WaspGT Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 I'm thinking i need to go ahead and contact ISC to grab some shorter springs for the rear, and maybe get some pricing on new strut inserts. I bought my comforts preowned off of this forum in really good shape for $450, but now every time i hit a bump its like "THUDD!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subysouth Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I'm thinking i need to go ahead and contact ISC to grab some shorter springs for the rear, and maybe get some pricing on new strut inserts. I bought my comforts preowned off of this forum in really good shape for $450, but now every time i hit a bump its like "THUDD!" Wasp you are kinda on the right track but maybe I wasn't clear enough. Because these coilovers are dual adjustable a shorter spring of the same rate won't lower your car unless your pre-loaded spring collars are preventing full travel down into that rear cup. If you look at the pics of my pre-loaded coilovers the rear damper tube is fully seated in the cup(the lowest height setting available from the coilover's independent height adjustment) and there is still a small gap between my sets of locking rings. So I have the lowest available adjustment built into the setup. If I wanted the car to actually sit lower at the final product, I additionally could use a lower rate spring of the same length which would compress more under load and thereby lower the car. I do not know if they have a 4k or 5k 180mm spring for instance but that would work to lower it some more. I know it can get kinda confusing but if you start considering the pre-loaded length of the spring as non-negotiable and then consider how it will act under load it makes more sense. And the rear cup is a limiter to height adjustability in this particular design. ss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaspGT Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Honestly, SubySouth... I'd usually like to consider my self a fairly well educated individual, and a decently well rounded mechanic. However since I've joined this forum I've learned all about having to humble myself. I guess what I mean is that most of you on this forum know so much more than I do, it's almost like comparing a mentally handicapped 3year old's intelligence level to that of Stephen Hawking's. Thank you for the clarity, I learn something new here everyday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subysouth Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Honestly, SubySouth... I'd usually like to consider my self a fairly well educated individual, and a decently well rounded mechanic. However since I've joined this forum I've learned all about having to humble myself. I guess what I mean is that most of you on this forum know so much more than I do, it's almost like comparing a mentally handicapped 3year old's intelligence level to that of Stephen Hawking's. Thank you for the clarity, I learn something new here everyday! Hey I am right there with you Wasp. Anything I said above I either read on a Subaru forum or was caused by some research after reading something on a Subaru forum. I think there actually are rocket scientists driving these cars but I am not one of them that's for sure. I'm an average joe too but I gotta tell you it is the tech that drew me to these cars. ss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subysouth Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 I got the coilovers on on Saturday and here are my thoughts thus far. I think I am going to be fine with the spring rate even on our rugged roads. Its stiff but not too stiff IMO. Only on one notorious bump did I hear/feel a markedly elevated crash vs the stockers. This bump is not unlike a 3/4 strength speed bump. I am noticing more tire noise which I was not expecting but I have not had it re-aligned. Might just be a product of the stiffer springs. I am running with rear bumps removed entirely currently. I have the dampers at the softest setting and I feel like the setup is underdamped currently. I am going to let the springs settle for a couple of weeks, set final height and then start adding a click til I am happy. I hear no extra noises such as clunks or rattles from the new suspension. I should add I have the "basic" kit with rubber mounted fronts and rears not the pillowball camber adjustable fronts. I am gonna say I am generally pleased. A lot of the mid corner unsteadiness and oscillation I was feeling is gone. There is still some vagueness and I am now hit over the head with the slowness of the rack but I will peck away at those. Gonna go over the basics first - tie rod ends and ball joints and bushings and see what I can see. At 168k miles there is likely something in there that needs fixing beyond the wasted struts. ss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UniqueTII Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 You need to get a camber bolt kit to adjust the camber. The mounting holes on the strut are not drilled right to use the stock bolt. One hole should have been drilled smaller so the stock bolt would actually work correctly. This was something I told Andrew about when I first installed the kit. The only other thing would be to fab up a washer type pill to fit inside of the strut mount hole. But a camber bolt kit does the same thing. I don't know that I'd feel comfortable with a camber bolt in the upper hole unless the bolt was the same size as the original, just with the proper washer to make these work. Is there a size available that will take care of that? I brought this to Andrew's attention as well and he insisted that the coilover retained the factory camber adjustment. I think everyone in this thread disagrees. I am extremely unhappy with this design flaw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJW Performance Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I personally have installed over 100 of these on cars, and done alignments on probably half of them without any issues with obtaining desired camber settings, even without using the camber plates. I will speak with an engineer from ISC on this and see what they say in regards to your complaint. If there is feedback for making improvements ISC will be all ears! