legacycentral bbs

OK, I Hate to sound like a newb, but i have a smokin deal on some bugeye struts/springs. I just want to double check before taking everything apart to get these on. I have a 91 SS and I am putting on 02/03 struts/springs.
So all I will need is the 92-94 rear strut mounts and rear top hats? Don't need anything different up front?
once again sorry for the dumb question but i'd rather be safe than sorry when trying to tackle this. This will be my first time swapping struts and springs and I want it to go well and have everything I need haha. Thanks in advance

I'm not positive on this, but wouldn't the mounting holes for the rear top mounts be smaller on the 90-91 MY's?

i have no clue haha. I think im going to the junkyard today so Ill grab the 92-94 rear strut mounts and top hats and hopefully ill find out if I need anything else before I start the swap. I read it over a couple times and it sounds like that is all I need, but I guess I will find out one way or another

has anyone does the bugeye struts on a 91??

Nope, they're the same mounting holes 90-94. But you need washers or better yet spacers that go on top of the top hats that slide over the shaft of the strut and then you put the nut on top of the washers (spacers). I believe the reason for this is because the 92-94 tophats you have to use are not as thick from top to bottom as the WRX tophats and therefore if you don't use washers when you bolt the tophat on it's loose and therefore the spring is loose as well.

This may not actually be a problem once the car is on the ground again but with the car up in the air you can move the spring around by hand, it's that loose.

This is why I said "forget about WRX struts" and went with 04 STI instead. Just didn't feel comfortable with it loose like that.

I sold the bugeye struts, once I get my paychecks coming in from my new job I will be on the lookout for 04 sti struts and springs

okay - i've read everything i can find from the suspension stickies, jamal's postings and Legacy777's postings and i don't think anyone has stated either from estimation or actual experience of how a GG spring (2004 STi - 224# fr / 194# r) would work installed on a new kyb gr-2 strut (designed with either a 15% or 20% firmer valving). my 1993 legacy sport has 132# fr / 132# r original springs (290k miles).

i suspect that the GG spring will be too firm for the gr-2 valving. can anyone confirm this from experience? if so, how long did the gr-2 struts last? i have an email into KYB's technical support in hopes of them giving me a range of acceptable spring rates. from other posts, that might be a long shot, but i will update with any new information.

basically, i am trying to accomplish a stiffer suspension replacement on the cheap. i have the GG springs and everything else to make them fit. i would prefer not to purchase AGX struts because i would rather go with koni yellow inserts for not much more. perhaps, the best thing to do is just go with new gr-2 struts with BC springs. board members seem to report good things with just that. although, i am a little concerned about the reverse rake issue raised in the KYB fitment thread (http://www.bbs.legacycentral.org/viewto ... yb+fitment). i could be misunderstanding things, though. if so, my apologies. any guidance/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

thanks!

I'm not sure I can help, but you may be charting into new territory, and may just have to decide to try the springs out or not once you hear back from KYB.

wont GC front struts fix the reverse rake?

firstly - didn't get much help from KYB. here is my request with the response to follow:

I am considering purchasing GR-2 struts for my 1993 Subaru Legacy
Sport (turbo, AWD, 5MT, non-air suspension) and wanted to use a
stiffer OEM spring with the struts. Can you please let me know if
this will be possible with the GR-2? Original OEM spring rates for my
car are 132 lbs front and rear. I would like to use OEM springs with
rates of 224 lbs front and 194 lbs rear. Do the GR-2 struts have
sufficient valving to handle compression and rebound with these
stiffer springs? If not, what other options would I have within the
KYB line-up? Alternatively, as these springs are from a USDM 2004
Subaru WRX STi, would a GR-2 for that car have more appropriate
valving specs? I understand that the STi struts are a little shorter
in overall length, which would be acceptable for my installation.

Thank you very much for the technical assistance. I am a member of
the Legacycentral.org bulletin board and many members have had very
positive results installing KYB products.

KYB's response:

Good Morning David, our GR2 shocks line is only tested with OEM parts,
(on this case springs), we can guarantee they will work fine on your
1993 Subaru with the original or the correct spring rate for that
vehicle, we do not use or have drawings to compare between the two
vehicles part number, the struts for the WRX sti are manufactured based
on the OEM exclusively for that vehicle.

