Coilover Recommendations

[justin303films]

Looking for some upgraded suspension and to go a little lower. I'm hopping to do some auto x this upcoming spring as well. Mostly looking for a good ride for daily driving for commuting to college everyday.

 

looking at around the $1,000 mark.

 

Interested in the ISC N1, Fortune Auto 500 Series Generation 5, BC racing, and Tein Flex Z.

 

More interested in the ISC N1, and Fortune because they offer a 5 year warranty unlike the others.

 

Anyone have previous experience with any of these, if so did you like them?

[sjxbrd]

As many others on this forum said about the same topic (especially whitetiger), get Koni or Bilstein HD struts, and some decent springs. RCE T1's are only considered entry level coilovers, and it is around the $2000 mark.

[justin303films]

As many others on this forum said about the same topic (especially whitetiger), get Koni or Bilstein HD struts, and some decent springs. RCE T1's are only considered entry level coilovers, and it is around the $2000 mark.

I'm looking for coilovers not to build my own shocks

[fedaykin]

The TEINs look good.

[scoobyscoodle]

If you're set on coilovers go with either RCE T1's or KWv2's.

 

While all of the coilovers you listed will get you lower, none of them will do it while maintaining a decent ride quality.

[l3ryson]

I have N1s with the "race" springs (10k/12k) on my Wrx wagon. They ride incredibly nice, even at full stiff. I can imagine the regular spring setup (6k/8k I think) would be even nicer. Obviously coilovers are going to be stiffer than stock, but that's part of the fun of driving it, for me at least.

I have bc br extreme lows, valved and fitted with 14k swift springs front and back on my lgt wagon. They are substantially bouncier than my ISCs.

 

For the money, I would go isc. I've been nothing but happy with mine. Plenty of adjustability, and a great feeling ride.

[justin303films]

I have N1s with the "race" springs (10k/12k) on my Wrx wagon. They ride incredibly nice, even at full stiff. I can imagine the regular spring setup (6k/8k I think) would be even nicer. Obviously coilovers are going to be stiffer than stock, but that's part of the fun of driving it, for me at least.

I have bc br extreme lows, valved and fitted with 14k swift springs front and back on my lgt wagon. They are substantially bouncier than my ISCs.

 

For the money, I would go isc. I've been nothing but happy with mine. Plenty of adjustability, and a great feeling ride.

Thank you! this is what i was looking for.

[justin303films]

If you're set on coilovers go with either RCE T1's or KWv2's.

 

While all of the coilovers you listed will get you lower, none of them will do it while maintaining a decent ride quality.

I do understand that the ride quality wont match the stock ride but everything has its ups and downs. Looking to hug some back roads and have some fun doing some auto x. So if my ride is a bit stiffer i should be able to deal with it.

[l3ryson]

Honestly, look in to sway bars as well. For a stiff, and fun cornering, car those made all the difference for me.

[justin303films]

just saw that the Tein Flex Z coilovers come with 6k front and 7k rear spring rates. While all the other coilovers come with 8k front and 6k rear. Would the tein be better for street because of the softer springs?

[justin303films]

Honestly, look in to sway bars as well. For a stiff, and fun cornering, car those made all the difference for me.

Not sure how bigger sway bars would be with stock suspension with 100k. or are you saying get coilover + sway bars?

[scoobyscoodle]

I do understand that the ride quality wont match the stock ride but everything has its ups and downs. Looking to hug some back roads and have some fun doing some auto x. So if my ride is a bit stiffer i should be able to deal with it.

 

Pretty much any coilover is going to be "stiffer." This is not what I meant when I said the ride quality will not be good. The perception of ride quality is mostly dependent on damping rates and valving, not spring rates. No coilover in the $1,000 price range has any sort of valving technology in the dampers. This is why in that price range most experienced suspension builders will recommend a spring/strut setup with Koni or Bilsteins, those companies actually know how to engineer a damper.

 

While the ISC's may ride ok on the street and reduce the body roll of the car, they are not a performance suspension. I wouldn't take an ISC/BC equipped car on the track and push it for fear of my safety.

 

 

just saw that the Tein Flex Z coilovers come with 6k front and 7k rear spring rates. While all the other coilovers come with 8k front and 6k rear. Would the tein be better for street because of the softer springs?

 

For the BL/BP/GR chassis, you're much better off going with a matched spring setup (same f/r rates), or go with a stiffer rear spring. This will give you a pretty even natural ride frequency between the front and rear after you factor in the motion ratio's.

 

As far as what rides better on the street, that will all come down to valving. My RCE T1's with 9K/9K rates rode substantially better than my BC BR's with 6K/8K. On top of that, my current Ohlins setup with 10K/11K rates handles and rides better than any setup I've ever been on before, even with the higher rates.

