kongzilla Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I agree mostly, however the Konis are really the way to go. Lifetime warranty on the parts and the ability to adjust it to the exact smoothness they want, even if you only adjust it on the initial setup. -mike They are great for the money. Unless you own an outback. Then your stuck trying to find legacy shocks/strut housing. But in this case, you can't go wrong with either setup. I read great things about both shocks/strut setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAC5.2 Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I've never had a problem with coilovers in winter. Maybe it's just in the prep-and-setup I do, but my collars never got stuck, and I never had any issues with seizing or anything. That said, I (and my wife) prefer the struts I have now. Re: Koni's. Adjustability is nice, but it's not used by everyone. In fact, adjusting damping by altering orifice size is not the "proper" way to tune ride quality. Opening the orifice to "soften" the ride does little more than force your setup to be under-damped. The same goes to "stiffen" the suspension, over-damping it to make it more firm. Both scenarios reduce the efficiency of the strut. A strut should be matched to the damper, and called good. In almost all cases, a fixed-orifice damper will be more durable than an adjustable one, and Koni's Lifetime Warranty only covers manufacturing defects. They won't replace them when they blow out, or if the car was ever used for any kind of competitive event. Bilstein has the exact same warranty. And if you put 100k on the struts and want them rebuilt, they'll do so for $280. You can even send them your springs, and they can valve them to match the springs you have. I think Koni charges a bit more, but they'll revalve too. IMO, you can't go wrong either way. I love my Bilsteins. Mike loves his Koni's. I don't think adjustable valving is really necessary on a car that'll never be competitively raced, and I think it's a bandaid fix for damping control. But it is nice to adjust the general "range" of damping. If I had to do it again, I'd go Bilstein all the way. I'm sure if Mike had to do it again, he'd go Koni. But Bilsteins come with little Nurburgring stickers on them, and they are colorful. Game. Set. Match. [URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/proper-flip-key-interesti-159894.html"]Flip Key Development Thread[/URL] "Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped." - E. Hubbard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAC5.2 Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 They are great for the money. Unless you own an outback. Then your stuck trying to find legacy shocks/strut housing. But in this case, you can't go wrong with either setup. I read great things about both shocks/strut setup. No kidding. Had the install been possible, or had there been an Outback Specific Koni, I probably would have considered them more. I didn't feel like doing all the work required just to run Konis. It would have cost me the same or more than the Bilstein setup. [URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/proper-flip-key-interesti-159894.html"]Flip Key Development Thread[/URL] "Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped." - E. Hubbard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kongzilla Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 That is the only reason for me to go Blistein instead of koni's. Otherwise I'd give koni's a shot. Will only go back to coils if I find a set for the right price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAC5.2 Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I think I made a thread about my Bilstein install with all of the necessary part numbers required for it. I still need to design and cut some spacers to bring the ride height up a little, but for now I absolutely love it. Eventually, I'd like to pull out the subframe spacers and go back to the lower height, but sitting a bit higher will look pretty good. Especially since I have no real intention of going to a smaller diameter tire until I do a 6MT swap. [URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/proper-flip-key-interesti-159894.html"]Flip Key Development Thread[/URL] "Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped." - E. Hubbard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZP Installs Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I've never had a problem with coilovers in winter. Maybe it's just in the prep-and-setup I do, but my collars never got stuck, and I never had any issues with seizing or anything. That said, I (and my wife) prefer the struts I have now. Re: Koni's. Adjustability is nice, but it's not used by everyone. In fact, adjusting damping by altering orifice size is not the "proper" way to tune ride quality. Opening the orifice to "soften" the ride does little more than force your setup to be under-damped. The same goes to "stiffen" the suspension, over-damping it to make it more firm. Both scenarios reduce the efficiency of the strut. A strut should be matched to the damper, and called good. In almost all cases, a fixed-orifice damper will be more durable than an adjustable one, and Koni's Lifetime Warranty only covers manufacturing defects. They won't replace them when they blow out, or if the car was ever used for any kind of competitive event. Bilstein has the exact same warranty. And if you put 100k on the struts and want them rebuilt, they'll do so for $280. You can even send them your springs, and they can valve them to match the springs you have. I think Koni charges a bit more, but they'll revalve too. IMO, you can't go wrong either way. I love my Bilsteins. Mike loves his Koni's. I don't think adjustable valving is really necessary on a car that'll never be competitively raced, and I think it's a bandaid fix for damping control. But it is nice to adjust the general "range" of damping. If I had to do it again, I'd go Bilstein all the way. I'm sure if Mike had to do it again, he'd go Koni. But Bilsteins come with little Nurburgring stickers on them, and they are colorful. Game. Set. Match. I've replaced several sets of "blown" konis without any issue. For the most part they are no questions asked. I'm not sure how many folks have used the same car, same springs, with bilsteins and konis. The Bilsteins were ok, but not even in the same league as the konis were after I tuned them in for street driving. I will give the bilsteins the edge in terms of skill needed to install but then again I've installed 100s of sets of konis in the past 10 years so it's a bit of a no brainer for me. To each his own, you can't go wrong with either set though when comparing them to stock, the Koni v. Bilstein is similar to slicing an onion -mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naimouasta Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 i like the koni's also (i'm biased)! i don't think it takes that much more skill to install koni's. i mean is it really that much more difficult? if you can do a regular strut/spring install, you can do koni's. only extra step is draining and cutting your front struts. everything else is bolt on. any wrenching amateur can do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05LGTLtd Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Epic springs from FredbeansParts.com are a rebrand of the Eibach springs. The Koni struts were supposedly made to work with the Eibach's from the get go. Any way I have them, with the Koni's and they are a decent match. I run a spacer in the back due to wagon, but height is decent. I have a pic around here some where, I'll try to link.. All I need now is a hill holder and a center passing light... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05LGTLtd Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Those are 225/45R17 Conti ContactExtremes. All I need now is a hill holder and a center passing light... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smashcrunk Posted April 15, 2011 Author Share Posted April 15, 2011 Those are 225/45R17 Conti ContactExtremes. looks good. ill give it a search. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaskajoel Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 FWIW, rally sport direct has the eibach springs for $228... http://www.rallysportdirect.com/Eibach-Pro-Kit-Lowering-Springs-Subaru-Legacy-GT-2005-2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBlitzed Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 Hi, Do I need camber bolts for my lowered transportation unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idiot4hire Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 Easy solution if your paying full price get konis, if your getting used bils (like I did) just don't ride in a car with konis and you will never know what your missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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