legacycentral bbs

Ok, so i'm a noob when it comes to 1st gens, now ask me about BG's and i'll talk your ear off, anyway.. I just picked up a bone stock 92 L sedan w/160k and the stock susp is gone. I'm already sourcing the parts for a rear sway bar add-on but I need some advice on suspension. I checked out the FAQ and saw that a lot of stuff will fit this car, but after going the wrx/impreza susp route on my wagon with mixed results i'd just like to get some opinions. I want to do it right the 1st time this time. (i'm on my 4th setup with my wagon)

thanks..

-ben

I have KYB GR-2 struts with H&R springs, STi mounts and a Whiteline rear away. Rides well but there is still a lot of body roll. If and when I can afford it I am going to invest in a set of AGXs. I also wanted a front sway but its uber expensive to get shipped from Whiteline in Australia.

Tien Flex's adapted from a GC8 , I love them, as low as I want it , with camber adj, and damping adjustment as well.
downside is the price, luckily I was able to get them at wholesale but stull not cheap.

STi V7 Dampers & Spec-C springs, Group N topmounts, Whiteline 20mm front and 18-22mm rear bar set to 22mm, e-bay rear strut bar.

Overdamped in typical Japanese sport car style, so a little jiggly over small imperfections. But will jump a set of train tracks and land smooth as butter. Handling prowess is quite amazing. Body roll is very controlled, but not gone. Extremely high speed corners feel ho-hum with a smooth line on this setup.

For a daily driver I would go KYB GR2's, stock springs, and the whiteline swaybars. If only I had a second SS that got 30mpg

2.5rs stuff and a turbo bar. Passengers don't realize it's not stock, but its enough to make it fun.

I still have to sing due praises for the WRX springs. I've surprised a lot of people with the car.

WRX springs, GR2s, and a Turbo 18mm rear swaybar.

-04 STi suspension
-20mm 2.5GT front swaybar
-18mm turbo rear sway bar
-Kartboy endlinks and urethane swaybar bushings
-superpro steering rack bushings
-intrax camber bolts in the rear
-'slotted' front struts
-aggressive alignment:
-1.3F -1.4R camber
-ebay f/r strut tower bars
-wrx/wheels tires

I really like the handling, and don't mind the stiffness. It is fairly stiff though and you really feel everything on the freeway. The bigger front swaybar really flattened it out and the car is still neutral. The endlinks and steering rack bushings made a big improvement as far as responsiveness. The car right now feels really great even with RE92s. I need to ditch them as soon as possible. Also I want bigger swaybars.

I should note that in order to get that much negative camber, I milled my front struts and drilled out the knuckles to run two oem bolts. I expected better numbers actually and I'm not quite sure why I'm not closer to -2 degrees, which is what I was shooting for. I also have a set of aftermarket bolts maxed out in the rear to cope with the Impreza sedan stuff I'm using. Unless you're willing to do all this/get camber plates I DO NOT recommend using anything made for an 02+ Impreza. Because of the suspension geometry our cars have a pretty shitty camber curve and you need all the static camber you can get. I suggest at least a degree all around.

Brat4by4 wrote:For a daily driver I would go KYB GR2's, stock springs, and the whiteline swaybars. If only I had a second SS that got 30mpg

I've read that the early years had different spring perch hight. should i mix and match? I'd really like to lower it at least an inch..

for somethign cheap, how about stock wrx struts/springs? it should lower my car an inch and stiffen up the ride a bit.. please tell me if i'm wrong..

I believe the rear strut mounts off of a wrx have a different bolt pattern than those that are on the 91-94 legacys.

Search and you will find an abundance of info.

BTW my future setup goes like this:

KYB AGX dampers paired with a Ground Control Coil over kit & custom spring rates. And STI group N strut mounts or ground control camber plates for adjustability and stiffness. Plus I can get a decent deal on 'em.

ah crap, thats right.. i'd have to drill some holes..
oh well, wrx stuff is out.. 2001 2.5rs here i come!!

yeah, the wrx rear tops don't fit, but you can replace them with legacy tops and perches. See this post in the stickied thread about 04 WRX springs.

Anyway, if you decide what you want as far as handling, ride, and looks go, and then set a budget, you'll have a much easier time picking something out. Otherwise you'll just end up browsing the classifieds at nasioc, being "oh, this will work sort of and it's cheap" and then possibly buying something less than ideal.

