Convert MY90 FWD/5MT 2.2 Wagon to 2.5 RS or WRX suspension?

Struts, spring, anti-rollbars, braces and the like.

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Sean
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Convert MY90 FWD/5MT 2.2 Wagon to 2.5 RS or WRX suspension?

Post by Sean »

OK, I've been searching and researching for about a week now, and I'm finally stumped enough to ask. I just picked up an MY90 FWD/5MT Legacy 2.2 Wagon and the struts are totally blown. I'm looking for a free performance upgrade and I was thinking about an Impreza conversion because I have lots of spare parts off my rally car.

Here is the rundown on what I currently have kicking around in the garage:
  • MY99 Impreza 2.5 RS 5MT sedan struts and strut mounts (15k easy miles)
  • MY02 Impreza WRX 4EAT sedan struts and strut mounts (80k hard miles)
  • MY02 Impreza WRX 4EAT sedan springs (163F/132R)
  • MY96 Impreza 2.2 L 5MT sedan springs (~129F/~119R)
  • And, of course, the stock MY90 springs are 123F/179R
Here is what I know:
  • Wagons are heavier than sedans, but I don't have a rear diff, so that should make up for the weight enough to use Impreza 2.5 RS or WRX sedan suspension.
  • The Impreza 2.5 RS struts have extremely low miles. I'm also fairly certain that the Impreza 2.2 OBS uses the exact same struts as the Impreza 2.5 RS.
  • The Impreza WRX struts have 80k hard street and rallycross miles on them, so I'm a little leery of them. I also know that I'll need to swap out the strut mounts to get the rears to fit.
  • Since I'm looking for an oversteer setup, I know I have to soften the front and stiffen the rear. I'm worried that going with either the WRX or 2.5 RS springs will cause massive amounts of understeer because of the soft rear spring rate.
So, my question is this: Is a tapered spring with a high spring rate the same as a straight spring with a lower spring rate?

Basically, the only reason I'm jumping through parts bin hoops is because all my spare cash is going into the rally car. I'm just trying to replace my blown stock struts and get a minor performance upgrade without spending any money. :D I know that I can build an STi/GR-2/H&R setup for around $600, but I don't have any cash to blow. :lol:

I've searched and found some of you guys who have done Impreza conversions, but it was mostly sedans. I guess my main problem is I don't know the weight distribution of my MY90 (I haven't made it to the scales yet).

So, this is my first n00b cry for help. :D

Editing to add compendium of information from below posts:
  • AWD rear struts will not work in a FWD Legacy. The mounting locations are totally different.
  • MY90-MY91 rear FWD struts are exactly the same as MY92-MY94 rear FWD struts. TireRack lists the MY90-MY91 for $70/$108 front/rear while the MY92-MY94 lists for $58/$58 front/rear.
  • The only things that changed between MY90-MY91 and MY92-MY94 were the springs and strut mounts. The older springs were tapered while the newer springs are flat.
  • Using newer Legacy or GC8 Impreza strut mounts will allow newer Impreza and Legacy springs to be used with MY90-MY94 struts.
Last edited by Sean on Tue Mar 09, 2004 5:54 am, edited 4 times in total.
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evolutionmovement
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Post by evolutionmovement »

Will the AWD struts fit the fwd rear? I know the hub carriers are different - the fwd strut bolts in the way of where the driveshaft would go. The wagon does have a higher spring rate in the back than the sedan. The info's somewhere on site - check the suspension compendium. I believe the tapered are the same as the non tapered as far as rate goes, but the top mounts would have to be changed to go from one spring type to another.

Steve
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ciper
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Post by ciper »

AWD struts wont work. The mounting spot on the 2wd cars is way lower.
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Post by Sean »

evolutionmovement wrote:I know the hub carriers are different - the fwd strut bolts in the way of where the driveshaft would go.
Well...that certainly puts a damper on things. Ha, I kill me! Hrm...my guess was that the AWD struts were different to make up for the extra weight of the rear diff. If they actually bolt up differently, I guess I'm screwed and will actually need to buy struts. And since I'm buying struts, I might as well buy springs. And since I'm buying springs, I might as well go STi strut mounts. Feh. :?
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ciper
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Post by ciper »

I put FWD strut/springs on an AWD xt6 to get 1.5-2 inch additional clearance, and welded a spacer on the front springs once.

I wouldnt spend the money on FWD struts, if anything partially convert it to AWD spec and just remove the outer axle joint to use in the hub.
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evolutionmovement
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Post by evolutionmovement »

Imagine how I feel - I'm doing an AWD and turbo engine conversion at some point. Almost everything has to be done at once.

Steve
Midnight in a Perfect World on Amazon or order anywhere. The first book in a quartet chronicling the rise of a man from angry criminal to philanthropist. Midnight... is a distopic noirish novel featuring 'Duchess', a modified 1990 Subaru Legacy wagon.
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ciper
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Post by ciper »

Hmm, almost sounds like starting with new vehicle is the better choice. AWD legacy are pretty common.

You want to know the crazy thing? I have the part number for a FWD turbo legacy, dont know if it ever existed though.
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Post by Sean »

OK, then how about using MY93 rear suspension bits instead of MY90 rear suspension bits? On TireRack, MY93 rear FWD wagon KYB GR-2 struts are $58, while MY90 rear FWD wagon KYB GR-2 struts are over $100.

