i would not recommend putting the type wagons on a sedan. i can never remember which is longer but either the sedan or wagon's rear strut and spring assembly is one inch longer. ideal spring rates for the sedan would also be lower as there is less weight riding over the rear wheels in a sedan.

 

Well explain that to the dozens of people that already do this.

 

Hey Madrex, about 5 months ago I was facing your exact dilema. Like yourself, I was thinking of getting springs first and shocks later. This seemed like a good way to "strech every penny" But actually is not. Do it once and do it right. Save enough money to either get a set of coilovers or a spring and strut combo at once. Depending on your situation, this will save you money on instalation and alignment costs.

 

thanks for the input fella, I appreciate your thoughts here. The money is not really the issue here (unless we're talkin bout coilovers, i can't justify their cost for street driving) So far i've only done one mod at a time to the car, so i could feel exactly how it changed the car. example: i put in a perrin rear antiswaybar, rode that for a couple weeks, then put on 17's and rode those for a couple weeks, now i'm gonna put endlinks on and just use those until the springs come in. this is why i wanted to do the springs now and the agx's when they come out (btw, a guy from KYB emailed me back the other day saying that the agx will be out for the 02-03 wrx sometime late July, and Alta says their Perrin springs are in customs in Cali right now and should be here momentarily) I will be doing all the installs myself, so that cost is not a factor, but the cost of an extra alignment is. Maybe I could get Alta to drop the price enough to cover an extra alignment if I agree to do a writeup on some forums telling how the Perrin springs are with stock struts; i dunno, maybe a dumb idea. Its mostly a time thing as opposed to a cost thing. i'm pretty set on the products i'm gonna buy, just have to wait for them to be available for my car, eh.



unlike any other car i've ever had before, this one just seems to beg me from the driveway to run an errand. the new just doesn't seem to wear off. i have a unique relationship to this car, it just asked to be driven, and driven hard. the harder i push it the better it feels. when i'm goin back and forth to home depot for stuff, i always seem to forget one thing and end up going back for it, but i just dont seem to mind... and the car just gets better with every mod.

alright thats all fo now, later Bennie O.

 

hey Gonz, which Koni's do you have? are they the Koni yellow's; slip in, but adjustable, right... What springs are you running? and most importantly; would you say that the handling/grip is improved alot or a little/ how does it ride (to the lay person will they wonder if something is broken because it is so bumpy?)

i may not wait for the agx's for a couple reasons:

as soon as the perrin springs are out, i wanna get em and put them on with some new struts, dont want to have to take em out later for new struts, besides the multiple alignment hassles.

i've read multiple times that the agx's ride too stiff for comfort, even in the softest setting.

there also seems to be a consensus amongst the fanatics here that the agx's won't last all that long.

conversely, as you stated, people seem to think the koni's will stand up to the test of time...

i'm also hearing more and more people say they like the koni's

i got a rough price quote on the new (soon to be released) agx's for the GDA, 129.99 each; thats only like 10 bucks less per corner than what you paid for the koni's. and correct me if i'm wrong, but the koni's come with a lifetime warranty, right???



thanks for taking the time to wade through all my questions/thoughts, your help is greatly appreciated. Bennie

 

the idea of putting a german shock on a japanese car just doesn't sound right.

 

maybe i don't understand you quite right, but do the koni yellows not have adjustable compression dampening? maybe i am uninformed, but isn't that at least the minimum necessary as far as adjustability goes? i do understand that rebound adjustability is nice, but i think i'd rather be able to adjust the compression. And do they come with a lifetime warranty? unless i go with coilovers, i'm pretty set on the new perrin springs (made by H&R, same rates, just different drop levels, evens the car out more) can't wait to get something though, whatever it is.

 

Oh really? We're going for a little ride next time I make it down.

 

It's not that you can't, it's just not ideal. It's sorta like putting a 3" catback on an RS. It does the job, just not as well as a proper size.

 

Why don't you just say what you want to say rather than beating around the bush?

 

you apparently have and like the koni's yellows then, eh... do i really have to cut up my stock strut housings? and tell me about the adjustability. And what kind of warranty do they give?

On the Koni website it described the adjustability as being able to adjust for personal driving style and different road conditions.

this was on tirerack.com's website:


Adjustable

KONI shock absorbers are adjustable, which means that drivers can influence the behavior of their vehicle to meet their preferences for ride comfort and handling balance. This feature also allows the driver to adjust the shock absorber's dampening to compensate for wear which occurs over tens of thousands of miles.




I've never before seen a strut or shock manufacturer state that the adjustability of their dampener can be used to compensate for the wearing out of the unit??? please shed some light on this for me fella? thanks

 

Actually Madrex, I have Prodrive/Bilstein World Rally suspension on my GM6. I have heard positives about the Koni Yellows from guys with non-Subarus, but I haven't heard if they are ready yet for the WRX. The only ones I have sen in person were custom double-adjustables on a WRX in Reno last month.