2013 Subaru WRX Hatch, Satin Pearl White 58k miles ( Drivetrain ) 14k (
Cobb Tuning SF Intake ( With Airbox ), Cobb High Flow Downpipe
Whitelines Anti-Sway Bars, Kart boys Endlinks, Back to black bushings, Perrin Pitch Stop Mount, Grimmspeed Master Cylinder Brace
Cobb Knob, Roof Rack, Gorilla Flaps, LED Light Bars, Bike Rack
Tuned by Eric @ Torqued Performance for 91 Octane ACN Fuel
Preface :
So I have almost 60k miles on my Chassis, not to get absorbed in a side notes but SOA built me a new longblock about 15k miles ago so my car now has 2 clocks. Back to the point I have about 60k on the chassis and I am running the stock suspension components ( Struts and springs ). While they have been very comfortable for my daily driving needs they were starting to get a bit noisy and they were not sucking up as much of the road as I was once so pleased to find. I knew that it was time to swap them out sometime last month when I rolled over a speed bump and heard that evil squishy squeak, kind of like rubbing an eraser on a wet piece of glass. It sounded as though the valving on my passenger side front strut was on its last legs and being beyond the 50k miles that I normally tell people to service their suspension It was time.
I set out to find myself a replacement for my stock suspension. My interests were in finding suspension components that were comfortable for my 36 mile daily commute and adjustable for my occasional canyon drive or track day. I typically recommend AGX struts with stock springs because they have a few adjustment points and they perform well enough for a daily driver but they were not available for my platform. I went further in that direction and the only adjustable struts I could find were Koni inserts that required me to drill/drain/cut. tap and press fit Koni strut inserts into my stock struts. For about $250 a corner I was not willing to tear apart my existing suspension and proceed to spend 2 days draining and cutting up my stock setup while my car sat on jack stands. I briefly looked at coilover setups but I ran into a problem that a number of drivers find. Entry coilovers have poor valving and poor rebound control and a decent set of coilovers will set you back between $2k and $3k. It’s worth noting that I also looked at replacing my worn stock setup with another stock setup and and the price I was quoted from my local Subaru dealership was almost 2k after taxes, and that's just for parts.
I was looking to preserve my stock ride height and find some adjustability so I posted a few times here and on other forums and made a few phone calls to local ( and some not so local - Thanks to @boo-key for the heads up on turn in concepts ) and I heard the same thing from each. The best setup you can get for less than $2k is either Koni inserts which require heavy modifications or FEAL coilovers. I called up FEAL and spoke with Oni and Zack. Both of them were exceptionally professional and they both work very closely with the technicians that build their suspension in house in Ontario CA. FEAL had an offering that fit my needs about perfectly.
Enter the FEAL 441 Max Travel. This coilover package has a few benefits over the other coilover options on the market for the 11-14 WRX, It is capable of running up to a 1.5 Inch Lift over stock and up to a 1 inch drop from stock without adding any preload to the springs and without harming the effective dampening of the strut inserts. They also include swift springs on all their builds and pillowball mounts for more precise steering input and response. It doesn't hurt that they come in cool colors and they are made a stone's throw from my city in Ontario CA. I ordered a set over the phone and in my conversation with Zack decided that for my driving style we would go with 8k springs and a .75 inch lift over stock.
Install :
Swapping struts for coilovers is a very simple process and realistically it should take about 2 hours, 1 six pack of your favorite fizzy beverage and a pizza to share with a friend ( the friend really helps ) This install is one I recommend using 4 jack stands for. You will need to be getting under the car with large breaker bars and that will require some extra lift over a single jack stand. I performed my install with 2 jack stands so I could finish the front first then the rear but we ran into issues of the breaker bar being too long for some of the spaces.
Removing Stock struts / Springs :
I start most suspension jobs by hitting all the parts I will be removing with PB blaster. I like the way PB Blaster smells but if you are not into that smell it might be worth spraying outside then rolling the car into the garage. Spend a few moments watching cool Subaru Rally videos while the parts soak and then get down to business. I prefer to work from the bottom bracket to the top because the bottoms are the hardest part to break free. I also marked my camber bolt with a paint marker so i knew generally where my suspension was setup before the process. Start by pulling the 2x 14mm bolts holding your ABS sensor and brake lines to the strut. Then you can move on to the harder bolts. Remove the 2 19mm bolts and nuts and the bottom of the strut assembly will be free. When you are removing the bottom bolt and camber bolt on the front struts be careful not to let the strut body jam into your front axle boot, the stock setup is under some tension from the springs and I found that using a small screwdriver in the bottom hole let me control the strut without damaging the axle boots. Then you can move up top and use a 12mm deep socket to pull the 3 nuts holding the strut assembly up. It will take some wiggling to remove but hey are pretty easy. Clean up all the threads with a nylon brush and get ready to install the new front coilovers.
