mmm def Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 I thought when you change the springs you are supposed to do the shocks too, seems everybody is just doing the springs. I am going to order the pinks today, just wanted to make sure. Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxerGT2.5 Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 [quote name='mmm def']I thought when you change the springs you are supposed to do the shocks too, seems everybody is just doing the springs. I am going to order the pinks today, just wanted to make sure. Thanks all.[/QUOTE] Many believe that when you just swap springs you will inevitably shorten the life of the shock. Honestly, you may only loose 5000 mi if that on the life. Some are die hard and will tell you that you will destroy the shocks very fast. Not true if all you are putting on the car is a stiffer spring with a mild drop. Now if you slam the car 2+ inches then yes, you destroy the shocks much quicker. Pinks or Swifts.....I wouldn't worry too much about it. OBAMA......One Big Ass Mistake America! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiftyTwoEighty Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 Agreed. If anything, many will recommend replacing the factory dampeners with something with tighter valving simply due to the fact that many factory struts are in an under-damped condition to begin with. As a result, the ride quality and the handling may actually suffer if the springs that you choose are considerably stiffer than the original design intended. Lowering the vehicle with aftermarket springs (as opposed to coilovers) will also shorten the amount of suspension travel which can hasten the suspension's rise up into the bump stops. Naturally, a lowered vehicle hitting the bump stops is simply not a good thing for handling or the quality of ride. As it turns out, the STi Springs for the JDM Legacy must have very similar dampening characteristics as the US Spec Legacy GT. As a result, the STi springs are a very good match for the stock struts on our cars. Otherwise, if the springs were too tight, you could expect more bounciness (with the stock struts desperately trying to keep up to the increased spring rate), and less than optimum handling over various bumps and undulations. In short, don't worry about it in this case but don't assume that springs with stock struts is always the best combination for any application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drift Monkey Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 You mean over-dampened right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWortham Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 Are there any options for aftermarket struts which would be a mild degree stiffer than the stock struts? For example, do you know the damping rates of the stock struts vs. the JDM Spec-B Bilstein's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiftyTwoEighty Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 [quote name='Drift Monkey']You mean over-dampened right?[/QUOTE] In the literal sense of the word, yes. But over-dampened is counter-intuitive for the illustrative purpose that I intended in this case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxerGT2.5 Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 Cut the bump stop and you allow for the same travel. :) OK boys....rip me apart...:lol: OBAMA......One Big Ass Mistake America! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiftyTwoEighty Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 [quote name='SWortham']Are there any options for aftermarket struts which would be a mild degree stiffer than the stock struts? For example, do you know the damping rates of the stock struts vs. the JDM Spec-B Bilstein's?[/QUOTE] I don't and I suspect that this kind of information is very hard to come by. Often, we can get an idea by comparing part numbers between JDM components and US Spec components. As for aftermarket shocks/struts, I know that there are JDM Spec Bilsteins that are for the Spec B version of the Legacy. There are some compatibility issues between those shocks and the STi springs as I recall. Someone on the forums has installed the full Spec B setup on thier GT though so we know that much is possible. Other than that, the aftermarket should come out with options for US Spec GT's soon but it could take some time for R&D before they are released. Those would probably include the likes of Bilstein, Koni, Tokico, etc... From my experience however, I would recommend that you install them with the stock shocks to see what you think before investing a substantial amount of money in different struts. If you are inclined to do that, you might as well put up a few extra ponies for fully blueprinted coilovers and be done with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiftyTwoEighty Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 [quote name='BoxerGT2.5']Cut the bump stop and you allow for the same travel. :) OK boys....rip me apart...:lol:[/QUOTE] Bah.. no point and from my experience with the STi springs, the car is no more inclined to hit the bumps than it was before unless I really drop it into a hole. Other than that, I've cut many bumpstops myself... they always seemed to work regardless! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWortham Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 I sent KYB an email once asking for the damping rates for their GR-2 struts for a different car. They responded quickly with the rates and I was able to compare them to the stock rates to find that they were indeed a mild/moderate upgrade not intended to be a true performance strut. Some companies are better than others about that sort of thing but I'd hope Bilstein would do the same. It would be nice to gather damping rates for all the strut options as they become available, so you have some real specs to help base your decision off of. Of course for now, you could simply install the STi pinks w/ the stock struts. It sounds like the drop is so mild that you'd be happy with that combination anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucktoo Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 Pinks are great with factory shocks on my XT wagon . A little more damping would be nice but not critical . Dropping the wagon 2" and stiffing it up is night and day . Just add rear a sway bar and I am very happy for street driving or drags . I do not expect to autocrossing a wagon. The pitch damper is also a good addition and I do not have noticably more vibration but less windup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxerGT2.5 Posted December 6, 2004 Share Posted December 6, 2004 [quote name='FiftyTwoEighty']Bah.. no point and from my experience with the STi springs, the car is no more inclined to hit the bumps than it was before unless I really drop it into a hole. Other than that, I've cut many bumpstops myself... they always seemed to work regardless![/QUOTE] I'm just simply stating that it will allow for the same amount of travel in the strut. For those worried about removing just a bit of it. :) OBAMA......One Big Ass Mistake America! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted December 6, 2004 Share Posted December 6, 2004 STi Springs with stock shocks= Ok to do. Keefe Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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