Coilover kit advice for my 3.6R

I'mmmmmmmmm Baaaaaaaaack!

Sorry, It's been a long time since I've posted here. Been busy with life and other passions, but I still own my 2011 3.6R and now I'm looking at replacing the Swift springs and stock struts with a coilover kit. But which one?

When I stopped coming here a few years back there was basically nothing but a few springs available for our 5th gens. Now its as if the tuning world got over their 4th Gen-Only love fest and realized that our cars weren't going away and started to make stuff for us.

So now I'm faced with almost the opposite problem - Too much information and too many products to choose from.

So a little help please, what are the brands to look at and what are the brands to stay away from?

Thanks in advance for the help folks. I'm so glad to see that this community is still going strong!

Welcome back @ChasWG

I know these are out but have not searched for feedback on them.

http://www.racecompengineering.com/index.php/subaru/2010-legacy-2-5gt-3-6r/suspension/racecomp-engineering-tarmac-zero-coilovers-for-2010-2013-legacy-3-6r-2-5i.html

I have these but not necessarily coilovers and assume you want more adjustment options. Just putting them here as another option.

http://www.racecompengineering.com/index.php/subaru/2010-legacy-2-5gt-3-6r/suspension/gtworx-bilstein-legacy-gt-3-6r-fixed-perch-oem-fitment-sport-dampers.html

Thanks for the recommendations guys. One thing though, this is a 3.6R and its a heavier beastie than the 2.5GT or I. The engine alone is another 100lbs heavier than the GT engine and that makes a difference. My Swifts are some of the very first units available for 5th Gen Legacys back when they became available. And since installing them on my car back in 2012 they have done nothing but sag, sag, sag. Even though it was promised that these springs wouldn't do that. Maybe the newer versions are better, but I'm kind of tired of plowing the streets come winter and scraping my front end on the curb every time someone other than me backs my car out onto the street.

Any thoughts on K Sport? I was looking at the "Slide Kontrol Coilover Kit" It comes with beefier dampers and up rated spring Rates of: 672 lb/in (Front), 549 lb/in (Rear).

I was thinking the higher rate for up front would help off set the extra weight of the H6 engine and keep things in balance. In talking to their techs they also thought that this kits would be a better option than the standard kit with only 487 lb/in (Front & Rear).

They are just a slightly beefier coilover system with 55mm pistons with more oil and using steel in some of the body parts rather than alu for better structural rigidity. And they come with all the brackets for attaching the wheel sensors and brake lines. Which is actually a very nice touch that a lot of other manufactures don't do. And they are made in America. Arizona to be specific. The only down side is that they are made to order so they are 28 days out once I pay for them. Hmmmmm...

Thoughts?

Welcome back @ChasWG

 

I know these are out but have not searched for feedback on them.

 

http://www.racecompengineering.com/index.php/subaru/2010-legacy-2-5gt-3-6r/suspension/racecomp-engineering-tarmac-zero-coilovers-for-2010-2013-legacy-3-6r-2-5i.html

 

I have these but not necessarily coilovers and assume you want more adjustment options. Just putting them here as another option.

 

http://www.racecompengineering.com/index.php/subaru/2010-legacy-2-5gt-3-6r/suspension/gtworx-bilstein-legacy-gt-3-6r-fixed-perch-oem-fitment-sport-dampers.html

I was very curious to know how you like the bilstein set up??? I got D2 coilovers and I'm just about hating them now. I should have listened to GTEASER [emoji30]

Welcome back @ChasWG

 

I know these are out but have not searched for feedback on them.

 

http://www.racecompengineering.com/index.php/subaru/2010-legacy-2-5gt-3-6r/suspension/racecomp-engineering-tarmac-zero-coilovers-for-2010-2013-legacy-3-6r-2-5i.html

 

I have these but not necessarily coilovers and assume you want more adjustment options. Just putting them here as another option.

 

http://www.racecompengineering.com/index.php/subaru/2010-legacy-2-5gt-3-6r/suspension/gtworx-bilstein-legacy-gt-3-6r-fixed-perch-oem-fitment-sport-dampers.html

I was very curious to know how you like the bilstein set up??? I got D2 coilovers and I'm just about hating them now. I should have listened to GTEASER

I was very curious to know how you like the bilstein set up??? I got D2 coilovers and I'm just about hating them now. I should have listened to GTEASER

Speaking of listening to GTEASER, have you considered the Konis?

Well after talking to several people not on this site and at the advice of a local Subie repair shop, I decided on the BC Racing BR-type coilovers for my car with Swift 10kg/mm up front and 8kg/mm in the back. They sell for $1000 for the complete kit and have camber plates up front. For the rear I bought a set of concentric adjustment bolt to help aid the rear alignment. They allow 1.25+/- degrees of adjustment. And the last time I had my alignment done the rear was 1 degree out of spec. Hopefully this solves that little issue. Otherwise I think I'm going to be happy with this kit. Of course I will update with pictures of the install and a write up.

Thanks for the help all!

