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Coil overs

5K views 28 replies 8 participants last post by  BLAZE2099 
#1 ·
I have a 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX and I am looking to lower it. I have herd that damper coil overs would be the best way to go although I don't race my car at all, I use it as an everyday driver. I was told that function and form coil overs would be good but they are pretty expensive any suggestions???
 
#6 ·
Yes, springs and struts would be idea because most springs on the market will wreak havoc on your stock struts. There are a few on the market that will work well when paired with the factory struts though. Whats your budget? Are you going more for the lower look, performance, or both? How much are you wanting to lower it (just get rid of some fender gap or hella flush stanced out yo)?
 
#10 ·
Generally speaking struts usually last 60-90k miles. They may not blow, but they stop working as well as they should. You are well into needing to replace them. Springs are the cheap part though, however the struts you will need to use them (that you need whether you get springs or not) are much more. On that kind of budget you are generally limiting yourself to something like KYB GR-2s or AGXs.
 
#11 ·
These are the springs I always recommend to use with stock struts. They have just the drop your looking for and will improve handling a bit. They are engineered to work with your stock struts. I suggest these and an alignment with the leftover from your budget. As mentioned above, struts do wear and need replacing eventually. Epic Engineering Lowering Springs Subaru WRX 2004-2007 EE-S-WGD-001 at RallySportDirect.com

Our resident vendor, pro import tuners might be able to hook you up with a better deal ;)
 
#13 ·
I'll play devil's advocate here.

For the longest time, I had my heart set on good springs and struts (RCE Yellows and Tokico D-Specs), but when I did a price comparison, that setup actually ended up being several hundred dollars more than a set of brand new BC BR coilovers (installed with all necessary hardware). Ultimately, I wanted to significantly reduce wheel gap and even it out as much as possible. I also wanted a somewhat reasonable ride height so I could make it over most obstacles in the road. I currently have about a one finger gap all around with 4 inches of clearance under my front bumper (with the lip), which is perfect for clearing speed bumps and many inclined entrances. Sometimes I do scrape, but the plastic lip is pretty forgiving.

Granted, the coilovers are considered to be cheap and I have yet to see how long they actually last, but so far, I have 16k miles on them and haven't run into any issues. The shock towers have 30 clicks of adjustability (from soft to firm) and I currently have them almost as soft as they will go since it's winter time. The ride quality is generally pretty stiff, but certainly tolerable in my opinion. My dad thinks my car handles like a go-kart, but my mom doesn't seem to like it very much, so if you have a girlfriend, she probably won't like it either. Larger bumps in the road (usually overpass joints) will jar your backside a bit, but it's not necessarily painful, just more of a rude awakening if you're not expecting it.

Anyway, if that sounds like what you want, give them a shot. If you end up disliking them, the market for used coilovers is still huge since many people want to lower their cars as cheap as possible.
 

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#14 ·
D-Specs and Yellows would out handle off-the-shelf BC BRs and likely last longer too given the inherit design flaw in BC's coilovers.

There are other coilovers for around the same amount that I could recommend, though you have to add top hat replacements on top of that (which OP should do anyways with 120k miles, though that's another $400-600 depending on what you get). For a DD, you'll find coilovers offer redundant features you will never use. Most people who use coilovers for street and adjust them once and never touch them again. It seems like a waste to pay for functionalities you're not using or even without taking full advantage of the one setting you do use (nobody can out-drive a spring/strut setup on public roads). :-/
 
#15 ·
And I'm gonna be the huge A-hole here that everyone disagrees with.
Just my .02, so no hating;)

I ran Megan lowering springs on KYB stock replacements for two years "ish"

From roughly 102k - 126k, on my 02 WRX
Springs were less than $200 and the struts were around $500.
The ride was still very tolerable as well. Not like stock, but not jarring enough to be annoyed.
The drop was roughly two inches after it all settled into place giving me about a one finger gap as well. Probably more like 1.75 inches actually.

Would I buy them again? Yes
Am I going to put them on my 11? NO

Only because I think I want BRs for adjustability.

Just my .02

Good luck. This decision is hard, I know;)
 
#17 ·
Kirt is absolutely right - a good spring/strut combo will outperform cheap coilovers. However, since I just putt around on the streets and don't race my car, looks are more important to me than performance.