GR2s are a great way to make the suspension a bit better than stock without spending a lot of money. There are usually a few sets for sale on e-bay. And to save yourself a hassle, get something BC or GC specific.

oh, and by the way. A bit better than stock would make a large difference considering your 14yr old suspension is going to be a lot more worn out than stock.

I agree with jamal, figure out what you want out of your suspension first.

spdracr wrote:ah crap, thats right.. i'd have to drill some holes..
oh well, wrx stuff is out.. 2001 2.5rs here i come!!

No, no, no. Just use your old tops or get some GC Group N tops. With those tops in you can use whatever spring/strut combo you like that fits a subaru. WRX & STi stuff more than likely will just require some washers under the topnut. WRX struts and springs is one of the cheapest routes you can go. All you need is the front upper spring perch and the rubber liner, which is not that much even from the dealer.

Snowboarded just put OEM WRX struts and Whiteline lowering springs on his car. I'll tell him to post up his thoughts. I think he collected everything for around $200.

I have 03 WRX struts and Whitline WRX Wagon lowering springs.

to put them on I had to get front perches, and the rubber thingies that go under them. I reccomend changing out all of your hardware. Other than that, everything was a swap over. One thing tho is you will need to fab up shams for the rears under the strut top mount and one for above (1/2" grade 8 washers 3 per top). If you don't you will get knocking over every bump in the road. After that cheap mod from the hardware store, you're good to go. (It wasn't so cheap for me because I had to learn the hard way about the spacer under the mount. Had to take it to my buddy's tire shop...)

As for the ride, it's impecable. Very crisp and responsive, and very little body roll. It does drop it considerably so that's something you want to keep in mind. Right now I can fit one and a half fingers in the rear and a little over one finger in the front, measuring tire to fender.

No more squatting car when I floor it, and no bobbing when I brake hard. Although now the chances of whiplash have now severely increased.

agx's and stock springs, its ok but dont bother with agx's they arent worth the price. If I were to do it again I woul go with gr-2's and stock springs or koni yellows and a coilover setup around 250lbs. I need to get some whiteline sways now.
also my drivers front agx was blown to crap within a few months of having it on, and still is, as I dont have any receipt to get em warrantied, bought em new from a guy on nasioc.

Brat4by4 wrote:No, no, no. Just use your old tops or get some GC Group N tops. With those tops in you can use whatever spring/strut combo you like that fits a subaru. WRX & STi stuff more than likely will just require some washers under the topnut. WRX struts and springs is one of the cheapest routes you can go. All you need is the front upper spring perch and the rubber liner, which is not that much even from the dealer.

Not quite.

04-06 Impreza rear springs, perches, and tops are different from those in an 02-03. GC/post-facelift tops and perches are only compatible with 02-03 springs. Coincidently, pre-facelift tops are compatible with 04+ springs. I'd say it's explained quite nicely in this post that I linked to earlier.

snowboarded wrote:I have 03 WRX struts and Whitline WRX Wagon lowering springs.

to put them on I had to get front perches, and the rubber thingies that go under them. I reccomend changing out all of your hardware. Other than that, everything was a swap over. One thing tho is you will need to fab up shams for the rears under the strut top mount and one for above (1/2" grade 8 washers 3 per top). If you don't you will get knocking over every bump in the road. After that cheap mod from the hardware store, you're good to go. (It wasn't so cheap for me because I had to learn the hard way about the spacer under the mount. Had to take it to my buddy's tire shop...)

As for the ride, it's impecable. Very crisp and responsive, and very little body roll. It does drop it considerably so that's something you want to keep in mind. Right now I can fit one and a half fingers in the rear and a little over one finger in the front, measuring tire to fender.

No more squatting car when I floor it, and no bobbing when I brake hard. Although now the chances of whiplash have now severely increased.

awesome, Yeah i swapped wRX stuff onto my 99 legacy so i'm down with all that jazz. I have a line on some stock 01RS struts/springs for hella cheap, thinking about going that route. with the 01RS stuff i shouldnt have to worry about the washers right?