 

It all comes down to the valving, unless you're trying to "stance" the car, in which case none of this matters.

 

 

Not sure how bigger sway bars would be with stock suspension with 100k. or are you saying get coilover + sway bars?

 

With 100K on stock dampers you should replace the dampers first. But swaybars in addition to coilovers/struts will give you the best handling all around.

[justin303films]

Thank you scoobyscoodle! Im certainly not trying to stance my car or go crazy hard on track. Think im just going to get the ISC although the Fortune Auto 500 Series Generation 5 Coilover Kit seems to be better built. so those are my 2 options at this point. Im a little confused with the fortune 500 series gen 5 kit because in the description it says re-valve able.

Heres the think, tell me what you think?

https://subimods.com/fortune-auto-500-series-generation-5-coilover-kit-2005-2009-lgt-gen5-500-blbp.html

[Dujo]

Good coilovers ($3000-$4000) > Koni/Bilstein with spring of choice > Cheap coilovers (ISC, BC, Megan) > OEM Suspension

 

ISC just isn't a quality coilover. My wife and friends still make fun of me for putting ISCs on my car and destroying any semblance of ride quality. ISCs may feel significantly stiffer and reduce body roll in the turns, but your suspension's job isn't to reduce body roll. That's what sway bars are for. The suspension (spring and damper) is supposed to keep the tires on the road, through bumps and turns and body lean. When you hit a bump, the Konis are much better at dealing with the damping required to keep a good solid connection to the ground. ISCs are stance coilovers. They are not performance coilovers. I was very disappointed with my ISC experience. Konis paired with a spring of your choice is a better performance option, even through the twistys AND the ride quality is going to be significantly better. If it's a track/autocross car, you want super expensive coilovers. If it's a daily driver or you just don't want to spend $4 grand on coilovers alone, Konis w/spring is the best choice. I'm very happy with my Konis. Even autocrossing on them.

[sjxbrd]

A compliant ride means your tire is contacting ground, which in turn gives you more grip. A quality suspension setup will give you more ride comfort and more grip. The ISC/BCBR coilovers may feel sporty, but it does not mean there is more tire grip. It's likely that the valving has too much rebound, and the car is jacking down and making contact with bump stops. Checkout suspension truth on youtube, or read the articles on far north racing. There is some really good knowledge to be had from those sources.

 

Between my LGT sedan and my dad's LGT wagon, I have tried stock, tein, Bilstien, Koni, and now RCE T1. RCE T1 is my favorite, and Koni and Bilstein are close second. When I changed from tein basics to Koni+Eibach, it was a good improvement in both ride quality and handling.

[justin303films]

Really interested in the koni set up. are you guys talking about something like this?

http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/suspension.jsp?make=Koni&model=Sport+Damper+Set+%26+Springs&group=Sport+Damper+Set+%26+Springs&partNum=1140-1671&autoMake=Subaru&autoModel=Legacy+Sedan+2.5+GT&autoYear=2007&autoModClar=Limited

[wesleyCrowbar]

Yup. I bought that exact thing. It takes some assembly though (standard cut-a-strut). I've just got new control arms and top hats and I'll be putting them on soon

[sjxbrd]

Really interested in the koni set up. are you guys talking about something like this?

http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/suspension.jsp?make=Koni&model=Sport+Damper+Set+%26+Springs&group=Sport+Damper+Set+%26+Springs&partNum=1140-1671&autoMake=Subaru&autoModel=Legacy+Sedan+2.5+GT&autoYear=2007&autoModClar=Limited

 

Yup. And if you buy from one of the vendors here (i.e. infamous performance), you are supporting vendors who help out around the site and you'll likely get a better price. You could also get the whiteline com-c top hats to add some extra camber and caster.

 

I found refreshing the front control arm bushings with whiteline stuff (anti lift kit, bump steer kit, and front inner bushings) made very noticeable improvement in front end grip.

[justin303films]

Yup. And if you buy from one of the vendors here (i.e. infamous performance), you are supporting vendors who help out around the site and you'll likely get a better price. You could also get the whiteline com-c top hats to add some extra camber and caster.

 

I found refreshing the front control arm bushings with whiteline stuff (anti lift kit, bump steer kit, and front inner bushings) made very noticeable improvement in front end grip.

Okay definitely leaning towards this setup than the "cheap coilover" route. also in the other post you mentioned something about koni+eibach?

[justin303films]

Yup. I bought that exact thing. It takes some assembly though (standard cut-a-strut). I've just got new control arms and top hats and I'll be putting them on soon

Im not upgrading until winters over so when you get them on let me know what you think! would be much appreciate!

