goneskiian Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 (edited) Not likely for a Subaru. Stranger things have happened though! OK, the before and after pictures... Also, I couldn't wait any longer to start fiddling with the Koni struts. I backed them all the way out to full soft today. Wow! Very smooth ride! Nice and supple yet still stays flat in the corners and very, very little squat and dive. I'm liking this for now but may go a tad stiffer like a quarter or half turn more firm. More install picts here. Cheers! Edited October 13, 2009 by goneskiian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteyjr Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Nice, I'm sure you are enjoying it. I did a quarter turn from full soft front, three quarter turn from full soft rear except for track/autocross days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanslo Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 I keep forgetting to ask. Has anyone trimmed the bump stops on their stock struts? I have seen the walkthrough for trimming the stops on bilsteins but what about stock LGT struts? KurtP, bosco, bovesnh1 you all have run stock struts on Eibachs right? Did any of you guys cut the bump stops? Thanks, Hanslo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gk1 Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 (edited) I'm running ion springs with stock struts, and I trimmed the front bump stops when I did the spring install. Can't say that I can tell a difference, but that might be proof that it helped... With the top hat removed, take off the boot and then slide the bumper off the strut shaft, cut part of it off from the small end (I can't recall if I cut off half of the first small "donut" or all of it), then put everything back together. Edited October 14, 2009 by gk1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteyjr Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 I was under the impression that the bump stop mod was for BIlstein /inverted type struts only. I didn't do it for that reason but have had no issues with IONS and the Koni's. Previously with the stock struts and Swifts it was Boom, boom pow over any bump bigger than a 1/2 inch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bovesnh1 Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Hanslo, When I had the springs installed by my dealer they did not say anything to me about cutting the bump stops to ensure proper fitment. They told me the job went smoothly, just broke down the stock setup and reinstalled the Eibachs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobydoobie Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I put forester specific Tein H.techs on the stock struts of my 99 forester a few years ago and cut the bump stops on the stock struts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanslo Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 (edited) I was under the impression that the bump stop mod was for BIlstein /inverted type struts only. I didn't do it for that reason but have had no issues with IONS and the Koni's. Previously with the stock struts and Swifts it was Boom, boom pow over any bump bigger than a 1/2 inch. That is the impression I was getting from the other thread too, but... Posted by gk1: I'm running ion springs with stock struts, and I trimmed the front bump stops when I did the spring install. Can't say that I can tell a difference, but that might be proof that it helped... ...With the top hat removed, take off the boot and then slide the bumper off the strut shaft, cut part of it off from the small end (I can't recall if I cut off half of the first small "donut" or all of it), then put everything back together. Posted by scoobydoobie: I put forester specific Tein H.techs on the stock struts of my 99 forester a few years ago and cut the bump stops on the stock struts. ...It looks like it can be done. I have attached pics of stock LGT struts and blisteins for comparison. To my untrained eye they look a lot like the same general construction which is why I am thinking it is possible. [i grabbed these pics from other threads, so thanks to the members to whom these belong] Hanslo Edited October 16, 2009 by Hanslo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanslo Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Hanslo, When I had the springs installed by my dealer they did not say anything to me about cutting the bump stops to ensure proper fitment. They told me the job went smoothly, just broke down the stock setup and reinstalled the Eibachs. Hey Bovesnh1. I'm sure it isn't required for proper fitment. I know you and others have been quite satisfied with the feel of the ride so it probably isn't necessary at all. I'm just thinking that if it can be done it might be a relatively harmless thing to do to regain suspension travel lost by lowering the car. My plan is to trim about 1/2" off the rear stops and maybe an inch off the fronts depending on what they look like. gk1, what do they look like? Are they similar to the ones pictured in this thread? http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99244&highlight=bump Hanslo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goneskiian Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I should have taken pictures of the stock strut when I had it apart to do the Koni inserts. There is a bump stop (I believe) that you simply remove and then slide over the top of the Koni insert. I wonder if this can (or should) be trimmed. From what Myles at RCE is saying, this is something that should be done (well shorter stops anyway, not necessarily trimming them) with lowering springs of any kind. I wonder if there's a shorter/stiffer version of the OEM ones that can be had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gk1 Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 The stock front bump stops look similar to the ones in this thread: http://www.rs25.com/forums/f9/t76419-bumpstops-you-riding-them-picture-thread-measurements.