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UniqueTII Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UniqueTII Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 I'm getting a clicking sound in the left front every time the suspension is loaded or unloaded. The bottom collar had come loose a little but the noise persists even after it's tightened. I checked the top 3 strut bolts and they're all tight. Any other ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subysouth Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I'm getting a clicking sound in the left front every time the suspension is loaded or unloaded. The bottom collar had come loose a little but the noise persists even after it's tightened. I checked the top 3 strut bolts and they're all tight. Any other ideas? My set is running the rubber bushing fronts - is yours using the pillowball fronts? ss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UniqueTII Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 I have the pillow ball upper bushing. I loosened and torqued the 19mm nut and that didn't help either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJW Performance Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 Thrust bearings are greased up and your preload is correct? email support@iscsuspension-na.com if you think something may be up with your set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJW Performance Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 I got the coilovers on on Saturday and here are my thoughts thus far. I think I am going to be fine with the spring rate even on our rugged roads. Its stiff but not too stiff IMO. Only on one notorious bump did I hear/feel a markedly elevated crash vs the stockers. This bump is not unlike a 3/4 strength speed bump. I am noticing more tire noise which I was not expecting but I have not had it re-aligned. Might just be a product of the stiffer springs. I am running with rear bumps removed entirely currently. I have the dampers at the softest setting and I feel like the setup is underdamped currently. I am going to let the springs settle for a couple of weeks, set final height and then start adding a click til I am happy. I hear no extra noises such as clunks or rattles from the new suspension. I should add I have the "basic" kit with rubber mounted fronts and rears not the pillowball camber adjustable fronts. I am gonna say I am generally pleased. A lot of the mid corner unsteadiness and oscillation I was feeling is gone. There is still some vagueness and I am now hit over the head with the slowness of the rack but I will peck away at those. Gonna go over the basics first - tie rod ends and ball joints and bushings and see what I can see. At 168k miles there is likely something in there that needs fixing beyond the wasted struts. ss good to hear! Any pics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UniqueTII Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 Thrust bearings are greased up and your preload is correct? email support@iscsuspension-na.com if you think something may be up with your set. The preload is correct. I will grease the bearing this week. Is there a write-up for that process and a torque spec on the top nut? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UniqueTII Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 The click is still persistent after checking and greasing the thrust bearing. I can hear it over every bump and when jacking and lowering the car and it sounds like it's coming from the top hat. The mounting area of the strut tower is clean and the top hat has the correct torque. Next steps? Also, here is a video of the lack of camber adjustment due to the design of the upper bolt hole. You can see that the bolt just wanders around in the hole rather than actually moving the strut back and forth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3P8Iy-XWOE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJW Performance Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Your next step would be to contact support if you think you are having issues. Support@iscsuspension-na.com 6037159078 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZP Installs Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 haaaaaaa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monster Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I have been on the site for some time now just trolling around and reading a lot of reviews before buying parts after reading through this thread I thought I should chime in here. I bought my spec. b a few years ago and after getting the mod bug one of my upgrades was Billlstein hd's and swift spring after reading reviews from this site. Right away after installing them I found the rear to be sitting lower than the front so rear spacers were added to help make it level. After running this set up for some time a few problems arose from it: the damping on the struts are harsh for a daily driver and the springs were too soft for the height causing the front suspension to bottom out on larger bumps. So this spring I decided to change the suspension once again and from recommendations from other subaru owners I chose to go with a set of ISC's. After having them installed I couldn't be any happier with it. The ride quality is better than it has ever been. I would recommend these to anyone that is looking for a quality adjustable coil over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJW Performance Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 haaaaaaa. AZP is something funny? If he thinks he is having issues he has a 2 year warranty he can take advantage of. If he would like to give me his number I will have him contacted directly. Next to going to his house personally I don't think you can get much better service than this.... Glad our willingness to assist someone is funny for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJW Performance Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I have been on the site for some time now just trolling around and reading a lot of reviews before buying parts after reading through this thread I thought I should chime in here. I bought my spec. b a few years ago and after getting the mod bug one of my upgrades was Billlstein hd's and swift spring after reading reviews from this site. Right away after installing them I found the rear to be sitting lower than the front so rear spacers were added to help make it level. After running this set up for some time a few problems arose from it: the damping on the struts are harsh for a daily driver and the springs were too soft for the height causing the front suspension to bottom out on larger bumps. So this spring I decided to change the suspension once again and from recommendations from other subaru owners I chose to go with a set of ISC's. After having them installed I couldn't be any happier with it. The ride quality is better than it has ever been. I would recommend these to anyone that is looking for a quality adjustable coil over. Thanks for the input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZP Installs Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 AZP is something funny? If he thinks he is having issues he has a 2 year warranty he can take advantage of. If he would like to give me his number I will have him contacted directly. Next to going to his house personally I don't think you can get much better service than this.... Glad our willingness to assist someone is funny for you Just find it funny that most of parts slingers pawn off customer service on the manufacturer. I applaud you for being on here and more proactive than most of the slingers out there. All good in the hood. -mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJW Performance Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Thank you sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryouske Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 I purchased another set of ISC's this year for my 2011 WRX (Previously had an 06' Legacy.) I have to say these coilovers ride great. I have done the whole lowering spring thing and for the price these ISC's are amazing. The finish and quality on them is perfect and their customer service is top notch. Meryl (the customer service rep) does a great job helping diagnosing problems! Very very happy with my set! Thanks again ISC and AJW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.