Here is your mission...

[magicmike]

If you are bored and choose to accept it...

OK so I just got my LGT wheels on as some of you may know and I'm wanting to upgrade the current suspension. I've done alot of reading but it basically comes down to I dont know anything about this stuff. I have tried to educate myself but I get confused with all the stuff you guys talk about and putting all different parts in from different cars and such. Here are my criteria for upgrading my suspention. Let me know what you think.

1. I must be able to buy all components from reputable companies using credit cards. (No paypal)
2. What ever I buy must bolt up with little to no modification.
3. I'd like to lower the car slightly but not slammed to the ground.
4. I'd like it to be as tight as possible with little concern for ride comfort.
5. I'd like to eliminate body roll as much as possible.
6. I'd like to buy a package with the springs already mounted on the struts for ease of installation.


Budget for this project is $1000 but I could spend more depending on what you guys suggest.

So, If anyone would like to live vicariously through me tell me what your ideal setup would be so I can buy it lol.

Thanks guys

[Imprezive]

I'll think of somethin'!

[jamal]

v5/v6 take-offs come up on places like jdmpartstx occasionally but those are starting to get pretty old. Pretty much the only other bolt in thing is a set of coilovers, and those start at a grand. You can get megan racing or tein basics for that much I think.

Otherwise I would say KYB AGXs with some sort of a stiff spring, and a set of swaybars, which are the most effective at reducing body roll.

[Brat4by4]

#6 makes it near impossible to do for under 1 grand.

Slide in units will have to include the tophats, too. And those aren't exactly cheap. A spring compressor is a very easy thing to use, you can rent(/own) one from AutoZone.

I would recommend V7/8 Sti take-offs with swaybars. Buying them new is possible but I think is around $300 a corner.

Or used coil-overs. But if you don't want to use a spring compressor, then you probably don't want to have deal with corner weighting, setting the ride heighth, adjustable dampers, and getting the units rebuilt relatively often.

[jamal]

I've kind of gotten away from recommending new Impreza stuff because of the camber issues, but if you want to do it, I'd suggest picking up a set of camber plates as well. If you want ver8 stuff, you'll need rear camber bolts, 90-91 rear tops, and something else to give you more negative camber up front.

I managed to get -0.7° up front with 04 STi takeoffs, which isn't enough for me. I toasted the outside of my front tires on a "spirited" drive a few weeks ago. With aftermarket camber bolts maxed out in the rear I have -1.5, which seems to be the right amount as wear is completely even.

My next project is to drill out the bottom holes in the knuckle to run OEM camber bolts in both front holes. I'll see how that works out when I get the bolts either tomorrow or next week. I might skip it if I have to drill out the strut holes too, and just run small bolts and buy camber plates later.

If you don't have enough static camber to keep the tire flat on the ground, the fanciest suspension in the world isn't going to make your car handle much better.

[All_talk]

Here's that thread on my suspension upgrade (AGX & Pro Kits)...

http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic. ... gx+pro+kit

Brat4by4 is right rule #6 makes it tough.

If ride comfort is not an issue you could could look at some of the +200lb rate springs but for a daily street car sub 200s are a good bet (mine are 190F/170R). The AGXs could handle a bit heavier spring but if you go way heavy they would be under damped at higher speed and probably wear quickly.

On camber, I'm maxed in the front at -2 Deg with stock camber bolts and about -1 in the rear. Based on my tire wear (I like to corner hard), I'm a little to much in the front and not quite enough in the rear. I think I'mm gonna add camber bolts to the rear and set it at -1.5 all around.

I'm running stock swaybars and the bodyroll is pretty well checked but I think I would want it a little stiffer in the rear if I ran autoX or the like.

My set up handles quite neutral, even near the limit (after all its not really a corner if the tires dont make some noise), with a smooth transition to slight power on understeer exiting. And I'm sure it could be forced into oversteer with the right driver inputs but I dont think that driving style is well suited to the steet so I refrain.

