set of K-sports that did that, had to yank them after only 300 miles. could tolerate it.

 

T

 

I have never witnessed any bouncing or bottoming out, I have had 4 people in the car with them as well; no issues.

I have never witnessed any bouncing or bottoming out, I have had 4 people in the car with them as well; no issues.

 

 

Thats a good thing since I have bottomed out my car with 3 people in the car a couple of times just driving normally. Now I just need to stop being lazy and put these on.

I have never witnessed any bouncing or bottoming out, I have had 4 people in the car with them as well; no issues.

 

+1 I haven't had any bottoming out problem with these

What are you running for dampening and preload?

Refresh my memory; do you have the ISC street comforts or street sports?

 

hope to see some pictures this week maybe?

I've got the street sports. Dampening is set at 16, no preload on the fronts, running about 1" compressed for the preload in the rear, can't remember off the top of my head but I have it written down somewhere. Will take pics tomorrow for sure.

Here's a couple pics post-install. I took a bunch earlier today, to see the full shoot, head over here: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/my-car-thread-137480.html

 

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb223/0honegt/Legacy/b9316f26.jpg

 

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb223/0honegt/Legacy/f0980e60.jpg

 

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb223/0honegt/Legacy/44e1e3c9.jpg

GTLEGACY007 are your front coils making a binding or a slight banging noise at a low speed while turning the wheel either way. I also have no preload on the front coils.

GTLEGACY007 are your front coils making a binding or a slight banging noise at a low speed while turning the wheel either way. I also have no preload on the front coils.

 

Mine are not. Have you installed the teflon bushings from AJW? I installed the bushings prior to installing my coilovers, so I don't have anything to compare them to, but I haven't had any of the binding/banging noise except when going over very bad roads.

Looks good! thanks for posting

 

Windy Road- check the tightness on the top bolt between the camber plates in the front, PM me if you need pics; they may be to tight or loose!

Only had these on for a day. Installed with everything at middle(20 clicks back if I recall) setting just to get a baseline feel of the car. Zero camber. This is also on a street comfort springs.

 

I am going to drive it for a few days before the alignment to let it all settle.

First impression: Bit more NVH, but no dreaded clunking. There is more bounce than I'd like when accelerating, and bit of a head bobbing at high speeds on highway. It handles rough roads better than I expected, and Paison (Mike from AZP thought them comparable to Koni's in comfort.) Hitting potholes on these are brutal.

Best way I can describe it....if you are hitting bumps (suspension has to travel upwards to cope) its does fine.

if you hit holes (suspension having to travel downwards to cope), feel like hitting a curb.

 

There is also a slight creak of springs "binding" ? when I turn the wheel at stop or low speeds in either direction.

 

I know I have to get an alignment done, and maybe corner balancing, and the settings dialed in. Just some first impressions, and will update.

Just fixed my rallitek sways they r awesome!

What are you running for preload?

I have never witnessed of heard of a customer say the ride is bouncy.

I am running my street sports in the middle and anywhere from 1-4 passengers the car doesnt have any bounce that I can notice, even in boston:lol:

 

 

Only had these on for a day. Installed with everything at middle(20 clicks back if I recall) setting just to get a baseline feel of the car. Zero camber. This is also on a street comfort springs.

 

I am going to drive it for a few days before the alignment to let it all settle.

First impression: Bit more NVH, but no dreaded clunking. There is more bounce than I'd like when accelerating, and bit of a head bobbing at high speeds on highway. It handles rough roads better than I expected, and Paison (Mike from AZP thought them comparable to Koni's in comfort.) Hitting potholes on these are brutal.

Best way I can describe it....if you are hitting bumps (suspension has to travel upwards to cope) its does fine.

if you hit holes (suspension having to travel downwards to cope), feel like hitting a curb.

 

There is also a slight creak of springs "binding" ? when I turn the wheel at stop or low speeds in either direction.

 

I know I have to get an alignment done, and maybe corner balancing, and the settings dialed in. Just some first impressions, and will update.

Hey Andrew

 

No preload in the fronts, just snug so the spring does't move around.

Initially no preload in the rears, but had to compress about an 1" to get it to sit at stock height.

 

Put another 75 miles on it today, and more impressions. First off its rides nice, its not harsh and it is exactly what I was looking for DD. Its handles rough roads well, and roads here in Westchester suck, especially on the BRP. With that said, when I say bouncy(my term may be off), it feels like a weight of the car moving back and forth from the front to rear (kind of oscillation). Only happens during take offs from a stop, and when breaking from 65+ mph. Its brief, but I do notice it.

 

Also the creaking when turning the wheel from at stop or slow speed (less than 5 mph )has increased, but not existent at higher speed. Its a minor thing, I am sure there is simple fix for it, I am over looking.

 

Overall, its handles great, and on most regular roads, you wont even know they are coils in terms of harshness.

glad you like them sir

enjoy

What did you do to the fronts after you installed them to lower them just a bit?

You will need to loosen up the gold hat that is snug on the bottom bracket and spin the actual shaft until you are satisfied with the ride height. Remember to take accurate measurements to ensure the car is even on all sides. Pm if you have any further questions