Is there really any reason why I should spend money on anything more than Eibach springs, KYB AGX's, and a good adjustable rear anti-roll bar like Whiteline on some good tires to go fast? I don't really feel like paying for coilovers when I won't be doing more than autocrossing and making fast runs to Berryessa and Highway 1. I know that the P1 is kickass, and the DMS 50mm are unbreakable, but I doubt that I would get my moneys worth by speding more than the $800 outlined above. I won't be making all that much horsepower anytime soon, but I doubt many n/a cars (and not even all boosted ones) can hang with a GC8 on a real world road with the stuff above on. What do you fellas think?

Well, would like to also have some comfort in your ride? Because I know that coilovers are pretty stiff by comparison and I know that there are good spring and strut combos out there that can keep up with coilovers on the track. I have a friend who runs the P1 setup on his car and whoops on people with full suspension coilovers on the track. I have a spring strut combo on my RS and I would definitely not trade it for any coilover set out there.

Sweet, which components? :monkey:harsh riding crap that isn't even fast.

I have the Prodrive GT setup and I love the way it handles on my RS Sedan. I have the STI setup that is available from dealerships on the WRX and it is very comparable to the DMS 40s.

Who is making the SPT GDA struts? Still KYB?

like DMS 40's? so does it bounce a lot like DMS??

Daios (Day-ohhss)

SPT GDA struts are still made by KYB but to STI specifications. The STI specifcations are that it has a 40mm shaft which makes it a beefy strut. The STI setup is not bouncy. It is a little firmer than stock but it is not harsh.

If you want to ride in it let me know sometime during Thanksgiving. Also, Daios, you will get a chance to ride in it and see how you like it.

I have also noticed that the steering is much much more responsive with the STI setup on the WRX.

Still the Eibach springs I take it? With new rates to account for the weight/stiffness changes?

The springs for the STI setup are not made by Eibach. The prodrive setup springs are made by Eibach. The STI springs are made by Mistubishi-Seiko for the front springs and rears are made by Nippon-Hatsujo.

The Prodrive setup that I have is composed like this. Bilstein struts with Eibach Springs manufactured to Prodrive specs.

I suggest going for a ride in a couple of members vehicles in various set-ups before drawing conclusions.

I've go the SPT spring and strut combo with the STi topmounts. Very responsive and great feel of the road, yet not too harsh. The addition of the larger sway bar and endlinks are a worthwhile investment IMO.

I have the same set up on my WRX as BlueGargantua. Exactly the same, springs, struts, and even top mounts. It feels good. :)

And the AGX's when you turn them up are nice and stiff too.

I have ridden in some coilover cars, and some are REALLY stiff and some are smooth as silk... Depends on the specific system.

I have to agree with everyone, coilovers are really stiff. As for my set up I have KYB AGX's and STi Springs (ST-2XX0050X0). Spring rates are 200F/175R. I also have a Cusco Adjustable Rear Sway Bar, Generic Strut Tower Bars, and a Cusco Rear Lower Bar. KYB's are nice just set them low on everyday driving for comfort. I'd say the mod that made the most difference was the Rear Sway Bar...

Preston

I hear the Eibach's were designed to work w/ stock struts.

If you want to comfort and sport. go w/ traditional Coil Springs and aftermarket struts/shocks setup.

If you want race track-like suspension, coilover is the way to go.

There are pros and cons on both setup..but Its all up to on what you want/need.


Cal

If I were to go all out and remain a daily driver, I would go with some DMS Rally 50mm's with Street Valving. I have heard nothing but praise for that set up, even for driving around towns with potholes.

That is interesting because the spring rates on the DMS 50s are like 300 on the front and like 250 in the rear or something like that. I think that the 50s for the street is a bit excessive. But in the end it is up to you. I suggest that you sit in a couple of cars to get what the feeling is like before you make a final decision.

Originally posted by ImprezaRSDriver
That is interesting because the spring rates on the DMS 50s are like 300 on the front and like 250 in the rear or something like that. I think that the 50s for the street is a bit excessive. But in the end it is up to you. I suggest that you sit in a couple of cars to get what the feeling is like before you make a final decision.
The DMS 50mm spring rates come in various rates, including the low 200's if you want. The rally spring rates are much softer too.

