GTEASER Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 ^^That's good to know, thanks fahr_side. Looks like I won't be using the brand new ones from the "oops, outback housings" that I got free from Fredrik and risk a possible leak and additional labor. Unfortunately they were pounded in with a pipe on the top nut. GTEASER's 2012 Legacy GT - Sold GTEASER's 2009 XTeaser - Sold GTEASER's 1992 Legacy SS - Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fahr_side Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 ^^That's good to know, thanks fahr_side. Looks like I won't be using the brand new ones from the "oops, outback housings" that I got free from Fredrik and risk a possible leak and additional labor. Unfortunately they were pounded in with a pipe on the top nut. It's there in the instructions, but who reads those? Obligatory '[URL="http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/2008-gh8-238668.html?t=238668"]build thread[/URL]' Increased capacity to 2.7 liters, still turbo, but no longer need spark plugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minuccims Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 OEM struts heading West to GTEASER!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby-GT Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 Nah, that fitment is as expected. Your strut body isn't anymore thicker than my 09 WRX ones. When you pull the inserts in with a longer bolt, the nubs are supposed deform, and move the strut body a little. I am surprised that you were able to locate a pipe cutter that is strong enough to cut them. I had to fall back to my hack saw. Yep, using my 2013 OEM struts as donors. Even after the Dremel treatment the fit was very tight. The walls are much thicker on these struts than the KYB donors. You can actually see where the nubs on the Koni's have deformed the strut walls and pushed them out. They are ready to go now though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTEASER Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 feesh, where did you get your pipe cutter? And how far below the silver cap did you cut? GTEASER's 2012 Legacy GT - Sold GTEASER's 2009 XTeaser - Sold GTEASER's 1992 Legacy SS - Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredrik94087 Posted July 13, 2013 Author Share Posted July 13, 2013 By the way guys, my entire old setup is up for sale. I will post in the for sale section sometime, but the parts are: RCE Black springs Koni inserts in 08+ KYB WRX front struts Koni rears for 08+ WRX 22mm whiteline adjustable "solid" RSB Cusco adjustable LCA's. "It's within spec" - SOA "Depth is only shallowness viewed from the side." - Fredism "So, how much did it cost for your car to be undriveable ." - Stephen (very close friend) "You have done so much it would be stupid to go back." - Sunny of Guru Electronics 2018Q50RS | 2015WrxThread | Shrek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feesh Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 I bought the brasscraft 2-1/2" cutter from home depot. It was around $20. I can't remember specifically how far from the top of the silver cap I cut. I wrote it down somewhere but it's gone now. I wanted to leave as little as possible so I could use the Koni supplied bolt to draw in the insert as I couldn't find any longer M12-1.5 bolts near me. Plenty of 1.75's but no 1.5's. I attached some pictures so you can see about where I cut. I'm measuring from the little hole in the narrow side of the spring seat. At this distance, the nubs are probably about 1/2" into the housing Fredrik, why are you selling your setup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby-GT Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 I think I bought the same one from HD. Then I read the description more closely, and found it's only supposed to cut PVCs or copper pipes, so I returned them. I ordered longer (I think 40mm long) from HD.com, then have it shipped to the store. Made the assembly so much easier. I only have 1/2" of exposed insert up top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredrik94087 Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 ^^That's good to know, thanks fahr_side. Looks like I won't be using the brand new ones from the "oops, outback housings" that I got free from Fredrik and risk a possible leak and additional labor. Unfortunately they were pounded in with a pipe on the top nut. GTEASER: I don't believe you'll be risking a leak with them as I did not pound the shaft. I placed a towel at the top of the insert, and slid a pipe over the shaft. While keeping a towel between the pipe and the flat top edge of the insert, I hit the pipe with a rubber mallet. The only thing you'll be risking is the fact that the nubs have been compressed already, and re-using them could mean that you won't get as tight a fit as I had. Additionally, if you choose to use the KYB WRX housing, it seems that particular housing has a tiny bit more Inside diameter, so the nubs will definitely not hold. Side note on Inside Diameter. The only thing we have