Ebay Coilover Users, more info please...

[garner]

Hey all you ebay coilover users (subaru_styles, SubaruTex, Calebz anyone else?) I need some more info on your set ups.

 

1. what struts are you using front and rear?

 

2. what is the "free length" of said springs?

 

3. what is your total range of height adjustment?

 

4. are all of you using WRX spec kits off ebay?

 

many thanks in advance for your info and experience.

 

garner

[subaru_styles]

I'll go measure some springs i have and let you know the different heights..so get off your phone, im trying to call you

 

adjustment range is around 3"

struts:

front-New O.E. xt6 2wd

back-KYB gr2 4wd sedan struts (i had original thought they were 2wd:rolleyes: )

wagon has HP coilovers for a vr6 VW

coupe is gettting Bomz coilovers for a integra

 

if your going to be using ea82 struts in the rear garner check here

http://www.ground-control-store.com/products/category.php/CA=31 ..

there are a ton of different length and weight combintations for 2.5" diameter springs, which will fit..

[Subarutex]

Worn impreza 2.5rs struts in front. New RX KYB GR2's in the back.

 

Seems to me the springs are about 6" tall... The collar adjustment is about 3".

[calebz]

2WD XT6 struts in front

4WD EA82 struts in the rear

 

Spring were listed as being for an 02-04 WRX

4 inches of adjustment

350 pounds rear

450 pounds front

IIRC, they were 8 inches long without the collars.

[garner]

cool,

 

So with 4 inches of adjustment, I can go from "slammed" to mild lift with 4 inches of adjustment. My goal is to have the Brat play "Transformer" and go from slammed street rig to gravel road bomber with the twist of a wrench or two and swapping wheels and tires.... we'll see....

 

for struts, atleast for the rear, I'm going with 4wd wagon rears. According to my FSM, they are nearly the shortest but have the longest travel. I'm doing custom top mounts for the tops so I can set my starting height where ever I want....

 

on the ebay coilovers, those springs are 2.5" correct? so one could swap them out with ground control springs or the equivelent....

 

Tex, are your ebay coilovers wrx spec?

 

garner

[calebz]

cool,

 

 

Tex, are your ebay coilovers wrx spec?

 

garner

 

IIRC, he used springs marketed for a legacy.

[garner]

so, looking at my options on ebay I find two distinct styles

 

these

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7963791483&category=33582

 

and these

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7964510865&category=33582

 

the second look just like what calebz has, the first looks, well wierd.

 

What I don't understand about the first is what keeps the tupe from spinning when you turn the perch? Anyone have any wisdom on this?

 

garner

[Subarutex]

No, i used wrx ones, looks to be the exact ones you ahve linked second. Those first ones look weird, and I would stay away from them.

 

Either of these setups use the same method to secure the threaded collar to the strut. Space is taken up between the collar and the strut by using rubber o-rings. This should be pretty tight. Then, at the bottom there will be 3 threaded holes to put in little threaded plugs. (in the second link, look to the bottom right of the picture) these clamp the collar to the strut... much like a xmas tree stand clamps in a tree.

 

I spose the sprigns could be 8" instead of 6"... I dunno.

 

These are all ripoffs of the Ground Control coilovers, which for what they are are over priced. Those do feature steel threaded collars instead of aluminium. You could put the ground control springs on these setups (the springs are eibach's) but I wouldn't. At that point I would rather upgrade to steel hardware... as I don't trust the aluminium that much.

[Do It Sidewayz]

those types of spring rates are WAY too stiff.

 

I'm running 250's and 200's in my rally car and i wouldn't drive anything stiffer on the street.

 

All the ebay type coilover kits are stupid stiff, and i don't believe that an 8 inch coil has enough travel built into it so accomidate the shock travel. You might end up coil binding your spring with only 4 inches of travel!!!!!! That's NOT good.

 

If it was me, and wanted to put together a coil over kit. Look into stock car places, which sell dirt track parts. They will list "coil over sleeves", you call them up with the OD of your struts, and they will match with whatever possible...you want the sleeves to slip over the struts tightly. The cheap ebay kits use o-rings to take up the slack!..not what you want to do.

 

The stock car placed can then provide you with whatever springs you want....with your desired spring rates.

 

if you go too stiff on the rate you will look like some punk in a civic that bounces down the road like a ballon!

 

with FRESH GR2 struts allround, i might go for a 175 or maybe a 200 in the front for a spring, then have the rears about 50 lbs lower.

 

The stock spring rates are ike 110-115ish...i think

 

 

The stock car place will end up being a little bit more..i think the sleeve kits are around 40 bucks CDN a corner, and the springs are around 60 a piece cdn.