BTW, my KYB AGX's have Ground Control coilovers. My car rides as harsh or harsher than most full coilover cars ive been in.

Man, You are probably the first person who have actually told me that the KYBs are harsh. :eek:

Originally posted by ImprezaRSDriver
Man, You are probably the first person who have actually told me that the KYBs are harsh. :eek:

It's not really the struts, it's the whole system. No one component totally governs all aspects of ride/handling.

Yup. They all have to work together in harmony.

Another thing on the AGX's. Don't try to put too low of a spring on them, they just can't take it. From the 4 sets i've seen including the one set I had, they seem destroy themselves internally.

And about them feeling harsh.....i would have to agree on this. Compared to the Prodrive-Bilstein's or the STi Version V suspention set-up's of course, which are the only other strut/spring set-ups I have tested/used/raced.

From all the Spring sets I have used on the AGX's, The ones that I liked/seamed to work the best for me with the struts were the Tein Softs. They had (for me :)) the right amount of spring rate for the damping the struts provided. The springs I used/tested with the agx's to come to this conclusion were : Eibachs, Tein mediums, STi Ver.Vs, Prodrives, and Cut stock springs.

All this of course is me. Your results may vary due to what you think a good compromise between street and track is.

-scubaru

Right now my friend has the Tein Softs and the STI Version V strut combo and he says that right now he feels his car is kind of low. You say that you should not put to short of a spring on the struts yet, I think that Teins are too low.

Note: I also have to keep my AGX's at 2 front, 5 rear for street driving or I seem to get too much spring bounce. Folks with eibachs and softer springs on the AGX's can run them all the way down in settings.

I have eibachs, mrt/whiteline front swaybar, & both strut bars.

The car hadles way better than stock. Rides a little firm, but you gotta give some to get some :)

The car has a much quicker recovery time over bumps. Still rides over bumps, doesnt slam. Hard to explian. You feel the bumps more, but it doesnt slam like you would think a lowered car would. Smooth as stock, just a little stiffer. I really expected a harsher ride that I got. Most people cant tell the car is lowered when riding in it... till i turn :)

Well worth the $200 shipped I paid for them.

I wouldnt spend money on coilovers, but thats me. They might be worth it, but I would much rather put the money into the car elsewhere.

Next mods for me are rear sway bar & links, and new tires.

Hope santa brings them :D

~v6

Anyone heard anything about the KYB coilovers? Good? Bad?
I'm posting for a friend of mine who's considering these and I haven't found anything on the forums about them.

Originally posted by SubaruFan
Anyone heard anything about the KYB coilovers? Good? Bad?
I'm posting for a friend of mine who's considering these and I haven't found anything on the forums about them.
I havent heard of such a thing... And I have heard about alot of things...

ok fellas,
whats the first thing you guys would get to improve
handling. i got a my95 gc8, but still searching what to
get first for around $200. Springs, coilovers, or a combo
of struts?

Originally posted by subaru_LOOKS
ok fellas,
whats the first thing you guys would get to improve
handling. i got a my95 gc8, but still searching what to
get first for around $200. Springs, coilovers, or a combo
of struts?

WOW, a '95 GC8! sweet! Haha, ok, you're probably wondering why I'm so shocked... the "8" is code for an EJ20. a rare beast indeed for a '95. Anyways, $200 is just about enough to get you somne Eibach springs, which work fine with stock struts, and you can add KYB AGX adjustables to them later for about $400 shipped or less, and have a really good car, better than most of what you will see on the street. A real coilover system, however, with adjustable, matched struts, will run at least $1k. Save that kind of thing for when you are really going to see a lot of track time. In the mean time, get the best tires you can afford (if that's a Kumho save longer), the Eibach/KYB combo, and a larger rear anti-roll bar, I'd recommend the Whiteline 18-20 mm adjustable. Set it at 18 to get used to it first, it will have a bigger effect on your handling than any other single component. After that upgrade your brakes with steel lines and slightly more aggressive pads, get a good exhaust system to suit your aural tastes, and pof, you've got a relatively quick N/A street car for about $2k spent on aftermarket.