been able to confirm is that the KYB WRX housing has a slightly larger ID than the OEM Legacy/Outback housings. We have not yet checked fitment with an OEM WRX housing to see if there is a difference with using KYB or using OEM as far as the WRX housings are concerned. Feesh: I'm selling my setup to clean up my garage of spare items left over. I still have my enkei gtc01 wheels from my G37S sedan. The setup was great on the 2.5i with a manual transmission. With the 3.6R, I am enjoying the luxury aspect of the car, and I'm planning on keeping the 3.6R as stock as possible. I did put on a 19mm bar which "looks" stock, and I had the dealer put on a strut tower brace. I may get a 255 tire setup, but if that doesn't happen, I will leave it alone. Feesh and Scooby-GT: I actually spend about $100 for a pipe cutter that can handle steel and is big enough to cut it, but there was just no room for cutting the KYB WRX strut, so I ended up using a hack-saw. Cheers! Edit: I made a posting for all my suspension stuff, but couldn't imagine anyone paying more than $1200, so I deleted it. I'll hold on to the stuff for a while, I suppose..... "It's within spec" - SOA "Depth is only shallowness viewed from the side." - Fredism "So, how much did it cost for your car to be undriveable ." - Stephen (very close friend) "You have done so much it would be stupid to go back." - Sunny of Guru Electronics 2018Q50RS | 2015WrxThread | Shrek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feesh Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Nah, that fitment is as expected. Your strut body isn't anymore thicker than my 09 WRX ones. When you pull the inserts in with a longer bolt, the nubs are supposed deform, and move the strut body a little. I am surprised that you were able to locate a pipe cutter that is strong enough to cut them. I had to fall back to my hack saw. I was referring to the pictures of frederik's aftermarket KYB struts. As he mentioned, I think they have thinner walls than OEM struts. I think I bought the same one from HD. Then I read the description more closely, and found it's only supposed to cut PVCs or copper pipes, so I returned them. I ordered longer (I think 40mm long) from HD.com, then have it shipped to the store. Made the assembly so much easier. I only have 1/2" of exposed insert up top. Yeah, I was hesitant on the HD pipe cutter but it worked OK. I'd get a better one if I had to do it again. I didn't want to wait for the bolts to come in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredrik94087 Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 I was referring to the pictures of frederik's aftermarket KYB struts. As he mentioned, I think they have thinner walls than OEM struts. Yeah, I was hesitant on the HD pipe cutter but it worked OK. I'd get a better one if I had to do it again. I didn't want to wait for the bolts to come in Rhett: I'm not sure if the KYB walls are thinner or if the ID of the KYB is larger. In the picture I had posted, the thin wall is maybe 1/2" long. After that, the rest is thicker. Not sure why KYB has a thinner wall near the top of the strut. "It's within spec" - SOA "Depth is only shallowness viewed from the side." - Fredism "So, how much did it cost for your car to be undriveable ." - Stephen (very close friend) "You have done so much it would be stupid to go back." - Sunny of Guru Electronics 2018Q50RS | 2015WrxThread | Shrek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feesh Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Removed the Tein Street Basis coilovers yesterday and put my RCE springs back on, this time with the Koni's instead of OEM. Currently at full soft. First impressions are that the ride is a bit better over smaller bumps under medium-high speed, not quite as compliant over medium sized bumps at medium/high speed. Probably need to wait until they break in for a proper impression. I am having a popping noise in the front struts/springs (I think) when turning at or close to full lock, going either left or right. Is this from tightening the top nut too tightly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTEASER Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 I don't think over tightening will cause that. Try going to the Epic Springs with Konis thread and ask the question. In the 4th gen section I think. I think the springs may not be sitting in the perched properly or the washer between the upper spring cup and top hat may be upside down. GTEASER's 2012 Legacy GT - Sold GTEASER's 2009 XTeaser - Sold GTEASER's 1992 Legacy SS - Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feesh Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Thanks Gteaser, I'm aware of the conical washer and made sure it was installed properly. I will check out that thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTEASER Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 If you are sure the washers are correct, then it may be that the spring needs to be turned a bit. GTEASER's 2012 Legacy GT - Sold GTEASER's 2009 XTeaser - Sold