nwsurfwakeskate Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I have a 2005 5MT Legacy GT Wagon. I have a trailer hitch on the back which adds some weight on the rear and I also tend to do a lot of driving with a fair amount of gear in my trunk so I have major saggy butt syndrome. In addition to this the front of the car seems too high when the butt saggs. So here's the three options I've been weighing and I'm not really sure if I'm considering a terrible idea or not. 1. Install Tein H springs (sedan specific .9 front drop) on the front and new struts on all 4 corners. According to the specs I've found Tein H rears and stock rear springs have the same spring rate so I would be effectively leaving longer springs on the back for a racked look when my car is empty or a level look when I have some gear in it. 2. Install Tein H springs and new struts on all 4 corners and install 1/2" saggy butt spacers on the rear to raise it up as much as possible. 3. Install Swift Wagon Specific springs and new struts on all 4 corners with Spec B top hats on the front to get the correct drop. (I'm concerned this setup may be too stiff for my liking) My car has 122k miles on it currently and my main goal is to get an appearance improvement with a mild drop while also getting back to a new oem ride quality. This is my daily driver and will never be tracked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nwsurfwakeskate Posted April 5, 2012 Author Share Posted April 5, 2012 as a follow up question. do epic springs really squeak that bad? is it only with the koni struts? I find it hard to understand why it would only happen on some and not other types of struts. I was all set to buy epic springs until I found out about the koni epic squeaking nightmare thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactojesse Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 Keep in mind that the front will always look higher because the front fender is cut differently. A stock US market LGT wagon will have roughly a three-finger gap between fender and tire in front and a two-finger gap in the rear even though the car is essentially level. If you want even fender gaps, you have to either use saggy butt spacers or mix and match springs. I ended up going with Bilstein HDs all around with JDM LGT wagon pinks (advertised drop of 15 mm/0.6") in front and stock JDM LGT wagon springs (i.e., no drop but purportedly a tad stiffer than USDM) in the rear. I now have an even two-finger gap front and rear. And please, no jokes about taking two fingers in the rear. It wasn't cheap, but I'm very happy with the results. I've been running this set-up for about 80K miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12sechatch Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I have KYB GR-2's with Tein H-techs going up for sale very soon if that does anything for you. They are used, but because of that they would be a cheap option for you. I would run a saggy butt spacer in addition with the teins for your scenario. just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonardo Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I have heard nothing but good things about the KYB GR-2 and Epics combo so I got it and it's waiting to be installed with 1/4" but shims. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landark Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I have H Techs and 3/8" spacers. For me, it's the perfect ride height. It is low on the stock 17s I run in the summer and has plenty of clearance when I put on my 18" winter setup. I wouldn't be able to go any lower and still be able to drive it comfortably with my stock wheels. If you constantly have stuff in the back, I'd definitely get the 1/2" spacers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nwsurfwakeskate Posted April 5, 2012 Author Share Posted April 5, 2012 I have H Techs and 3/8" spacers. For me, it's the perfect ride height. It is low on the stock 17s I run in the summer and has plenty of clearance when I put on my 18" winter setup. I wouldn't be able to go any lower and still be able to drive it comfortably with my stock wheels. If you constantly have stuff in the back, I'd definitely get the 1/2" spacers. that's great news. yeah the Tein H tech's sound like a more OEM ride then the Epic's and they have far fewer coils on the back springs so it seems like creaking/squeaking springs should be less of an issue with the Tein's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nwsurfwakeskate Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 This is what I have going on currently. Thinking Tein H techs in the front and new KYB GR-2 struts all around will level it out nicely? Worst case I pull it back apart and throw the Tein H rears on with 1/2" spacers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firepuma Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Konis on cobbs here. Back sits higher than the front for a rake like look. I didn't put these in and I assume their is saggy butt spacers in the back- ill try to level it out and take before and after pics when i get lift time. http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo5/grantshow/d700a335.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landark Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 This is what I have going on currently. Thinking Tein H techs in the front and new KYB GR-2 struts all around will level it out nicely? Worst case I pull it back apart and throw the Tein H rears on with 1/2" spacers. I think will turn out well. Though I have to think your rear shocks and/or springs are worn out to be sitting that low. Konis on cobbs here. Back sits higher than the front for a rake like look. I didn't put these in and I assume their is saggy butt spacers in the back- ill try to level it out and take before and after pics when i get lift time. The rear looks like it's higher than mine was on stock springs. Are you sure they actually put the Cobbs on the back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nwsurfwakeskate Posted April 7, 2012 Author Share Posted April 7, 2012 I think will turn out well. Though I have to think your rear shocks and/or springs are worn out to be sitting that low. The rear looks like it's higher than mine was on stock springs. Are you sure they actually put the Cobbs on the back? Yeah the rear springs could be damaged. I used to tow a couple jet skies with my car. I think the tongue weight may have been a little much for the springs. I wonder if that could make them almost work "better" with Tein H's on the front? hmmmm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firepuma Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 The rear looks like it's higher than mine was on stock springs. Are you sure they actually put the Cobbs on the back? Yes, the picture doesn't really do it justice. The blue Cobb springs are there for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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