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanslo Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 (edited) The stock front bump stops look similar to the ones in this thread: http://www.rs25.com/forums/f9/t76419-bumpstops-you-riding-them-picture-thread-measurements.html gk1 that was a great read. I read the whole damn thing and next i'm going to read the thread by 'stretch' linked in there. I'm a little surprised there isn't more talk on this forum about trimming bump stops. Unless there is a good reason not too, I fully intend to trim the fronts when I do my install. I'll have to exam the rears some more since it appears that it may not be necessary to trim the rear bump stops. For those who have already installed their suspensions, read the thread provided by gk1. It explains how to trim bump stops right on the car without having to disassemble anything. Since the discussion is about the Impreza RS I don't know how well everything applies but it might. Thanks, Hanslo Edited October 17, 2009 by Hanslo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goneskiian Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 Yup, that's what they look like. I'm very interested in this as well. I'm also interested if the Koni "extenders" would work for our struts. I remember a discussion somewhere else about them. I can't remember where at the moment. I'll go back and read those threads again later. This must be what Underdog was referring too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siper2 Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 gk1 that was a great read. I read the whole damn thing and next i'm going to read the thread by 'stretch' linked in there. I'm a little surprised there isn't more talk on this forum about trimming bump stops. Unless there is a good reason not too, I fully intend to trim the fronts when I do my install. I'll have to exam the rears some more since it appears that it may not be necessary to trim the rear bump stops. For those who have already installed their suspensions, read the thread provided by gk1. It explains how to trim bump stops right on the car without having to disassemble anything. Since the discussion is about the Impreza RS I don't know how well everything applies but it might. Thanks, Hanslo Dave (AcquaCow, the guy who wrote that thread) is very good with suspensions, and put a lot of time in to that thread. It's one our better FAQs on that forum, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgLGT Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 I'm going to be doing my Koni's and Rallitek's on my Spec B this December...I'm going to try to find some shorter progressive bump stops. Just need to get back home, I can't even take measurements here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BierSnob Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 OK, so I have looked back and can't find anyone with Tien S springs and Koni combo so does anyon have info on this set up. New to posting but have been lurking for some time. BTW this set up is sitting in my garage now. Stop me or push me. 05 LGT limited wagon. Cobb sways, and AP:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanslo Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 OK, so I have looked back and can't find anyone with Tien S springs and Koni combo so does anyon have info on this set up. New to posting but have been lurking for some time. BTW this set up is sitting in my garage now. Stop me or push me. 05 LGT limited wagon. Cobb sways, and AP:eek: I have the cobb sways and AP myself and love them. I have read nothing but good things about the konis. IMHO it's the S-techs I would reconsider. Of course, it absolutely depends on what you are after. From what I have read I believe the S-techs are more cosmetic than performance oriented. Again IMHO, I would look at almost any of the other springs commonly discussed on this forum over the S-techs. (I am not talking from personal experience). Hanslo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullfrg Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Too low for my taste and really more for looks then performance. Hated my S-techs on my Evo, it was the first thing to get changed when I picked that car up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goneskiian Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 OK, so I have looked back and can't find anyone with Tien S springs and Koni combo so does anyon have info on this set up. New to posting but have been lurking for some time. BTW this set up is sitting in my garage now. Stop me or push me. 05 LGT limited wagon. Cobb sways, and AP:eek: I hope you've got REALLY smooth roads in Oklahoma! The S-Techs are super low. Might as well just not have springs and ride on your bumps stops. OK, that may be exaggerating a bit but not by much. I'm really loving my Eibach and Koni setup. Still getting the struts dialed in to my liking but I got to push it on a freeway exchange a bit today. Me very happy. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BierSnob Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Thanks for the feed back. I guess I will just do the EBC brakes and SS brake lines today. I will look into exchanging the tiens:spin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BierSnob Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 So Eibachs are not available for wagons any longer so whats out there? Cobbs drop the front 1.75 and the rear 1. They get fair reviews. You all tel me the Tien S Techs suck...to low rough ride poor handling, even though Tien's site states that all fitments are road and computer tested for performance and ride(of course:mad:). So whats left? Ralitechs? I really like the thought of a progressive spring rate. The people at RPI in Oregon tell me that the S techs are great, so if you think I was spinning before you should see me now. :spin:. I did get the new brakes in...EBC slotted and dimpled lwith red stuff pads. I will start breaking them in tomorrow. Still looking @ my koni's waiting for a spring choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devobuzz Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 I have Koni's with iONS. They are a progressive rate spring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainhook Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Cobbs drop the front 1.75 and the rear 1. The exact drop with the Cobb's for me was 1.5" front, and 5/8" rear. More specs in post #90 in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZGT Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 So Eibachs are not available for wagons any longer so whats out there? Cobbs drop the front 1.75 and the rear 1. They get fair reviews. You all tel me the Tien S Techs suck...to low rough ride poor handling, even though Tien's site states that all fitments are road and computer tested for performance and ride(of course:mad:). So whats left? Ralitechs? I really like the thought of a progressive spring rate. The people at RPI in Oregon tell me that the S techs are great, so if you think I was spinning before you should see me now. :spin:. I did get the new brakes in...EBC slotted and dimpled lwith red stuff pads. I will start breaking them in tomorrow. Still looking @ my koni's waiting for a spring choice. I've got a set of Cobbs sitting in my garage ready to go in my wagon, I'll report back with pics once they are in I went with Cobbs because every wagon I see lowered drags the rear. Hopefully the Cobbs will sort that out with their lower front spring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanslo Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 (edited) I swapped springs on my spare suspension assembly. I put Eibach springs on stock struts/shocks in preparation for my suspension swap this Thanksgiving weekend. I trimmed the bump stops on the front struts: Pic1 shows the stock bump stop. Pic2 shows what it looks like after I cut it. I had a hard time deciding which half to use. Pics 3,4 show how I cut it roughly in half. The half on the left is about 1/8" shorter but much more firm. Pics 5,6 show how much I could compress them with my thumb - I could hardly compress the shorter, firmer half at all. I decided to use the softer half since, if I do hit the stops going over a bump, I don't want it to be too abrupt and harsh. Unfortunately, the internal diameter of the stop isn't uniform. I didn't realize this until I had already cut the first one in half. The softer part has a wider internal diameter - about 9/8" compared to about 7/8" for the firm half (see pics 7,8) which allows it to slide and spin freely as compared to the other half which fits on the shaft snuggly. More unfortunately, the bump stop is what holds the dust cover up. Since the softer half of the bumpstop is free to fall to the bottom of the shaft, the dust cover does too. I ended up using a foam gasket/o'ring from a CD spindle case as a washer to hold the dust cover up - terribly ghetto but effective. I don't know how long it will hold up or if it even matters. I also hope that the bumpstop doesn't get completely chewed up due to it being loose. gk1, you trimmed off some of the softer end that has the larger internal diameter. Did you do this on purpose for this reason? I didn't realize the internal diameter would vary like that. Has anyone else encountered this? Will it matter? I'm thinking about putting the other half on instead. This will make the bump stop function like the original as in it will sit snuggly and stay in place. But then i'm not sure what I have gained. I will have removed the softest, squishiest part and left the non-compressable part in place. Thanks, Hanslo Attached Thumbnails Edited November 3, 2009 by Hanslo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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