For the rear It is strongly recommended that you disconnect the swap bars to allow the A arm to lower enough to pull the struts. The rear struts are under a considerable amount more tension than the fronts and will require some downward force to release them from their slots. To remove the rear struts start by removing the 19mm bolts holding the bottom of the strut in place. Then moving into your trunk pull the liner and the 2 side panels to expose 2x 12mm nuts. I used a ⅜ CV extension and a 12mm deep socket to remove those nuts and make working in that space easier. Then once the top is removed you will need your friend to apply downforce to the hub that way you can remove the top portion of the strut assembly from its seat and lift the bottom portion out of the arm. Again follow the same progress and clean up any mounting surfaces or threads with a nylon brush and some simple green before preparing yourself to install the new coilovers.
Installing the FEAL Max Travel 441s :
As always begin by making sure that the connections are all tight and that they match the required specs for your parts. I called Zack at FEAL suspension to verify that I had the correct bottom height and made sure the the springs were under the same amount of preload tension ( About 4 mm ). Use the included tools to be sure that all the collars are tight and starting with the front units start by lifting the new coilovers into place. Be sure the the camber adjustment plate is facing the correct direction ( perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle ) I loosely install the nuts that hold the coilover up in place and move onto the bottom bracket. Using a tap set or alignment tool, align the bottom hole of your strut assembly and thread through the 19mm bolt and hand tighten the nut, then install the top camber bolt and adjust it as close as you can to straight ( you will need an alignment anyway but getting it close saves your tires for the drive to your alignment shop ) Once the coilover is installed reattach the 12mm bolts/brackets that hold the ABS sensor and brake line in place and reinstall your tires.
The rears are very easy following the same process. Install the top into its seat and tighten the nuts holding the strut up, Push the bottom into place and reinstall the 19mm bolt and your swaybar into their factory locations. There are no sensors or cables attached to the rear coilovers so your job is just about done.
Adjusting :
I used the settings that were recommended to me by the team at FEAL. For daily driving 15 clicks on the front and 15 clicks on the rear. I also tested them at 10 clicks in the front and rear and While it was very soft and cushy for driving around with the family. I think I want the car to feel stiffer even on my daily driver but I will be playing with those settings for the next few weeks Im sure.
Alignment :
You are playing with the alignment bolts and adjusting where the top of your struts contact the car. It should go without saying that you need to take it to an alignment shop before you do any real driving.
Wrap Up:
If you have an 08-14 WRX the options for struts are few and far between. FEAL makes some excellent products with a bit of racing pedigree and they come in considerably under the cost of their closest competition. They also offer some of the only coil overs in their price bracket that offer stock ride height and soft lift.
Cobb Tuning SF Intake ( With Airbox ), Cobb High Flow Downpipe
Whitelines Anti-Sway Bars, Kart boys Endlinks, Back to black bushings, Perrin Pitch Stop Mount, Grimmspeed Master Cylinder Brace
Cobb Knob, Roof Rack, Gorilla Flaps, LED Light Bars, Bike Rack
Tuned by Eric @ Torqued Performance for 91 Octane ACN Fuel
Preface :
So I have almost 60k miles on my Chassis, not to get absorbed in a side notes but SOA built me a new longblock about 15k miles ago so my car now has 2 clocks. Back to the point I have about 60k on the chassis and I am running the stock suspension components ( Struts and springs ). While they have been very comfortable for my daily driving needs they were starting to get a bit noisy and they were not sucking up as much of the road as I was once so pleased to find. I knew that it was time to swap them out sometime last month when I rolled over a speed bump and heard that evil squishy squeak, kind of like rubbing an eraser on a wet piece of glass. It sounded as though the valving on my passenger side front strut was on its last legs and being beyond the 50k miles that I normally tell people to service their suspension It was time.
I set out to find myself a replacement for my stock suspension. My interests were in finding suspension components that were comfortable for my 36 mile daily commute and adjustable for my occasional canyon drive or track day. I typically recommend AGX struts with stock springs because they have a few adjustment points and they perform well enough for a daily driver but they were not available for my platform. I went further in that direction and the only adjustable struts I could find were Koni inserts that required me to drill/drain/cut. tap and press fit Koni strut inserts into my stock struts. For about $250 a corner I was not willing to tear apart my existing suspension and proceed to spend 2 days draining and cutting up my stock setup while my car sat on jack stands. I briefly looked at coilover setups but I ran into a problem that a number of drivers find. Entry coilovers have poor valving and poor rebound control and a decent set of coilovers will set you back between $2k and $3k. It’s worth noting that I also looked at replacing my worn stock setup with another stock setup and and the price I was quoted from my local Subaru dealership was almost 2k after taxes, and that's just for parts.
I was looking to preserve my stock ride height and find some adjustability so I posted a few times here and on other forums and made a few phone calls to local ( and some not so local - Thanks to @boo-key for the heads up on turn in concepts ) and I heard the same thing from each. The best setup you can get for less than $2k is either Koni inserts which require heavy modifications or FEAL coilovers. I called up FEAL and spoke with Oni and Zack. Both of them were exceptionally professional and they both work very closely with the technicians that build their suspension in house in Ontario CA. FEAL had an offering that fit my needs about perfectly.
