peacewize Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I have an 88 dl 4wd wagon and im looking to upgrade my springs and shocks and I was wondering what the best options for a direct fit replacement. Would a different model/ year have a better suspension that I could order for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ystrdyisgone Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Someone who knows a bit more about this should probably chime in, but I'll say that the GL-10 front springs have more coil, same height. Which I'm guessing makes for a bit smoother ride? Not sure about the rears though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djellum Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 depends on what you mean by upgrade. if you mean repair or fix them back to stock smooth ride then just search around for a quality brand, or search the site for recommendations. if you want stiff suspension some people mod in toyota struts, and some people use Honda front springs in the rear, and some other car (mercury?) in the front to stiffen it up. I hear its pretty stiff though so expect some ride quality impact. I dont know exactly how they work from a ride height standpoint, but people do get small lift out of suspension changes just search the site for Honda springs or Toyota struts and you should be on the way to finding something out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickNakorn Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Ensuring that the stock parts are all in good condition makes a huge difference; dampers/shocks, bushes/bushings, anti-roll/sway bar and tracking alignment. I've never had a problem with springs on my wagons but they have all been younger. Depends too if by 'upgrade' you mean better street handling or better off-road ability - do you want less roll or more articulation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86BRATMAN Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Ford tempo is the other front springs. But those are for lift IIRC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickNakorn Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Peacewise, what kind of upgrade are you thinking of, street or mountain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 For Offroading (Mountain) with a heavy loaded Subaru Loyale, I kindly suggest you to see this Suspension Mods' Writeup: ~► http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/106807-improved-shock-absorbers-and-spring-coils-on-loyales/ Kind Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacewize Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share Posted February 26, 2013 Well bare with me since I don't know too much details about suspensions but right now if feels very soft. I get a ton of body roll around corners even at low speeds. As for lift or tires I'm thinking on going to 25-26" tires and I want minimal or preferably no lift. Iv read about toyota coils and Honda springs but am curious how they handle on the streets like that. If possible I want a happy medium between street and off-road use. I want to be able to hit some light trails and mud but this is my dd so nothing crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djellum Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 check your sway bar in the front. some people will take them off or they can just wear out. if its unhooked or worn then fixing it will help your body roll a lot. Its more likely your struts than anything else. the style of suspension you are probably thinking of has springs and arms with shocks attached to help out. the system you have the spring, shock, and upper a-arm are all one piece called a strut. Springs can wear out, but the gas part of the strut is more likely to be a problem. Id go new struts with low mile springs from a JY if you can find them. the spring swaps are from what I hear pretty rough on the ride. people generally do it so that they can haul more weight or really corner a lot. i would think stock gear with good parts would be a better happy medium. for tire size stay under 25 inches. you can fit that with no lift, fill nice and still is able to articulate and not rub. check the manufacturers site for the actual diameter of the tires. my bridgestones are slightly large for their size and are 24.9 inches. they fit very well and still noticeably lift the car. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacewize Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 check your sway bar in the front. some people will take them off or they can just wear out. if its unhooked or worn then fixing it will help your body roll a lot. Its more likely your struts than anything else. the style of suspension you are probably thinking of has springs and arms with shocks attached to help out. the system you have the spring, shock, and upper a-arm are all one piece called a strut. Springs can wear out, but the gas part of the strut is more likely to be a problem. Id go new struts with low mile springs from a JY if you can find them. the spring swaps are from what I hear pretty rough on the ride. people generally do it so that they can haul more weight or really corner a lot. i would think stock gear with good parts would be a better happy medium. for tire size stay under 25 inches. you can fit that with no lift, fill nice and still is able to articulate and not rub. check the manufacturers site for the actual diameter of the tires. my bridgestones are slightly large for their size and are 24.9 inches. they fit very well and still noticeably lift the car. Thank you that is good info. I am still a bit confused because I thought "strut" referred to the spring and the shocks together. I think I remember someone saying xt sway bars being larger? That is what I'm looking for essentially, "beffier" parts thanks again to everyones help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickNakorn Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I use my car for mild off-roading and have found that stock suspension is fine; I've improved ground clearence with 80% section tyres and I've recently rebuilt the struts (spring-damper units) at the rear with new dampers and bushes, new coaxial bump-stop and new suspension bump-stop. I think I've posted stuff on most of those tasks here and/or on my website if you need pics and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djellum Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 the "Strut" is the shock and spring in one, however theres a couple types of strut systems that use them. some have upper control arms and some don't. the ones that do will have upper and lower control arms that allow the spindle to move when you turn, and have springs and shocks together above it. ours look like a big L, theres a lower control arm and the strut hard mounts to the top of the spindle. the bracket up at the top of the strut has a bearing in it so that the whole strut can pivot allowing you to turn. just pull your wheel off and look, its obvious and easy to see. since the strut in our system is control arm, spring, and shock absorber it is much more important than some people give it credit for. when they get worn they can affect steering, tire wear, etc. I believe the sway bar your talking about is an XT6. XT guys used to use them because they were thicker. I dont know if normal XT ones are thicker than ours. I dont understand the beefier thing. theres no major weak spots there that need strength for normal driving, the CV's are the only thing that commonly breaks or would need strengthened. Jeszek's write up I believe used much more rugged forerunner struts in the back. i have seen spring changes in the front but not actual strut changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacewize Posted February 28, 2013 Author Share Posted February 28, 2013 By beefier I just mean stiffer. I load my car pretty full of people and tools and I don't want to rub when I'm loaded with bigger tires. Seems like I under estimated how much the shocks do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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