Will that then allow me to use the Impreza springs and strut mounts I already have hanging around?
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Post by Sean »

ciper wrote:Hmm, almost sounds like starting with new vehicle is the better choice. AWD legacy are pretty common.
Well, that's the kicker. I've been daily driving my rally car for over a year, and my Gram gave her Legacy for free as a daily driver. So, the Legacy isn't a project car...I just want her to handle a little better.
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evolutionmovement
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Post by evolutionmovement »

I think he was talking about my whole conversion, to which I reply - its definitely not a money or time saver.

The newer struts should work. The 93 Legacy has the non-tapered springs, I believe that's the only difference. I don't see how the struts would differ.

Steve
Midnight in a Perfect World on Amazon or order anywhere. The first book in a quartet chronicling the rise of a man from angry criminal to philanthropist. Midnight... is a distopic noirish novel featuring 'Duchess', a modified 1990 Subaru Legacy wagon.
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Post by THAWA »

Sean wrote:OK, then how about using MY93 rear suspension bits instead of MY90 rear suspension bits? On TireRack, MY93 rear FWD wagon KYB GR-2 struts are $58, while MY90 rear FWD wagon KYB GR-2 struts are over $100.

Will that then allow me to use the Impreza springs and strut mounts I already have hanging around?
Tirerack makes no sense, the struts didn't change just the springs. get em from a 92-94 legacy they're 58 bucks
Rio Red 90 Legacy LS AWD 174k
Liquid Silver 92 SVX LS-L 88k
[url=http://folding.amdmbpond.com/FoldingForOurFuture.html]Do you fold?[/url]

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Post by Sean »

evolutionmovement wrote:The newer struts should work. The 93 Legacy has the non-tapered springs, I believe that's the only difference. I don't see how the struts would differ.
THAWA wrote:Tirerack makes no sense, the struts didn't change just the springs. get em from a 92-94 legacy they're 58 bucks
Sweet. I can justify $58 per strut for the MY92-MY94 KYB GR-2 fronts and rears, but no way will I pay $70 per strut for MY90 fronts and $108 per strut for MY90 rears.

So, going with the MY92-MY94 struts will drastically open up my options for springs. I can temporarily run with the Impreza springs and Impreza strut tops, then go H&R springs and STi strut tops when the budget allows. Or I'll just go hunting in the junkyard with IggDawg. :D
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Post by THAWA »

you can do that with 90 and 91 struts aswell, it's only the springs that changed.
Rio Red 90 Legacy LS AWD 174k
Liquid Silver 92 SVX LS-L 88k
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Post by ciper »

Even the rates and height where the same, just the spring and matching top hat.
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Sean
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Post by Sean »

THAWA wrote:you can do that with 90 and 91 struts aswell, it's only the springs that changed.
OK, gotcha. And at $58 a pop instead of $108 a pop, I can actually afford them.

You guys rule. On NASIOC, I would have been STFUWTLWDOASEARCHN00Bed. ;)
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Post by ciper »

Thats exactly why I only visit the search page on Nasioc and none of the forums directly.
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Post by Sean »

Yeah, I generally stick to NESIC and just do searches. Again, you guys rule, and I've added all your info to my original post. Hopefully that will help out other gimps in the same situation that I'm in.
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Post by evolutionmovement »

http://www.kittenstoyroom.com/gfx/produ ... hood_s.jpg


Steve
Midnight in a Perfect World on Amazon or order anywhere. The first book in a quartet chronicling the rise of a man from angry criminal to philanthropist. Midnight... is a distopic noirish novel featuring 'Duchess', a modified 1990 Subaru Legacy wagon.
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Post by Sean »

Image
Zed: Bring out The Gimp.
Maynard: I think The Gimp's asleep.
Zed: Well, I guess you better go and wake him up then.
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Post by evolutionmovement »

I wish I could scanned in an old Noir Leather Christmas ad from the Orbit in Detroit. It had a gimp smiling through the open zipper mouth with the message, 'Give a Gimp for Christmas'.

That's great Simpsons style Pulp Fiction.

Steve
Midnight in a Perfect World on Amazon or order anywhere. The first book in a quartet chronicling the rise of a man from angry criminal to philanthropist. Midnight... is a distopic noirish novel featuring 'Duchess', a modified 1990 Subaru Legacy wagon.
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Post by Sean »

Well, one of the Trunkmonkey guys will be pulling the AGX/5Zigen setup off his 2.5 RS and replacing it with the STi Gymkhana kit, so he'll be tossing the 5Zigen springs my way. I'm a little leery of them, but I figure I'll try them out.

So I'll be getting new MY92 FWD KYB GR-2 struts and GC8 STi strut mounts, and trying out the 169.3-225.7F/79-180.6R springs. It'll give me an inch to inch and a half drop, but will probably understeer. No idea how much the rear end will sag, but we'll find out. Who knows, it might actually be manageable. Either way, we're doing a straight up swap, so if they suck I can just slap the stockers back on. :oops:

Also, there's a set of mystery springs that came on my Impreza when I bought it. I weigh 225, and both the front and rear springs deflect less than an inch when I stand on them...so who knows what spring rate they actually are. I'll have them tested at The Race Depot and see if they're more balanced than the 5Zigens.
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