The adjustability feature is nice because you can dial everything in the first time exactly where you want it and then get an alignment. There are some people with coilovers who raise their cars in the winter and lower them in the summer - I originally intended to do that, but laziness got the best of me - that, and alignments cost money (you should get an alignment every time you change your ride height). So far, I've successfully driven through every MD snow storm this year - the worst was about 8". Keeping in mind that I only have 4" of clearance under my front lip, I was definitely plowing some snow. I don't think I'd be able to drive through much more than that without doing some damage to my front bumper/lip.

My summer setup (previous picture) is 17x9 +42 wheels with 245/40 tires.

My winter setup (not pictured) is 17x7 +55 wheels and 205/50 tires.

Even though my front and rear fenders are rolled and pulled, I still experience some very slight rubbing on my left rear fender edge over large bumps, especially when there are other people in my car. I have -1.4 degrees of camber in the front and -1.7 in the rear. I could add a little, but then my tires would wear out faster. I could also go with a smaller tire or raise the ride height a little, but I don't want to sacrifice looks. It's a delicate balance.
 
#19 ·
Looks like a good conversation going on in here!

Like almost all things mod related, most people have their own preferred method of doing things. I've used coilovers and separate spring+shock combos and I think they're both good depending on the desired goals.

Inexpensive coilovers (Megan Racing, D2 Racing ect...) are great if you want something already assembled, simple to install and adaptable to many uses.

Spring and shock combos (Good shocks and springs, like Koni and Eibach or similar) will cost a little more than entry level coilovers but have many merits as well. Good comfort/performance ratio, simplicity and high quality damper valving are all common benefits of high quality shock+spring combos.

I recommend that the OP decide which traits he values most and then pick the option that suits those requirements.
 
#20 ·
Spring and shock combos (Good shocks and springs, like Koni and Eibach or similar) will cost a little more than entry level coilovers but have many merits as well. Good comfort/performance ratio, simplicity and high quality damper valving are all common benefits of high quality shock+spring combos.
Actually that's reversed. Unless you're going for Tokico D-Specs, Bilstein, or Ohlins strut setups, a standard strut and spring combo (KYB AGX, KYB GR-2, Koni Yellows, etc) will actually be cheaper than budget coilovers when. [edit] I neglected top hats, though many budget coilovers don't have them either.

Would it surprise you to know that there are height adjustable springs that can be pair with adjustable shocks that give you all the same features as coilovers? :p
 
#21 ·
Thanks for clarifying that brfatal, but I was talking about higher quality adjustable shocks (Konis in particular).

Koni insert and eibach spring combo comes out to about $1000 for the 02-07 cars. (A little less with a discount from us of course!)

This is without top mounts, just shocks and springs all around.

Entry level Megan Racing and D2 Racing coilovers start out at about $850 and $950 respectively.

Here are the links to compare:

Koni shocks: Koni Yellow Sport Adjustable Shocks 13 12 11 10 09 08 Subaru Impreza

Eibach springs: Eibach Pro-Kit Lowering Springs 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 Subaru Impreza

Megan Racing Street Coilovers: Megan Racing Street Series Full Coilovers 13 12 11 10 Subaru Impreza

D2 Racing RS coilovers: D2 Racing RS Full Coilovers 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 Subaru Impreza

Now just so that I'm not misunderstood: I'm not saying that coilovers are always better than shock+spring combos or vice-a-versa, just that entry level coilovers are a little cheaper these days then they used to be.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions
 
#23 ·
Ebiach lowering springs are handling crap. They're designed to be handling crap, lets not fault them. They say exactly what they are: Springs that safely lower your car (that also destroy handling and ride quality but you don't care because you're cheap and want it to look lower).

They're a good product, lets just be up front about the full product description.
 
#24 ·
That's more fitting of Megans and D2s than Eibachs. The Eibachs aren't competitive rates, but Megans and D2s just out right junkers. They are both custom BC coilovers made to different specs that are a step down from BC BRs while suffering from the same issues (and making them worse). No travel, poor valving, inherent reliability issues, and ride qualities that suffer. :(

There are other coilovers in that price range that are decent entry level (vs budget coils), but see my earlier comment about not coming with replacement top hats. If he's not track racing, it's money spent that he won't be utilizing. You don't built a high end gaming PC just for web browsing and email. ;)
 
#25 ·
Just to clarify:

D2 RS coilovers are definitely not "Custom BC" coilovers built to different specs.

D2 Racing has it's own manufacturing facilities in Asia and is one of the larger if not the largest manufactures that I know of. (We've been working with D2 for many years and have seen images of their facilities).

About Us - D2 Racing - High Performance Suspension & Brakes

I don't mean to overload this thread with info, I just know that we've had good success with D2's products and I don't want mis-information to be spread around.
 
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