Well after talking to several people not on this site and at the advice of a local Subie repair shop, I decided on the BC Racing BR-type coilovers for my car with Swift 10kg/mm up front and 8kg/mm in the back. They sell for $1000 for the complete kit and have camber plates up front. For the rear I bought a set of concentric adjustment bolt to help aid the rear alignment. They allow 1.25+/- degrees of adjustment. And the last time I had my alignment done the rear was 1 degree out of spec. Hopefully this solves that little issue. Otherwise I think I'm going to be happy with this kit. Of course I will update with pictures of the install and a write up.

 

Thanks for the help all!

Curious what these "concentric adjustment bolts" are for the rear.

Well after talking to several people not on this site and at the advice of a local Subie repair shop, I decided on the BC Racing BR-type coilovers for my car with Swift 10kg/mm up front and 8kg/mm in the back. They sell for $1000 for the complete kit and have camber plates up front. For the rear I bought a set of concentric adjustment bolt to help aid the rear alignment. They allow 1.25+/- degrees of adjustment. And the last time I had my alignment done the rear was 1 degree out of spec. Hopefully this solves that little issue. Otherwise I think I'm going to be happy with this kit. Of course I will update with pictures of the install and a write up.

 

Thanks for the help all!

We sell BC, let us know if you want a good price.

-Brian

let us know if you want a good price.

I'm sure he wants to pay as much as he possible can.

I was very curious to know how you like the bilstein set up??? I got D2 coilovers and I'm just about hating them now. I should have listened to GTEASER [emoji30]

I like the setup as a daily driver. The RCE blacks did not take long to get used to, i felt they were rough. Swift springs will give you a smoother ride from what I hear but lower your ride height a little more. I like the clearance of the RCE Blacks.

I like the setup as a daily driver. The RCE blacks did not take long to get used to, i felt they were rough. Swift springs will give you a smoother ride from what I hear but lower your ride height a little more. I like the clearance of the RCE Blacks.

Yes, DO NOT use Swift lowering springs with the Koni shocks.

Well after talking to several people not on this site and at the advice of a local Subie repair shop, I decided on the BC Racing BR-type coilovers for my car with Swift 10kg/mm up front and 8kg/mm in the back. They sell for $1000 for the complete kit and have camber plates up front. For the rear I bought a set of concentric adjustment bolt to help aid the rear alignment. They allow 1.25+/- degrees of adjustment. And the last time I had my alignment done the rear was 1 degree out of spec. Hopefully this solves that little issue. Otherwise I think I'm going to be happy with this kit. Of course I will update with pictures of the install and a write up.

 

Thanks for the help all!

Never been a fan of BC coilovers, even with Swift springs. I had them on my ISF and they were harsh, regardless of what settings I had them at.

My recommendation for under 1K is Koni's with Eibach's, HR or RCE springs. You can adjust the Koni's to better match your spring selection.

For ~$1200, you could do Bilsteins with Swifts.

Both would be better than BC's IMO. I live in Colorado too and know our roads aren't great. I'm running Koni's with Eibachs and even at times, it's a little too rough for me. With my set-up, my alignment is within spec (far end but still within).

GL with your decision, but wanted to share my experience.

Well I was kind of hoping for this much feed-back earlier. I have already ordered the BCs. From what they say about these springs, this is suppose to be a factory like ride. I don't believe that for one second. The factory springs were terribly soft and bouncy. So I'm hoping this will be a lot better. But I do have a 10 day grace period in which If I don't like the ride they will work with me to get a spring rate that works better for me.

Thanks again everyone for chiming in, but a lot of info, just too late. I had to get on it and order something as my wife was the one who wanted me to do this and send money on my car! WHAT???? So before she came to her senses I had to jump on it!

I'll update when I get the coilovers in and on my car.

That's awesome, I started re-reading that as well, but how long does a person have to get info? 36 pages and counting may not be the most efficient way to gather info. Especially on this site where one person can say one thing in a thread and the whole thread takes a spin and goes off somewhere else.

I just did a search again and used two words, "coilover kits" and this was the result.

"Coilover kits for 3.6R" - this thread.

"What did you do for your 5th Gen Today, Vol 2" - That's not efficient at all, nor does it probably have the info I was needing.

"Official 5th Generation Suspension Thread" - I've already stated my thoughts on that.

"Gauging interest for Performance Shocks for 2010 LGT and 3.6R" - That may have some interesting info, but that was also back from 2012 and the last entry was July of 2014.

"Head Count: Who wants stiffer springs with NO drop?" - Not at all what I'm looking for.

So simply saying, "search button" is not helpful. And its actually OK to recycle some info back up to the top from time to time. There are new people here all the time as well as new products all the time. Just because you've been around on this web site non-stop and are a daily contributor doesn't mean everyone here is. Some of this stuff is all new to me because I have been away for so long.

Again, Thank You for the help! This is still by far the best Subaru enthusiast web site out there by far!

When Im searching in a forum I like to use the "Search by post" so you dont see the results listed by the pages they are but simply the post that contains your words.

Or I use google search and preface everything with legacygt.com and fifth gen.

Even with that it can be really hard to find specific info.