My new coilovers from a STI

[ej22t kid]

I got these from a friend with a sti. They are made by ground control but are not sold for the legacy. i made some measurements and found these struts to be about two inches shorter than stock. Which is perfect for me since i got them to lower my car.

Here is a pic of the upper mount that is a random part from GC is just so happens the bolt pattern is the same for my91 i did have to do some grinding to get them to fit nice and flat against the shock tower

i am sorry for the bad pics i only had a 1.3 pix camera on my phone

.

here is a pic of the whole assembly:



Here is a shot of it mounted to the tower.




i have a 8/380 rear spring with tons of travel while the spring seats in the middle of the threaded tube. i plan to do the front this weekend but will have to drill new mounting holes for the camber plates. i will use a 7/350 for the front. Inside the strut housing are adjustable Konis

iit is pretty stiff but that is what i want. It increased "over steer" and reduced bouncing after bumps, which I had suspected it would.

the only problem i had was the flanges have elliptical hole for adjusting camber so i had to shove the top of the rotor in at the top while I tightened the bolts so there would be no camber.


GROUND CONTROL will most likely not sell this as a legacy kit as they like to test every thing before they sell it for legal reasons+ GC doesn't make a kit for the early model legacy. but i will be sure to test it out on and off the track and let every one know how it works out.

next mod will be an Apex-i avc-r boost controler and custom chrome-molly sway bar mounts and links.

[BAC5.2]

So that's stock struts with KONI inserts and the Ground Control "coilover sleeve" which is really just an adjustable height fixed spring?

Wow.

Hopefully it'll work out for you!

[206er]

I got these from a friend with a sti. They are made by ground control but are not sold for the legacy. i made some measurements and found these struts to be about two inches shorter than stock. Which is perfect for me since i got them to lower my car.

Here is a pic of the upper mount that is a random part from GC is just so happens the bolt pattern is the same for my91 i did have to do some grinding to get them to fit nice and flat against the shock tower

i am sorry for the bad pics i only had a 1.3 pix camera on my phone









Here is a shot of it mounted to the tower.




i have a 8/380 rear spring with tons of travel while the spring seats in the middle of the threaded tube. i plan to do the front this weekend but will have to drill new mounting holes for the camber plates. i will use a 7/350 for the front. Inside the strut housing are adjustable Konis

iit is pretty stiff but that is what i want. It increased "over steer" and reduced bouncing after bumps, which I had suspected it would.

the only problem i had was the flanges have elliptical hole for adjusting camber so i had to shove the top of the rotor in at the top while I tightened the bolts so there would be no camber.


GROUND CONTROL will most likely not sell this as a legacy kit as they like to test every thing before they sell it for legal reasons+ GC doesn't make a kit for the early model legacy. but i will be sure to test it out on and off the track and let every one know how it works out.

next mod will be an Apex-i avc-r boost controler and custom chrome-molly sway bar mounts and links.

[BAC5.2]

Ok, so it's basically a stock strut with a koni insert, with a ground control "coilover" sleeve welded in place of the stock lower perch?

Long as your happy!

[ultrasonic]

Hopefully it'll work out for you!

Long as your happy!

OK, I'll bite... what is is that you are not saying? Don't hold back.

[ej22t kid]

no these are not stock STI struts that have been gutted. they are custom housings with 1453 sport konis and the cool thing is i can mix and match struts that are inserts from koni or get some Advanced Designs made and have complete custom two-way adjustable struts.
And i got them at a supper good price no one would pass up. They look badass as well.

If i had the money i would get some Motons, all i hear are good things about those. Maybe cause they cost over a $1000 a corner

BAC5.2 What is your ideal set up?

[Adam West]

They look good? Are they good on the track or just lower your car to that just right (looking) ride height? Love to see a photo of your car and ride height. Thanks for posting!

I've got H&R sport springs and AGX's and I think I'm going to get stiffer lower springs from H&R because I'm still getting some body roll under EXTREME conditions...60 mph sweepers...

[BAC5.2]

Moton's, Ohlins, and KW would be my top choices for suspension setups. H&R coilovers are probably one of the best bang-for-the-buck coilover.