Enter the FEAL 441 Max Travel. This coilover package has a few benefits over the other coilover options on the market for the 11-14 WRX, It is capable of running up to a 1.5 Inch Lift over stock and up to a 1 inch drop from stock without adding any preload to the springs and without harming the effective dampening of the strut inserts. They also include swift springs on all their builds and pillowball mounts for more precise steering input and response. It doesn't hurt that they come in cool colors and they are made a stone's throw from my city in Ontario CA. I ordered a set over the phone and in my conversation with Zack decided that for my driving style we would go with 8k springs and a .75 inch lift over stock.
Install :
Swapping struts for coilovers is a very simple process and realistically it should take about 2 hours, 1 six pack of your favorite fizzy beverage and a pizza to share with a friend ( the friend really helps ) This install is one I recommend using 4 jack stands for. You will need to be getting under the car with large breaker bars and that will require some extra lift over a single jack stand. I performed my install with 2 jack stands so I could finish the front first then the rear but we ran into issues of the breaker bar being too long for some of the spaces.
Removing Stock struts / Springs :
I start most suspension jobs by hitting all the parts I will be removing with PB blaster. I like the way PB Blaster smells but if you are not into that smell it might be worth spraying outside then rolling the car into the garage. Spend a few moments watching cool Subaru Rally videos while the parts soak and then get down to business. I prefer to work from the bottom bracket to the top because the bottoms are the hardest part to break free. I also marked my camber bolt with a paint marker so i knew generally where my suspension was setup before the process. Start by pulling the 2x 14mm bolts holding your ABS sensor and brake lines to the strut. Then you can move on to the harder bolts. Remove the 2 19mm bolts and nuts and the bottom of the strut assembly will be free. When you are removing the bottom bolt and camber bolt on the front struts be careful not to let the strut body jam into your front axle boot, the stock setup is under some tension from the springs and I found that using a small screwdriver in the bottom hole let me control the strut without damaging the axle boots. Then you can move up top and use a 12mm deep socket to pull the 3 nuts holding the strut assembly up. It will take some wiggling to remove but hey are pretty easy. Clean up all the threads with a nylon brush and get ready to install the new front coilovers.
For the rear It is strongly recommended that you disconnect the swap bars to allow the A arm to lower enough to pull the struts. The rear struts are under a considerable amount more tension than the fronts and will require some downward force to release them from their slots. To remove the rear struts start by removing the 19mm bolts holding the bottom of the strut in place. Then moving into your trunk pull the liner and the 2 side panels to expose 2x 12mm nuts. I used a ⅜ CV extension and a 12mm deep socket to remove those nuts and make working in that space easier. Then once the top is removed you will need your friend to apply downforce to the hub that way you can remove the top portion of the strut assembly from its seat and lift the bottom portion out of the arm. Again follow the same progress and clean up any mounting surfaces or threads with a nylon brush and some simple green before preparing yourself to install the new coilovers.
Installing the FEAL Max Travel 441s :
As always begin by making sure that the connections are all tight and that they match the required specs for your parts. I called Zack at FEAL suspension to verify that I had the correct bottom height and made sure the the springs were under the same amount of preload tension ( About 4 mm ). Use the included tools to be sure that all the collars are tight and starting with the front units start by lifting the new coilovers into place. Be sure the the camber adjustment plate is facing the correct direction ( perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle ) I loosely install the nuts that hold the coilover up in place and move onto the bottom bracket. Using a tap set or alignment tool, align the bottom hole of your strut assembly and thread through the 19mm bolt and hand tighten the nut, then install the top camber bolt and adjust it as close as you can to straight ( you will need an alignment anyway but getting it close saves your tires for the drive to your alignment shop ) Once the coilover is installed reattach the 12mm bolts/brackets that hold the ABS sensor and brake line in place and reinstall your tires.
The rears are very easy following the same process. Install the top into its seat and tighten the nuts holding the strut up, Push the bottom into place and reinstall the 19mm bolt and your swaybar into their factory locations. There are no sensors or cables attached to the rear coilovers so your job is just about done.
Adjusting :
I used the settings that were recommended to me by the team at FEAL. For daily driving 15 clicks on the front and 15 clicks on the rear. I also tested them at 10 clicks in the front and rear and While it was very soft and cushy for driving around with the family. I think I want the car to feel stiffer even on my daily driver but I will be playing with those settings for the next few weeks Im sure.
Alignment :
You are playing with the alignment bolts and adjusting where the top of your struts contact the car. It should go without saying that you need to take it to an alignment shop before you do any real driving.
Wrap Up:
If you have an 08-14 WRX the options for struts are few and far between. FEAL makes some excellent products with a bit of racing pedigree and they come in considerably under the cost of their closest competition. They also offer some of the only coil overs in their price bracket that offer stock ride height and soft lift.