 

better springs though.. that won't break

[garner]

sidewayz,

 

yes, they are stupid stiff springs for sure. My plan is to use these as a mock up sort of thing. Once, I can determine exactly what I want in terms of length and rate, I'll order eibach springs from ground control. One of my main motivations in using this type of set up is dialing in the ride height. And compared to blown struts and tired springs, anything would be an improvement.....

 

good tip on the circle track coilover set up, I'll do some research on that as well.

 

The ebay coilover set up deal is kind of cheesey but it's cheap and according to the folks running them, they work ok.

 

garner

[rallyruss]

ok long story short or maby short story long.

 

I just limped my car all the way home from death valley with a blown out strut with a spring pearch that also blew off the strut housing. This was with a cheapy coil over set up like the ones you are looking at installed.

to be honest it never really did ride well. spring was too short and did not alow the suspension to fully travle its range smoothly.

this was notr too much of a problem on the street but flying down a dirt highway at 50 + mph was just too much for it. I crossed a washout a little too fast and it completely destroyed the right rear strut.

we found some old car parts out in the desert and were able to fashon a cheesey repair out of a cracked turbo housing that got us home but it was a slow and bouncy ride to be sure.

I am going to try and find true threaded body coil overs that I can adapt to the rear of the car. Im not messing with those adaptor sleves any more.

[Storm]

I'm going to go on the other side of the fence for moment here. For those of you knocking the ebay sleeve kits because of the spring rates....note that they are not marketing them to offroad folks. They're trying to get the guys who are lowering the car to buy the kits. The rates are stiff because of the limited travel. Ideal? Not really.... Do they work? sure....but you can't put a crappy strut such as the GR2 (and it is crappy) with these springs and expect them to work well or last long. Stock rates are somewhere in the vicinity of 110-130lbs/in. The kit springs usually range from 250-500lbs/in. Why on earth would you try to damp those rates with a damper valved for 1/2 or 1/4 of the spring rates? Properly valved struts make a world of difference......no bounce and extreme performance (backed up with divisional and national SCCA results)....

 

Talking to the roundy round guys will (at least in my case) not get you very far unless you lie about what kind of car you're trying to work over. I couldn't get Afco or QA1 to even consider making a strut based on their rustang struts. They don't seem to see the market for US made Import parts....[roll].

 

If you do all of your own research and choose what springs and sleeves you want, you can end up with a decent setup on a budget but you have to match the struts with what springs you're trying to use. All of this has to match with what you want to do with the car.

 

Just 4" of travel not enough and too stiff? Try a set of tender springs.....or change the springs out for a set of 10-12" drag springs. The sleeves work fine despite the setscrew/O-ring method of attatchment. Careful wrapping of ductape around the struts(&under the sleeves)makes for solid mounting of the sleeves and the setscrews will lock it into place. I don't like the single alu. adjuster ring....I prefer the double locking rings even though I have to use tools to set them. I don't move them very often once they're where I want them.

[rallyruss]

yes storm I tend to agree with you as I have tried a few different combinations now. I am on another attempt right now.

The GR2 is a good quality strut/shock/coilover(name changes depending on who you ask) but the dampening is too soft for any use that is harsher than regular street driving.

I still am not pleased with the coil over sleeve kit deals. I guess if all you really care about is ride height then thats fine.

if you want durability and performance then they are a poor choice in my opinion.

 

so what is the solution?

 

well I have somthing a little better in the rear right now but its still not perfect.

 

I found a set of dampening adjustable, fully threaded coil overs on E Bay. they fit some early gen mitsu. EVO. combined with a stiffer spring set I had here at home.(styles I still have parts for you)

 

I hade to make a few mods to fit them properly but they are in and have been tested now.

 

handling is great on the street. no real complaints there(except speed bumps).

in the dirt they really help me piviot around corners better as the understeer is almost completely gone.

the problem is still lack of travle. I watched the vidio of the car from the last RallyX I ran and in the chunky stuff the rear cannot soake up the bumps well.

 

so still waiting for the ultimate suspension on a budget to come along but progress has been made.

[Do It Sidewayz]

i just recommended the stock car stuff as an alternative to the ebay specials. They are made from better material, and you can use a spring rate better suited to your car.

 

Personally. i researched and found a proper custom made bilstien set-up for my rally car.. however it cost close to 1500 USD.

[operose]

Personally. i researched and found a proper custom made bilstien set-up for my rally car.. however it cost close to 1500 USD.

 

ouch. no offense, but that's not exactly "within budget" for most people around here... I've got 3 xt6's that I didn't pay that much $$$$ for

[rallyruss]

i just recommended the stock car stuff as an alternative to the ebay specials. They are made from better material, and you can use a spring rate better suited to your car.

 

Personally. i researched and found a proper custom made bilstien set-up for my rally car.. however it cost close to 1500 USD.

 

If I had the cash for them and could verify that it would work how I want it to I would be all over that deal.