-ben

jamal wrote:04-06 Impreza rear springs, perches, and tops are different from those in an 02-03. GC/post-facelift tops and perches are only compatible with 02-03 springs. Coincidently, pre-facelift tops are compatible with 04+ springs. I'd say it's explained quite nicely in this post that I linked to earlier.

yeah i've read though that post a few times, just wanted someone leses opionons on how they like their setups. Over on nasioc I wrote the FAQ on lowering your 97-99 legacy with all kinda stuff. but i'm new to the BC's and i feel like a newbie again. This will be my rallycross/daily driver so coilovers are out. also the AGX's are not worth the money for how i'll be using the car. if i had the $400 i'd do the GR-2's and (insert lowering spring) option which is what i have on my legacy and i like it. but i'm going cheap, so i'm go with a set of stock 01RS struts/springs for the time being. oh yeah and i gotta get a RSB.

I'm running STi ver. 7 (JDM MY02) struts and springs, Whiteline 20mm front and 18-22mm adjustable rear sway bars (set to 22mm for summer). I have aftermarket camber bolts in the rear. Alignment is front: max negative camber (approx. -1.2), rear: -0.8, zero toe all around. Summer tires are Falken FK451 (205/50/16) on 16x7 wheels. Winter tires are Falken Ziex all seasons in the same size.

My goal was to have a sporty feeling daily driver, which would also be cool for track days and an autocross every once in a while. Not to mention road rallies almost every month. I wanted to maintain nearly stock ride height, and I didn't want to spend a fortune.

Brat4by4 and I have nearly the same set up, and in general I agree with his assessment. It is a little jiggly/bouncy sometimes, but when you push it hard it responds very well. I'm a casual autocrosser but this car is my daily driver and it never fails to bring a smile when I find a wide open on-ramp or a deserted twisty road. Not quite as tossable as a GC Impreza, but very much a fun corner carver.

--Don't underestimate the benefit of a front sway bar-- I put the front bar on with some aftermarket endlinks, went for a drive and found myself laughing out loud at the amazing difference it made. It was possibly a more dramatic improvement than the rear bar. I have the 20mm but I wish I had the 22 (anyone want to trade?).

--I also have STi Group N transmission and engine mounts, which really help the feel of the car, although they are not strictly considered suspension parts.

--If I had it to do over again, I'd probably slot the lower strut holes to get some extra negative camber in the front. Also, even though I had Group N strut mounts, they didn't get installed because I was unable to disassemble the mounts that came with the front struts. Without an impact tool I couldn't break the top nut free and I had to drive the car the next day.

--Finally, if money and time were not limiting factors, I'd probably build some Koni inserts to take advantage of what most people report as a more refined handling package (more German than Japanese?).

Overall, it's been great fun tweaking the handling.

206er wrote:agx's and stock springs, its ok but dont bother with agx's they arent worth the price. If I were to do it again I woul go with gr-2's and stock springs or koni yellows and a coilover setup around 250lbs. I need to get some whiteline sways now.
also my drivers front agx was blown to crap within a few months of having it on, and still is, as I dont have any receipt to get em warrantied, bought em new from a guy on nasioc.

what springs were you running with those AGX's. And how "new" were they from that guy?

Agree with Steve's comments on more bar for the front. Neutral handling with well-controlled rolling moment when not on the track is good.

DMS 40mm coilovers with 225 front and 180 rear spring rates.

Whiteline 20 mm front bars with 20/22/24 rears--- set at 20.

Dampers set at 6 front and 4 back--- 30 clicks is max stiff.

V. nice on windy roads with a full load, but a little stiff around town.

Raised the ride height by 12mm for the summer and will return to standard height and will stiffen up the shocks for the first(with this car ) track event.

hmm, ya know i've never given much thought to the front swaybar. but i might have to check more into that.

Grp N tops, AGXs, Whiteline Control springs. I've had this setup for a few months, it's a great improvement over stock original 16 year old stuff. I like the adjustability, comfortable for daily but can be made stiffer in a minute. The springs give it a whacky look front to rear, but I can't see that from the driver's seat.

Ok, just to set this straight this is what i want to do.

option #1
2001 rs2.5 struts
92-94 turbo legacy springs

what i want to know is can i use my stock legacy upper spring perches or will i need impreza upper spring perches?

option #2
2001 2.5rs struts/springs

Can i use my stock legacy upper spring perches with option #2 or will i need impreza perches?

thanks.