Need some help with a bunch of little questions

[Babubaru]

First of all I'd like to say howdy howdy to everyone, pretty sure this is my first post on here.

 

Moving on

 

I have a 2008 Legacy 2.5i Sedan Touring, (Canadian package that included heated seats, 17's, sunroof) and am looking to improve the handling. I moved into this car from an 89 Civic hatchback, so the two cars have basically nothing in common. First thing I am looking to sort out on this car is the chassis/suspension. Currently the only mods that have been done to the car are cosmetic, with exception of Enkei RPM2s in 17x7

 

Initially my thoughts were go with:

Aftermarket struts with either Cobb or the sti pink lowering springs

Strut tower bar front/rear

and that was the end of my list

 

Thankfully I did more research and found that list really would not yield the results I was looking for, so I came up with my revised stage 1 suspension package. I'll be collecting parts over the next little while and then installing all of the components at the same time.

Stage 1 of suspension build up:

KW Variant 2 Coilovers

Perrin

* P.S.R.S

* 22mm Front Sway Bar

* Front Endlinks

* 25mm Rear Sway Bar

* Rear Endlinks

* Stout Mounts

* Rear Subframe lockout

OEM Legacy GT Spec B Upper and Lower Rear control arms

OEM Legacy GT Spec B Front Lower control arms

Whiteline Rollcenter/bumpsteer kit

 

So now the question is have I missed something important/crucial to a good well rounded street setup with autocross/light track duty on occaision? Are there parts that I am missing/should be looking for different brand/supplier? What range of adjustment do we get from the stock suspension? Do I need something to allow for greater camber adjustment? Will I need aftermarket tophats, (what are pillowballs?) <--- or will I be making a trip the machine shop to sort out a solution for those if needed? Basically I know that I want the car to have a much more balanced feel; reducing understeer (small amount of oversteer is tolerable), reducing body roll and overall improving the roadholding ability of the car. The KW's will give a minimum drop of 1.4"/0.8" front/rear and a maximum drop of 2.5/2.0 I do not want my car to be slammed, but am looking to even out the stance of the car and reduce the ride height. Also when I hit the alignment rack what should I be trying to achieve once I find a ride height that I like? I've heard as little toe is possible will save your tires and the caster is what we are really looking to gain if possible (have I been mis-informed?) but I could be getting things all confused.

 

Hope someone can help steer me in the right direction

[katalyst]

congrats on the car, and welcome to the site.

 

for starters the perrin front sway bar won't fit on the legacy 2.5i, rallitek does make a FSB specific for the 2.5i you could pick up. i don't know if a 25mm RSB is completely necessary as well. i bet even 20mm JDM sway would help you out.

 

also the perrin PSRS can increase NVH alot since it's a solid bearing system, i'd prob recc going with just poly bushings. avo and superpro both offer poly LCA bushings.

 

with regards to tophats, i'm pretty sure the kw coils don't need a separate tophat and should just bolt right up, pillowball usually refers to the uppermount on the coilover which is a spherical ball design usually paired with a camber plate. (someone might be able to better explain that) . again this can increase NVH over rubber tophats/upper mounts.

 

honestly, i would just start with a rear sway, then do coilovers and LCA bushings, if you need more, continue with the rest of your game plan, but i think going through a stepwise process allows you to understand the changes and also better appreciate the incremental improvements. also makes it easier to troubleshoot should any issues arise.

[Babubaru]

Thanks, um... anyone else?