Originally posted by subaru_LOOKS
ok fellas,
whats the first thing you guys would get to improve
handling. i got a my95 gc8, but still searching what to
get first for around $200. Springs, coilovers, or a combo
of struts?
Dont listen to anything BAN SUV's said :p

First thing you want to do (I have a '95 as well, so listen up) is get a rear sway bar... But you have to get the rear control links with the spots for the sway bar endlinks to connect to, a swaybar (WRX wagon or WRX sedan will do great), Swaybar mounts, and Swaybar endlinks...

Then, if you have anything left of the $200 (cost me ~$115 for all of that, but I got the endlinks and mounts free, with the control links costing me $70 and a WRX wagon swaybar for $45 [too much], but I have since upgraded to kartboy endlinks $115, and a WRX sedan swaybar for $35) get a RS suspension for $150 or less (got mine for $50 out of sheer luck).

Both of those are great, cheap mods that made a WORLD of difference for not much money at all... Note: Your L struts are probably blown now anyway (mine were), so find cheap RS stuff if you can to replace it.

After that, you can start getting more expensive stuff if you want, like WHEELS and TIRES!!! :p

The only reason I suggested the springs first is that putting a stiff bar back there on an L will make it a TOTALLY different car, and I didn't want him going ass-over-teakettle into a guardrail because of me :p But if you look again, I did say that it would have by far the biggest effect on his handling.

Originally posted by ImprezaRSDriver
Right now my friend has the Tein Softs and the STI Version V strut combo and he says that right now he feels his car is kind of low. You say that you should not put to short of a spring on the struts yet, I think that Teins are too low.

You have to realize that the STi struts are 40mm shorter than standard. That why they were too low. And that's why I tested only the springs.:D

-scu

Originally posted by BAN SUVS
The only reason I suggested the springs first is that putting a stiff bar back there on an L will make it a TOTALLY different car, and I didn't want him going ass-over-teakettle into a guardrail because of me :p But if you look again, I did say that it would have by far the biggest effect on his handling.
But you ignored the fact that a 95 doesnt even have a swaybar to begin with :p You have to convert everything.

Originally posted by Kostamojen
But you ignored the fact that a 95 doesnt even have a swaybar to begin with :p You have to convert everything.

Well yeah, that's why it makes such a HUGE difference, lol. and it will likely cost more than his $200, and without a lot of experience and practice, he'd probably be a faster driver by starting with the springs. So NYAH NYAH NYAH!

The Swaybar, in my opinion, was just as affective as RS struts n' springs... Both were very effective actually, but I wouldnt pass up the swaybar conversion just because.

Kostamojen
e-mail me on some info about installing
that rear sway bar. lor.bee@students.uwlax.edu
I have a 95 L also.
I'm pretty much new to the world of suspension
stuffs

thanks

It all depends upon how much you want to spend. If I had a GC8, I would pop for the damping/height adjustable pink STi kit from RalliSpec, with STi lateral, trailing and swaybar links, coupled with a size-matched swaybar to the front sway. The end.

You get factory fit and finish, an excellent ride quality, and all of the adjustability of most coilover setups.

For less dosh, get your hands on some Prodrive struts or preferably, an entire P1 suspension. I've driven a car thusly equipped and stand back, baby!

As far as DMS goes, the Gen. 3 40s are supposed to be kink-free, but I would wait for more data on them. The 50s are overkill for a street-driven car, though they are fabulous struts. I flogged a car with rally-length/street-valved 50s with STi lateral/trailing/sway links. It was inSANE. You could do anything that you wanted, at seemingly any speed. Made my WRX wagon with the complete STi setup feel downright pedestrian.

There's a lot of voodoo and hearsay out there in suspension land. Try to get as many rides in as many different cars as you can, rather than swapping suspensions on and off like some dummy I know! :lol: Then make a call.

Kevin