Well I'm not sure all that is gonna help amswer your questions, just one mans input to consider, lol.

Gary

[scottzg]

stiff and 'getting rid of body roll' doesn't really lend itself to driving fast in the real world.

[Subtle]

Complaint springing with good bars front and back is v. good for most conditions.

[magicmike]

ok I finally have time to respond to some of your replies.

OK so I guess I'll go with the GYB AGX's but I'm still confused about what to do with the springs. I didn't know they made eibachs that would fit. I thought that alot of people used whitelines on here. I'm still confused about spring rates and all the components that I need to buy. All the talk about top mounts and camber rates and such confuses me.

I was looking here http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/Susp ... &brand=all

regarding #6 I guess I can put the springs on myself bnut I definately dont want to deal with buying used stuff from different year models and stuff. Can I just buy springs and struts and mount them with all the exsisting pieces?

[dwreck30]

I am running AGX's with H&R springs. I got my AGX's off ebay and the springs from tirerack. If you get a spring compressor you would have everything you need to put them on your car. Just swap the tophats off your old struts onto the new stuff and your good.

[scottzg]

Why not run wrx agx, wrx springs, and some 20mm bars? That would ride well, maintain a decent ride height, and resist roll. The adjustable shocks + tire pressures should be plenty to fiddle with how the car handles. You could even crank up the shocks when you want it to ride like shit and provide the visceral road manners you can only get from a very stiff road car.

[BAC5.2]

$1000?

Tein Basics. Done. One of our WRX's posted the best time at the Subaru Challenge with RA1's, Basic's, sway bars and a gooooood alignment. An instructor drove it to the best time of the day (though the time was not allowed since it was an instructor who posted it).

Not the best coilover, but for the money they are pretty good. Under $1000 too! Expect to pay $899. That's enough left over for an alignment if you install them yourself!

Plus, with Basics, you gain tire clearance. Invaluable when you want to get a lot of handling out of the car.

After you do that, buy all of the braces you can find. We had an STi with all of he possible braces (the GT spec catalog of braces, strut bars, under tie bars, fender braces, everything) and it handles INCREDIBLY tight. Very planted. I'd call it "firm, yet controlled".

[magicmike]

I didn't realize that 1000 was too little to spend on a suspension. I could see spending up to 2k but I can justify much more than that.

[scottzg]

sky is the limit for spending on suspension. Question is if you can drive well enough and are in a setting where you can 1)descern a difference 2)tell if the difference is good or bad and 3)need the performance edge.

IMHO a reasonably soft and fairly low budget suspension is going to perform just as well (if not better) on the street and occasional track day, where ease of controlling the car is more important than exiting that turn 1mph faster.

$$ can't replace good set up and good driving experience anyway.

[jamal]

I don't think too stiff is an issue on the street until you have like at least 300lb/in springs. As long as they are properly damped the car is going to be flatter, more responsive, and maintain a better camber curve than softer springs.

Even with STi stuff which have rates of 224f/194r I would like them to be a bit stiffer and could go with less body roll on the street. Right now I'm looking to upgrade my front swaybar a few mm, hit -2 deg front camber, and I just bought some solid endlinks.

[IronMonkeyL255]

$1000?

Tein Basics. Done. One of our WRX's posted the best time at the Subaru Challenge with RA1's, Basic's, sway bars and a gooooood alignment. An instructor drove it to the best time of the day (though the time was not allowed since it was an instructor who posted it).

Not the best coilover, but for the money they are pretty good. Under $1000 too! Expect to pay $899. That's enough left over for an alignment if you install them yourself!

Plus, with Basics, you gain tire clearance. Invaluable when you want to get a lot of handling out of the car.

What part # would work with our cars?

Do you just use the stock top mounts with this setup? I noticed all the higher setups come with tophats.

After thinking long and hard, I figure I may as well go this route instead of springs/struts. It'll probably be a while, since I plan on doing all the major bushings (SuperPro makes a kit for the GC Imprezas that should work for us) and the engine mounts first.