I have just never seen good things from Ground Control. Mostly those $50 "coilover" sleeve kits, which are absolute junk, and by the looks of that coilover, i'm not really that impressed. I just don't feel like a KONI insert can handle an aggressive spring rate. They aren't designed to handle aggressive spring rates, they are designed to be a good upgrade over stock (along the lines of a KYB AGX strut).

One of the best setups I have driven was an 04 STi with a set of totally custom KW's. The Variant 3's are the only version available in the USA for the 04 STi, and he had the V1's on his car. The ride quality was totally ridiculous. Firm but really controlled, and good GOD that thing could turn.

Different strokes for different folks though. It's all up to the driver, and as long as your happy, it's all that matters.

[Adam West]

Yeah, just trying to define terms here. I didn't do that great of a job. My issues with my set up are because I do track lapping days...if I just wanted my car to look cool and low that a different story. I'm guessing these liners are squarely within the looking good camp.

BAC5.2, I was talking to a guy at IRDC (www.irdc-racing.com) and he was saying the AGX's would be fine if I got some custom springs from H&R. For 50 bucks a spring they would coil any spec height and spring rate...

I don't really know how I'd spec out what I'd need tho but am thinking of calling them and getting help from a sale rep.

He was saying that for height you'd have to mesure distances and do math and stuff (grin)...And then you have to know or assume what spring rate you want.

Another thing he said is that most off the shelf spring sets are too soft in the rear for all wheel drive cars. What think?

I like H&R tho because they have a product specifically for our car - also besides the "sport" they have a race version that's not for our car but I could have them replicate. Don't want to reinvent the wheell (or spring)...<grin>

http://www.hrsprings.com/site/index.html

[ej22t kid]

I hate to be argumentative but i think you guys have been missing the point. Ya they look good and all but i got them for the function. If i was going for looks i would not have a 91 legacy in the first place. Koni strut inserts are not just a mere replacement like the (KYB GR2 or even the AGX) the valving is much stiffer and can handle 450lbs spring rates to be modest, and 450lbs in the rear is pretty stiff just ask (imprezive).

The housings are made of DOM steel and the ears are laser cut and welded by hand which look better than a computer weld. One of my points i was trying to make is the versatility of this set up. I could change the struts and springs in the rear in less than two hours what other set up allows this? And how much would it cost? My set up cost me less than a set of springs from H&R.

BAC5.2 i don’t know where you saw GC for $50 the cheapest kit is for a corolla and runs $199 and that’s for the front only. Most all the parts are made from 6061 aluminum or better so looks may be deceiving.

[Imprezive]

Moton's, Ohlins, and KW would be my top choices for suspension setups. H&R coilovers are probably one of the best bang-for-the-buck coilover.

I have just never seen good things from Ground Control. Mostly those $50 "coilover" sleeve kits, which are absolute junk, and by the looks of that coilover, i'm not really that impressed. I just don't feel like a KONI insert can handle an aggressive spring rate. They aren't designed to handle aggressive spring rates, they are designed to be a good upgrade over stock (along the lines of a KYB AGX strut).

One of the best setups I have driven was an 04 STi with a set of totally custom KW's. The Variant 3's are the only version available in the USA for the 04 STi, and he had the V1's on his car. The ride quality was totally ridiculous. Firm but really controlled, and good GOD that thing could turn.

Different strokes for different folks though. It's all up to the driver, and as long as your happy, it's all that matters.

Whoa whoa whoa, since when has Ground Control sold a "$50 coilover sleeve kit". NEVER as far as I know. So dont bash them, you are mistaken.

And where do you come off comparing a Koni insert to KW, Ohlin, or Motons?!!?!? You've got to be kidding me, I dont know much about KW but Motons and Ohlins are way out of a koni insert's league. And its a fact that Koni's are better than AGX's, Koni's can handle rates much stiffer than an AGX, and are more refined. And as for the housings that hold the konis, they are professionally assembled, its not a stock strut housing. I have seen and handled those housings and they are just as strong as any coilover housing.

Maybe you didn't mean your comment to be taken the way I took it, but it seems you are being a little snooty and looking down your nose because of the fact that he is using koni's and not spending $1500+++ on a racing coilover setup.

[ultrasonic]

Many threads and many positive comments over on NASIOC in regards to Koni inserts in stock strut bodies with Ground Control sleeves. The Koni's are generally thought to be valved to work up to about 400 lb. spring rate. You can have them revalved to work at higher rates.

