Tired of stiff springs on stock struts, HELP

[Scrambles]

I'm at a bit of a crossroads with suspension work, and I was hoping you all could set me on the right path. I picked up my '05 LGT wagon (from a guy on these forums!) 6 months ago, and I am in love with the car. However, it's got H.Tech's on the stock struts, and I am getting tired of crawling over speed bumps, bouncing on the highway, and bottoming out really easily when carrying 3 passengers. What I want to know is:

 

1) Will stronger struts help with all of those problems?

2) I've got the stock springs in a box in the attic; will reinstalling them with stronger struts be the best solution to these problems (though at the expense of handling)?

3) Will just upgrading rear struts (to HD's ) make a big enough difference to be "worth it", or do I really need to do them all?

4) What the hell is a "top hat", and would I need to replace them in both front and rear to fit a full set of HD's?

5) How easy is it REALLY to install springs/struts yourself with spring compressors? What hang-ups will I run into having never done any car work of any kind before?

 

I'm interested in doing this myself partially to learn how it all goes together, and partially to save money, because I am on a budget (hence the lack of too-hot-for-tv coilovers in this thread). What should I do?!

[RaGe]

1) no

 

2) no/yes

 

3) no

 

4) search is your friend

 

5) There is a walk through on this. Again search.

 

 

 

You have to pay to play. If you dont like the harsh ride on " H " techs then go back to stock. But your going to notice a difference in handling. A decrease in handling per se. In order to achieve a nice ride comfort but still have the performance aspect is going to cost you some money that you made known you dont have. Suspension can cost some money if you do it right. " H " techs are an easy route. They are nice for what they do. I use to have them as well so i know the ride comfort. There is plenty of reading information that is available when you just search. There has been topics that cover the same questions.

[Guest]

Just get a set of Bilsteins (HD or JDM) with JDM stock springs and be done with it. Read the FAQ.

[bgLGT]

You can do Konis and keep the USDM tophats. They're adjustable so they can be set to match any spring rate your drop springs could have and they have a lifetime warranty.

[itsme]

It depends on how much money you want to spend. What you are talking about is a problem wagons have with H-tech springs. They start to sag in the rear because wagons are about 80lbs heavier then sedans in the rear. Mine got so bad that when I had no one in the car the back tires were about a 1/2" or more in the fender. I switched to KW V.2 coil-overs. They are great they ride smooth and peolpe that ride in my car say it's like BMW firm. I got mine for $1600 but, You can get them for about $1200 from Race comp in our market place section. It all depends on how low you want your can and what kind of ride you want. You can go with Megan racing OB coil-overs they will only drop your car car about 1/2" over stock. So it will raise you car about a 1" or 2" or you can go with the stanard MR coil-overs and will drop more and don't use stock top hats(Top hats go on top of the strut and is how the strut mounts to the car.) so the ride is a bit stiffer. PM "boostjunkie" he is the vendor on the site for MR. This is what my car looks like with KW's and I have them set at 1/4" below max height. http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u156/itsmebryan/112317.jpg

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u156/itsmebryan/112332.jpg

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u156/itsmebryan/112326.jpg

Keep in mind that I am running 19x7.5" w 225/35/19 so, they are alittle bigger then stock. The rear of my car is over a 1" higher in the rear then with the h-techs. With just about all coil-over height and damping is adjustable. I went coil-over becaused the stock and springs are matched. You are living with what happens when they are not. It was just too many spring and strut combos to deal with to get the ride and height I wanted. hope that helps.

[CDN 2.5i]

Just get a set of Bilsteins (HD or JDM) with JDM stock springs and be done with it. Read the FAQ.

 

I've got a set of springs and rear struts that would work well for you Scrambles. JDM GT wagon springs will lower less than the H-Techs but are still a handling upgrade.

 

My FS thread here: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74280

 

You'd need to pick up a set of front struts. The HDs would be a good call IMO. The control with the bilsteins is a VAST improvement over stock. You won't be disapointed.