And next is suspension

Hey-oh! Haven't been here in a while but gearing up for the suspension refresh on my 2005 LGT

 

I am starting with KYB Excel-G struts. All other items like sways and bushings will be Whiteline.

 

I m having a hard time deciding on springs however. Do I want progressive, aggressive, etc... IDK???

 

So, I will start by saying I don't want to go any lower than 1.3" drop and that is maximum. My DP hangs lower than the stock one by a bit and I don't need the headaches.

 

I realize there are TONS of posts on springs but I need to cut it down with your help...

 

Do I want stiffer than stock? Yes... But how stiff?

I do not see a lot of lowering options for </=1.3"

 

I have seen the Teins at .9" drop and H&R at 1.2"-1.3".

 

I am not sure how high she'll sit with just new struts on if higher at all as the spring usually denotes ride height.

 

She is my DD and I like to hit the corners, but I'm not spending the greenbacks on coil-overs as they are overkill. Plus I'm buying a SB soon for my Summer project.

 

I will be upgrading the brakes as well, nothing insane $$ wise but better lines, pads, mc and bracket, etc...

 

So I know MR Tris will have some input. and yes brother we can do both of them at my place.

 

So please feel free to chime in within my parameters.

 

Thank you,

Jason

Koni struts and H&R springs /thread. I have them on my wagon and love the handling they provide along with the Whiteline sways. That being said I just ordered a set of ISC coilovers because I want to go slightly lower.

 

PS: Tris got banned again about a month ago and this time it seems very permanent.

+1 on the H&R/Koni combo. I have it on my 5th Gen and absolutely love it.

Koni+H&R's give ~1.5" drop all around. Adding 3/8" saggy butt spacers positioned the car perfectly with a very slight rake, in my opinion.

Koni+H&R's give ~1.5" drop all around. Adding 3/8" saggy butt spacers positioned the car perfectly with a very slight rake, in my opinion.

 

Silly that you have to put spacers on a lowering spring lol. You'd think they'd just make them not as short

Yeah, I agree, but now I can run 245/40/18s and carry passengers without rubbing, and there's zero tuck going on.

Ok I have the all the new KYB Excel G Struts and the H&R springs. Buying the rest of the gear to swap them out next week...

 

Where do I find the Saggy Butt Spacers...?

 

V

Mods please move to Suspension section... not sure why I posted this thread in here. Sorry.

http://www.paranoidfabrications.com/shop/category/subaru-legacy/

Mods please move to Suspension section... not sure why I posted this thread in here. Sorry.

 

done

done

Thank you sir.

 

Bringing the pain since 1968

Update...

• Kyb Excel-G struts and H&R springs are sitting in my garage
  
• Whiteline KCA409 front top strut mounts ordered
  
• KYB front and rear bellows with stops ordered
  
• KYB Rear strut mount kit x2 ordered
  
• ParanoidFabrications 1/2" Saggy Butt Spacers with longer bolts ordered
  
• New low profile jack ordered (cause my existing one will be too tall once the new springs are on the car)
  

 

Next will be new front CV axles and wheel bearings

 

After that comes the sways, end-links bushings, control arms, etc...

 

And finally, although not suspension, the new motor...

 

V

Please post some before/after pics once you're done.

Please post some before/after pics once you're done.

Of me or the car? [emoji1]

 

Bringing the pain since 1968

it only counts if you are dripping blood

it only counts if you are dripping blood

 

My blood or someone else's? Muuuuahahahahaha

bonus points for a bloody helper

Awesome... I have a SOG tomahawk just for that purpose... [emoji14]

 

 

Bringing the pain since 1968

Okay, originally I was going to do this in stages but I will just do it all at one time.

 

Currently the following items are in my garage;

• KYB Excel-G front and rear struts/shocks
  
• KYB Bellows and bump-stops
  
• KYB Rear top mounts
  
• Whiteline front adjustable top-hats
  
• H&R Sport Springs
  

 

En-route to me is a set of .5" Paranoid Fabrications' Saggy Butt Spacers and longer top mount bolts, Should be here tomorrow.

 

Next week I will be ordering the Detroit Axle front hub assemblies and CV Axle rebuild kits.

 

Three weeks from today I'll order the Whiteline Rear Camber kit

 

5 weeks from today I'll order;

• Whiteline Front and Rear Sway-Bars, Front and Rear Sway-Bar End-Links and pretty much everything other bushing and ball-joint Whiteline has for my car.
  
• DBA or Centric Rotors
  
• Grimmspeed Master Cylinder Brace
  
• EBC or Hawk Pads
  
• Stoptech or Goodridge SS Brake Lines
  
• Detroit Axle Rear Hub Assemblies
  

 

I already have the Whiteline Top Hats so I am not sure if I need any additional caster/camber adjustment kit(s) for the front. If anyone else knows please chime in.