[wesleyCrowbar]

Okay definitely leaning towards this setup than the "cheap coilover" route. also in the other post you mentioned something about koni+eibach?

The link you provided is exactly that. The springs are H&R though.

[scoobyscoodle]

You will be much happier with that decision.

[l3ryson]

Not sure how bigger sway bars would be with stock suspension with 100k. or are you saying get coilover + sway bars?

 

 

I did do bigger sways after I had already installed coilovers. But as far as handling goes, that's been the best mod for "tightening up".

[Dujo]

That link you posted is exactly what you are looking for, if it's the right fit. Koni does not make full kits for every car. Usually they use the cut-a-strut method for most cars, though they do make a few fully built sets for very popular cars. I was under the impression that they did not make a fully built kit for the LGT, but I could be wrong. Further research on your part might be required. I admit, that listing at Tirerack does look pretty right based on what I'm seeing, but you might want to check out Koni's website to be sure they are making what you think this is. I did my own cut-a-strut. Here, check out this awesome walkthrough to see what you need to do if you end up going that route. Don't worry, its not nearly bad as it sounds. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/koni-shock-strut-epic-engineering-spring-install-145744.html

Borrow spring compressors and a possibly a pipe cutter from Autozone. Might have to borrow a pipe cutter or buy one at Home Depot though. Or just use a hacksaw. Pipe cutter is much cleaner results though.

 

As far as springs ... the Eibach Pro Kit was great. But Eibach quit making those at least 5 years ago. You cannot buy those springs new anywhere. Might be able to find them used. For a while, Fred Beans Parts was selling an identical re-pop of the Eibachs labeled as off brand "Epic" springs. This is what I have and it is great. After FBP sold out of their run a couple times, they quit making them as well. Infamous Performance and Tuning then ran a couple group buys of the Epics and then quit making them as well. You might check in with Mike to see if he has any sets left over, but I kind of doubt it at this point. So again, can't really buy Epics new either. I think your best option is going to be H&R or Swift or something similar or possibly a used set of Eibachs/Epics. You might need to do a bit more research to find a good spring option.

 

But keep in mind that it's the damper that really matters. Springs are somewhat interchangeable depending on ride height that you're looking for. Good luck!

 

Edit: After looking at that Tire Rack ad again, I think they are just selling the dampers and springs as a package, but that they are not actually built yet. The picture is very misleading on that front. But I'm pretty sure that package still requires that you cut up your OEM suspension. You might want to consider getting somebody else's old front struts and using that to build your new Konis. Then you can just swap the package when you're ready. Less down time that way. Fyi, I believe I still have my original wagon suspension. I might be willing to part with it if you're really interested. Let me know.

 

See here cut/paste from that page:

Note: Avg. Low 35mm F & 35mm R.

Excl. Wagon. Front: for KYB struts only. McPherson Strut Cartridge. Special McPherson strut insert bolted into OE housing after cutting top and removing old internal parts.

[justin303films]

That link you posted is exactly what you are looking for, if it's the right fit. Koni does not make full kits for every car. Usually they use the cut-a-strut method for most cars, though they do make a few fully built sets for very popular cars. I was under the impression that they did not make a fully built kit for the LGT, but I could be wrong. Further research on your part might be required. I admit, that listing at Tirerack does look pretty right based on what I'm seeing, but you might want to check out Koni's website to be sure they are making what you think this is. I did my own cut-a-strut. Here, check out this awesome walkthrough to see what you need to do if you end up going that route. Don't worry, its not nearly bad as it sounds. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/koni-shock-strut-epic-engineering-spring-install-145744.html

Borrow spring compressors and a possibly a pipe cutter from Autozone. Might have to borrow a pipe cutter or buy one at Home Depot though. Or just use a hacksaw. Pipe cutter is much cleaner results though.

 

As far as springs ... the Eibach Pro Kit was great. But Eibach quit making those at least 5 years ago. You cannot buy those springs new anywhere. Might be able to find them used. For a while, Fred Beans Parts was selling an identical re-pop of the Eibachs labeled as off brand "Epic" springs. This is what I have and it is great. After FBP sold out of their run a couple times, they quit making them as well. Infamous Performance and Tuning then ran a couple group buys of the Epics and then quit making them as well. You might check in with Mike to see if he has any sets left over, but I kind of doubt it at this point. So again, can't really buy Epics new. I think your best option is going to be H&R or Swift or something similar. You might need to do a bit more research to find a good spring option.

 

But keep in mind that it's the damper that really matters. Springs are somewhat interchangeable depending on ride height that you're looking for. Good luck!

Thanks man i really appreciate the advice! But as for cut-a-strurt what does that mean. like the would send me a universal pair of koni shhocks and i would have to custom fit them?