This is all word of mouth, and not first hand info. YMMV.

If you got a set in good condition for a couple hundred bucks, I think you got a good deal. Let us know how it works.

[Imprezive]

Well the best part of the install was that he scored everything for dirt cheap and there is no reason to bicker over them not being as good as a $2000 setup from a high end suspension business

[206er]

from personal experience with cheap coilover sleeves I would say that while they are definitely not junk, they are not worth running on a street car as most of them have ridiculous spring rates. they would be GREAT for a autocross beater. another reason they are no good for a street car is those type of spring rates will eat most struts very fast. konis probably not, they are some of the best out there.
ej22t kid, props on not being afraid to build your own stuff, forget the haters. at some point I'll be doing something similar to your setup, but using afco hardware and springs.

[BAC5.2]

I wasn't comparing Koni's to KW's, Ohlins, or Moton's. I was asked what my preferred setup was, and those are the three brands I'd consider for the application at hand. If budget was concerned, I'd get H&R's. Looking on Ground Control's website, I couldn't find that strut in the store, but I noticed that they had "full kits" ranging from $1300 to $1700. If that's the retail of the kit above, I'd be very upset after spending that.

I also never compared the AGX to the Koni Insert. I said the Koni is along the same upgrade lines as the AGX. I have tons of respect for KONI's and I like them (though the install is a pain in the ass), but I would never try and push 400+ lb.in springs with them. That'd just be painful. It's just my opinion, that a high spring rate spring needs a high performance damper to control it. If the KONI can do it, good! But is the price that different between Tein Basic's and the Ground Control/KONI combination?

Personally, I've never seen great things about Eibach springs. They seem to sag after a while, and ride quality isn't that great from my experience. Everyone is different though, and every application is different.

If it were me, I'd choose a different brand based on the application. But that's just me. I don't care if anyone runs the GC stuff, and neither should you. You can't argue with a good price, and I can certainly respect that. I wasn't looking down my nose at anyone. I don't really appreciate having words put in my mouth, but it's no fault of your own. Interpretation of typed words on the internet are subject to the influence of the person reading them.

The bottom line is, I'm glad you got a good deal, and I'm glad to see that the kit isn't just a "sleeve" welded to a generic body with a standard Koni insert. Can't argue if the price was right.

[Imprezive]

Ok, so it's basically a stock strut with a koni insert, with a ground control "coilover" sleeve welded in place of the stock lower perch?

Long as your happy!

Pretty easy to interpret this as a snotty comment, in my mind at least. Anyway, I apologize, I'm sure I overreacted.

Not to sure about those "full kits" you mention. I know GC has a branch called Advanced Design, they build the full on race dampers. So that might be what you are seeing for that much, maybe not.

[ej22t kid]

i got the fronts in finally but had to use a wrx camber plate do to the thinknes of the sti plate. i think my rear spring rate is too high at 380 lbs and will soon swap for 340 lbs spring. the whole car is a lot stiffer and it handles ok better than before but needs to be tuned more.

[georryan]

They look good? Are they good on the track or just lower your car to that just right (looking) ride height? Love to see a photo of your car and ride height. Thanks for posting!

I've got H&R sport springs and AGX's and I think I'm going to get stiffer lower springs from H&R because I'm still getting some body roll under EXTREME conditions...60 mph sweepers...

I'm using the agx struts combined with the Prodrive P1 springs for the GC impreza. The result is very nice imho. The rates are around 215/195 I believe. So as far as most of the springs I've found, they are some of the stiffest I could find with that close of a ratio for front and back. The STI pinks are stiffer, but the ratio front to back is a lot worse. I wanted them to be close to equal since the stock springs are equal.

Dialed up the car is very flat, and I'm running stock swaybars and no strut bars. So, in other words, I have room to play with to keep it flat. I'd recomment running 1/3 at the lowest setting for the struts. Anything lower than that in the rear and it will feel really oversprung in the rear.

[kidatari]

I see that you're in the Sacramento area, did you purchase those from Nate (drftsub)?

[ej22t kid]

nope, even though i know nate personally and he did help me a little bit over the phone, i didnot get them from him i work at GC and got them from a co-worker.