Bluestone Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I've always found the ride in my GT Wagon a bit too bouncy for my taste. I'm toying with the idea of putting different shocks in my Subie for a firmer ride and improved control/handling at higher speeds. But which ones to consider? Now, I don't want a kidney-jarring ride, I still want a comfortable ride, but a firmer one. (and I might go for more substantial ant-sway bars, fore and aft, too) Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadsubaruguy Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 as for the shocks, i would go with the kyb replacement, they seem to be a bit stiffer, but not overly stiff. as far as sway bars go, check out whiteline. i have heard only good things about them...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 KYB GR2 After renting a hunday accent (not a bad little car) and a nissan sentra i got blku back with the GR-2s. They ride softer then those two, but stiffer then OE shocks. I like them. KYB makes the OE struts. My shop says the car now rides like an SUV, and that is what I was going for. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Hey nipper did you use stock springs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Hey nipper did you use stock springs? Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virrdog Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 KYB GR2 or KYB AGX. AGX is adjustable to make it suit your taste. But they don't make that model for all cars. GR2's are an upgrade from stock valving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 KYB GR2 or KYB AGX. AGX is adjustable to make it suit your taste. But they don't make that model for all cars. GR2's are an upgrade from stock valving. 100 miles on the GR2s and i like them. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron917 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Another vote for the GR2s. 15K miles with them on the '99 OBW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I've always found the ride in my GT Wagon a bit too bouncy for my taste.I'm toying with the idea of putting different shocks in my Subie for a firmer ride and improved control/handling at higher speeds. But which ones to consider? Now, I don't want a kidney-jarring ride, I still want a comfortable ride, but a firmer one. (and I might go for more substantial ant-sway bars, fore and aft, too) Any suggestions? GR2s and a Whiteline 18-22mm rear swaybar would be good things to do. I found that upgrading the endlinks and swaybar bushings also made a very noticable difference. You have a 20mm front bar already. Also note that from what I can tell, GR2s are pretty much equivalent to the stock struts on your GT. Many people say, "oh, yeah, huge difference they're stiffer," but they're also coming from old struts. Strut performance really goes downhill after 50k miles or so and I would say maybe 3 people ever replace them that frequently. For something stiffer, the KYB AGX and Tokico D-spec are both good choices and adjustable. I would also recommend stiffer springs if you went that route, as the d-specs on full soft will still leave you with an over-damped (that's what your kidneys feel) system. With very good struts like ohlins ($2000 a set), springs that are 300lb/in or stiffer can still be used and not be too harsh. Of course, harshness is very subjective. I have no problems with my STi setup, which is stiff and a bit over-damped, but my friend's GF refuses to ride in the back seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluestone Posted August 18, 2007 Author Share Posted August 18, 2007 Thanks for the suggestions, guys. The KYB GR2s seem to be a favorite, but as Jamal pointed out, the people who say they can notice a big difference are comparing them with shocks that are already past their prime. I'd hate to go for another set of shocks only to be disappointed. My Subie has less than 48,000 miles on it and the shocks are still at or near prime shape. I don't get to drive it nearly as much as I'd like since I spend a good part of my time travelling outside of the States. Adjustable shocks seem to be the way to go....I could tune them to my taste, but the KYB AGXs aren't made for my Sube....I just checked. Tokico D Specs look interesting; I'll have to see if they're available for my Sube. Anyway, I haven't yet committed to making the shock upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 A set of AGX struts for a 93-01 Impreza will bolt up directly. It's the same thing with D-specs, which I have heard are much better than the KYBs, so if you can find those at a decent price go that way. Actually almost any Impreza strut will bolt in (exception 05-07 STI and the 08s), but the 02+ sedans have a wider track and will ruin your camber. Tires and an aggressive alignment (lots of negative camber) are THE BEST things you can do to improve handling. You will need to use Legacy wagon specific springs due to the heavier rear end of your car. Whiteline probably makes the best ones, and is, as far as I know, the only company that makes Legacy wagon specific springs. Globalperformanceparts.com is an importer most vendors get their Whiteline parts from and you can order from them directly. Anyway, here is what would be a very good setup, in order of importance: -Performance summer tires -As much negative camber as you can get with no cross camber -KYB AGXes ($380 on ebay) -whiteline 18-22mm adjustable rear swaybar (~$190) -whiteline control springs (~$300) -front polyurethane swaybar bushings (whiteline part number W0405-20) ($16) -whiteline or kartboy solid endlinks ($180) That would make for great handling and wouldn't be very stiff. If you happen to need new tie rods or ball joints get the new whiteline roll center adjustment kit too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluestone Posted August 18, 2007 Author Share Posted August 18, 2007 Jamal, thanks for the additional info. Interesting to learn that Impreza struts would work. Would that apply to rear struts as well, or just front? Would maximum negative camber cause tires to wear faster? By the way, my GT Wagon's original tires were Bridgestone Potenza RE-92s, and did they ever suck! Don't have anything good to say about them, really. At 12000 miles I dumped them for Yokohama Avid V4Ss which I've been very pleased with....it's a really nice tire! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 all four impreza struts work. To cause tire wear problems you need more negative camber than the stock bolts are capable of. As long as the toe is zeroed, anyway. I currently have -1.5 degrees all around and would like more in the front. Usually you want about 0.5-1 degree more than in the rear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarunation 713 Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 100 miles on the GR2s and i like them. nipper Time to change struts so I was doing a search and I came across your post. I assume it has been more than 100 miles by now. Still give the "thumbs up" to these struts or has a few months changed your impression? Thanks in advance for your opinion, Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 Time to change struts so I was doing a search and I came across your post. I assume it has been more than 100 miles by now. Still give the "thumbs up" to these struts or has a few months changed your impression? Thanks in advance for your opinion, Greg We havent had cold weather yet, but its been a seven thousand miles and one triple didgit speed run, and i am still very happy with them. I have heard that they may get stiff when the weather turns cold, but all suspensions do that. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 Somebody reccomended the GR2s to me several years ago and I've had them on two cars now. My current Forester has had them for nearly 40,000 miles and they still feel fine. With a WRX swaybar in the rear the cornering is far better than stock on the Forester with much less roll. It's nice that both ends drift at about the same time with no big surprises like old 911 Porsches gave you. The "oh ************" feeling of suddenly having one end let go. I'd certainly buy another set if these ever give up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronemus Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 I have GR-2s on my '02 LGT. I replaced them before the OEM struts and shocks wore out (~45k mi) and have >10k mi on them now. The GR-2s are much stiffer than the OEMs and have nicely tamed the ride. I'm still on stock springs as this is my daily friver and the 5" ground clearance is low enogh for me. The only complaint I have is that they get a bit too stiff at temperatures below freezing. The Bilsteins came out after I installed the GR-2s, but I'd go with them today despite the higher price (and the Bilsteins are adjustable). I also have Whiteline heavy duty swaybars front and rear, and they are a huge improvement, keeping the car nearly flat in the corners. I tried ADDCO bars, but neither the front or rear would fit. They took them back and even covered shipping both ways. They're aware of the problem and will fix it at some point. Their bars are bigger and probably stiffer then the Whiteelines, but you shound check whether the new design is available yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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