GTEASER's 1992 Legacy SS - Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby-GT Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 How did you tighten the top nut? The popping sound maybe because the top hat isn't tighten on all the way. Did you use a drive Pass through socket/wrench to turn while having a long socket to hold the insert from turning? The Koni needs about 1-200 miles of break in, then you'll notice the ride quality improves. I am having a popping noise in the front struts/springs (I think) when turning at or close to full lock, going either left or right. Is this from tightening the top nut too tightly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feesh Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Yep, used pass through socket to tighten while holding insert with long socket. I didn't have a way to use a torque wrench with that setup but I tightened as much as I could without over-straining. I'm going to check the lower spring perches tomorrow. It may be the springs rotated a bit when tightening the top hat and I didn't notice. I wasn't really paying much attention to that as I didn't think that would be an issue. It is a single pop/thud sound in either direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby-GT Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 That's fine. Here is another test. With the car on jack stands, wheels off, try to rotate the spring by hand. The pre-load on the spring should make it impossible for your human strength to move. If the spring is absolutely tight, and if the cone washer is installed correctly, then the sound is not from the strut assembly. Check all other nuts and bolts and make sure they are torqued down right. I highly doubt your spring is tight enough. Probably to be best if you find someone to turn the steering while listening to the sound with the car in the air. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTEASER Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Feesh, this is the thread I was talking about, but a little search this morning and I didn't see anything about the popping sound. I know someone had experienced what you are describing with Eibach springs in a 5th Gen with OEM shocks, but I can't for the life of me remember what the solution or problem was. But he did get it solved rather quickly. Hope you are enjoying the Koni's otherwise. Before you take anything back apart, try tightening the Koni shaft in the center of the top hat again. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/koni-shock-strut-epic-engineering-spring-install-145744.html?highlight=sound GTEASER's 2012 Legacy GT - Sold GTEASER's 2009 XTeaser - Sold GTEASER's 1992 Legacy SS - Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minuccims Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Didn't they find the spring was rotated somewhat and not positioned properly in the perch. But hey, it was a while ago... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTEASER Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 ^^Yes, that is really what I seem to recall. Good memory minuccims!!! GTEASER's 2012 Legacy GT - Sold GTEASER's 2009 XTeaser - Sold GTEASER's 1992 Legacy SS - Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minuccims Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 This is the other thread I was trying to recall. Perhaps a good read and suggestion. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/annoying-squeaks-koni-epic-springs-setup-165326.html http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/119/128/=nnhwfa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feesh Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Thanks, you guys are awesome. With the car on jack stands and the wheels off, I could see that each of the front springs were rotated in the perch about 3/4". I was able to wrangle them into their proper place in the perch without removing them. I also got another 1/8 to 1/4 turn on the top Koni nuts as well. Just got back from a drive and no more pops/thunks! I probably need to try to re-torque the rears now but that's a little bit difficult without removing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby-GT Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Great job. Can you do a review on how the Koni/RCE compare to the Tein basics after they are broken in? Probably best to left for a new thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredrik94087 Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share Posted July 17, 2013 Great job. Can you do a review on how the Koni/RCE compare to the Tein basics after they are broken in? Probably best to left for a new thread. Great help Scooby-GT with your suggestion! "It's within spec" - SOA "Depth is only shallowness viewed from the side." - Fredism "So, how much did it cost for your car to be undriveable ." - Stephen (very close friend) "You have done so much it would be stupid to go back." - Sunny of Guru Electronics 2018Q50RS | 2015WrxThread | Shrek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.