 

Once it is all done I have settled on the Enkei M52 matte grey 17"x7.5" rims.

 

In tandem with this suspension/brake/CV/bearing refresh I will be ordering my short block and collecting all the bits and pieces I want for it. However, that is for a different thread.

 

J

Hey-oh! Haven't been here in a while but gearing up for the suspension refresh on my 2005 LGT

 

I am starting with KYB Excel-G struts. All other items like sways and bushings will be Whiteline.

 

I m having a hard time deciding on springs however. Do I want progressive, aggressive, etc... IDK???

 

So, I will start by saying I don't want to go any lower than 1.3" drop and that is maximum. My DP hangs lower than the stock one by a bit and I don't need the headaches.

 

I realize there are TONS of posts on springs but I need to cut it down with your help...

 

Do I want stiffer than stock? Yes... But how stiff?

I do not see a lot of lowering options for </=1.3"

 

I have seen the Teins at .9" drop and H&R at 1.2"-1.3".

 

I am not sure how high she'll sit with just new struts on if higher at all as the spring usually denotes ride height.

 

She is my DD and I like to hit the corners, but I'm not spending the greenbacks on coil-overs as they are overkill. Plus I'm buying a SB soon for my Summer project.

 

I will be upgrading the brakes as well, nothing insane $$ wise but better lines, pads, mc and bracket, etc...

 

So I know MR Tris will have some input. and yes brother we can do both of them at my place.

 

So please feel free to chime in within my parameters.

 

Thank you,

Jason

 

im with stupid. no offence;)

 

my 05 is queeking and rattleing and clunking and whiring and all sorts of other anoying noise i hear louder then catless and a set of pipes.

 

iv got a rock auto shopping cart with kyb struts, strut mounts, a timken wheel bearing, sway bar links and bushings (autozone links where quite for 2 weeks max). id love to upgrade but i also dont want to spend big bucks or get headaches from the racecarness of a stationwagon.

based on my experiences with a wagon (forget what OP has, as avatar doesn't say), it takes alot to load up the wagon in a corner to have it creak. However in daily driving on less than smooth road, I've had blurred vision, and "grit my teeth" ride quality for 29k miles. It gets old pretty quick, so there are roads I avoid because of it.

 

If you are looking for crisp handling, you'll need under-body braces and harder durometer bushings. With a lot of tuning, you can make a wagon handle well, however, it will never be a BMW/Porsche.

 

The wagon likes a softer rear setting to keep it planted as its lighter than the front. Adding the saggy butt spacers lifts it higher which increases its roll center which affects its tendency to get light. When setting your sways, use the lowest stiffness in the rear (mine are still 215% stiffer than stock - Cobb/Hotchkiss bars with AVO solid end links). The stiffer you set things, the more creaking you get.

 

If you are lowering the car at all, get the steering bounce kit (forget actual name, however, sold by whiteline) which re-aligns the steering angles to match the lowered car.

 

With regards coilovers, many times a cheap set of coilovers and a corner balance will achieve a better result than a hodge-podge of suspension parts. The key is an expert on suspension setup doing the corner balance. I'm on cheap c/o and have seen >1.25G in corners (enough to pop me out of the driver's seat). I spent more on corner balances than I did on the suspension.

 

Regardless of your suspension settings, if you are not running high performance summer tires, you are not getting the full effect of your suspension upgrades. All-season tires, no matter how good, are not in the same class as summer tires. You can spend a fortune on your suspension and run crap tires and heavy wheels which completely destroy the effect you were trying to achieve.

so your saying i should take of my blizzaks now that it is july? haha

so your saying i should take of my blizzaks now that it is july? haha

 

No. I'm saying if you are building a new suspension and want to test the changes to your spirited driving, get some decent summer tires.

 

My first 4 track days were done on all-season tires. My first autox was done on blizzaks. You can do it, just don't expect miracles. When I swapped the all-seasons for summer high perf tires (no other changes, as I did this in the middle of a lapping day), I dropped 20 seconds off my lap times.

so your saying i should take of my blizzaks now that it is july? haha

Screw it, just weld the suspension up and do away with struts/shocks, springs, sways etc... ever see a pull truck have body role?[emoji1]

 

 

 

Bringing the pain since 1968

Screw it, just weld the suspension up and do away with struts/shocks, springs, sways etc... ever see a pull truck have body role?[emoji1]

 

 

 

Bringing the pain since 1968

 

Now you understand the suspension on a Spec Miata. I'm about 12% of the weight of my Miata. Sitting in the car causes no suspension compression. I've thought seriously of putting in a metal tube instead of a shock, then I'd have a true go-kart.