ivan.ej255 Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 Ivan, agree 100% on the Bilstein being stiff in city driving lol! I also considered KYB SR's but research leads me to believe they are underdamped for the sport package springs we have. The SRs ride well with the right springs though, I paired SRs with Swift Sport lowering springs on my previous Forester SG9 and liked them. Ride was a lot better than the Legacy. I think the Eibachs will be a better match for the SRs. You can adjust height with front and rear strut spacers to keep ground clearance. Or put in 19's with 245/40's to gain some height with looks. I hear Coilover Specialist does nice work but revalving can be hit or miss IMO. And any adjustment will need the dampers to be removed from the car again. Unless he has experience with these particular dampers with those particular springs, it may take a few tries to dial it in. I'll probably have him replace the inverted strut bearings and reseal my Bilsteins once I get a new suspension though, so I have a set in reserve. Your experience with KWs echoes what I read about them online. I'm leaning towards these as like you, I need the ground clearance. As a bonus, I'm looking forward to lowering these once in a while just for the look on well planned trips on good roads. Hoping to get the deal closed soon! Are you certain that we have sport package springs? I know that we have sport Bilsteins but I've always thought the springs are the same as USDM pre-facelift springs. What you said about the KYB SR installed in a Forester matched what I saw online, Forester owners loved them so much which added to my confidence in buying it. We'll see, maybe you're right once I install the Eibachs maybe the ride with these KYB SR's will improve. About CS. Actually that's the only thing that's holding me back right now, he is not very open about his methodology and he doesn't even have a shock dyno so I'm trying to find out how he does the revalving. Right now I'm leaning towards FCM. Although his pricing is kinda steep, his attention to detail is second to none - he is willing to provide me a shock dyno graph and everything but I'll wait for your review on KW coilovers first before taking another step. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 I replaced all my dampers last week and I can confirm that the Koni inserts will not be compatible with our OEM Bilsteins.The Koni's come with a spacer for larger inner diameter tubes - do you know what the ID is of the Bilstein strut body? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan.ej255 Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 The Koni's come with a spacer for larger inner diameter tubes - do you know what the ID is of the Bilstein strut body? Oh I didn't know they include spacers for larger tubes. I didn't measure the diameter but I took a picture side by side with the KYB. The blue one is the KYB, yellow is the Bilstein. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted April 9, 2019 Author Share Posted April 9, 2019 Are you certain that we have sport package springs? I know that we have sport Bilsteins but I've always thought the springs are the same as USDM pre-facelift springs. What you said about the KYB SR installed in a Forester matched what I saw online, Forester owners loved them so much which added to my confidence in buying it. We'll see, maybe you're right once I install the Eibachs maybe the ride with these KYB SR's will improve. About CS. Actually that's the only thing that's holding me back right now, he is not very open about his methodology and he doesn't even have a shock dyno so I'm trying to find out how he does the revalving. Right now I'm leaning towards FCM. Although his pricing is kinda steep, his attention to detail is second to none - he is willing to provide me a shock dyno graph and everything but I'll wait for your review on KW coilovers first before taking another step. Good luck! I am fairly certain the Bilstein cars have different springs. I remember that many dampers I looked at were specifically not recommended as replacement for Bilstein-equiped cars. A lot of literature I read categorize the Bilstein equiped cars as "sport package" equiped. Yes CS is not very customer-friendly lol! But I asked around some of the clubs that track a lot and they report that a lot of members who get their dampers serviced by him are happy. I would be willing to try him to refurbish seals and such but tuning would be another matter altogether. Funny, no one seems to like the Bilstein setup on the 5th gen. They sell for cheap on upgarage all day long. Unlike the 4th gens where there is a decent market for Bilstein takeoffs. For the effort you would spent tuning them (which you may not get a satisfactory result at all if the springs suck too), you might not be far off from a proven turnkey setup? I just saw some 08-up WRX takeoffs for P5,000 ($100) front and rear on OLX. Those will accept Koni inserts but will result in a lowered front because of a lower perch...which can be adjusted back up with strut spacers. That's one option I aas looking at myself before a deal came along. Especially since you already have Eibachs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 Oh I didn't know they include spacers for larger tubes. I didn't measure the diameter but I took a picture side by side with the KYB. The blue one is the KYB, yellow is the Bilstein. really can't say without cutting the strut, unfortunately - without knowing the wall thickness (I would bet the Bilsteins are thicker than the KYB) the ID could be anything between the OD of the strut shaft (looks like they are inverted struts) and the OD minus 6mm or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy.B Posted April 11, 2019 Share Posted April 11, 2019 I highly recommend the Koni/Eibach combo. The springs stiffen up nicely in corners and lane changes but aren't harsh when cruising a long. Timothy.B's 2011 LEGACY 3.6R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted April 11, 2019 Author Share Posted April 11, 2019 Aaaaaand...its KW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan.ej255 Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 Aaaaaand...its KW Wow looks nice! Can't wait for your review! Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted April 13, 2019 Author Share Posted April 13, 2019 Wow looks nice! Can't wait for your review! Lol I have to get it home first! So it will have to be in a month or two lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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