Party line, pretty typical. I'm not overly excited, nor disappointed.

From some more reading, it seems that people have had mostly positive experiences with the H&R Sport springs that have around a 200# spring rate (little less in the rear) installed on GR-2 struts. The only possible reported failure, I believe was one strut on Legacy777's car (front maybe), although the ride didn't seem to diminish.

Since it seems that I am venturing into untested territory, I'm going to be conservative and put it out there that GG springs are too stiff for GR-2s. My pockets got incredibly shallow today and I can't take a risk with my suspension if I can even replace it at all.

That said, if anyone has GD wagon springs they aren't using, I would wager that those would nicely pair up on GR-2s for a stiffer ride. PM me if you have a set. Else, I'll probably go with my stockers.

Thank you to the collective Subaru brain trust.

dkopp- Do you already have the GR2's? If not, I would suggest looking for a good set of '04 STi struts to match the springs. The valving is correct for the springs and provides a nice drop for the car. I just installed this onto a '95 wagon and was satisfied with the resulting ride and handling. Other benefits include stronger construction, serviceability, and re-valve-abliity.
Alternately, GR2's for a GD WRX might be better valved for the STi spring rates.
There are also different thickness spacers available to space struts from the body. I used a set in the rear to correct the reverse rake I experience w/ GR2's.
I also have a set of GD wagon springs. PM if you're interested.

Just for what it's worth, I have Whiteline control springs, not H&R's.

Here's the info I have from Whiteline on my spring rates.

Front spring part# 74502 is rated at about 190 Lbs/in, linear rate. Rear spring part# 70369 is rated at about 200 Lbs/in, and part# 70368 is rated at about 180Lbs/in, are both are progressive design.


I have the sedan rear springs. I can say the GR2's were a little softer than the AGX's set to the middle setting. There may be some adverse affects to the GR2's over a long period of time with the higher spring rates, but I don't think it'd be anything that would kill it in a short time.

beatersubi wrote:dkopp- Do you already have the GR2's? If not, I would suggest looking for a good set of '04 STi struts to match the springs. The valving is correct for the springs and provides a nice drop for the car. I just installed this onto a '95 wagon and was satisfied with the resulting ride and handling. Other benefits include stronger construction, serviceability, and re-valve-abliity.
Alternately, GR2's for a GD WRX might be better valved for the STi spring rates.
There are also different thickness spacers available to space struts from the body. I used a set in the rear to correct the reverse rake I experience w/ GR2's.
I also have a set of GD wagon springs. PM if you're interested.

beatersubi - I don't have the GR-2s yet and was considering going with the GD WRX ones instead. The pricing wasn't much more and I agree that the valving would compliment stiffer springs, likely even as stiff as the GG springs. What I wasn't sure was the overall length and whether that would drop the suspension too low and worsen the handling. I'm assuming that GD GR-2s would be exactly like the OEM units. That's what KYB stated in their email response. How much of a drop did you achieve on your '95 wagon? Thanks for the information and I'll keep you in mind for the GD wagon springs. It seems the AT had the stiffer spring. Do you know whether they were MT or AT?

I can't really say for sure how much drop the springs provided as I never had stock suspension on the car. I can say, though, that GG springs provide ~1-1.5" lower ride height than GD springs.
I don't know for sure whether the GD springs were out of an AT or MT car.

i found a good deal on 02/03 wagon complete struts locally and was considering going with them. from reading other posts it seems that the wagon specific struts don't have the same wider track issues that require slotting or camber bolts. there was one post that showed "saggy wagon butt" by 1/2", but that was on a 1990 using 2006 takeoffs (http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=40806). if anyone has information, please post.

i'll post what i eventually go with, but currently, it would be 02/03 wagon struts on a 1993 SS. i have 2004 GG springs and new SOA tapered mounts if i decide to mount them.

it's interesting that new KYB GR-2 strut prices are dramatically less for the wagons than the sedans for WRX models. if there isn't an issue with camber compensation, that would be a good alternative for legacy owners.

here's the link for the spacers made by paranoid fabrications. i couldn't find it searching the board...

http://www.paranoidfabrications.com/sho ... t-spacers/

I have a 90 Legacy sedan n/a AWD. I take it the point of the Sti springs is to actually lower the car? Well I am looking for stock height as this will be rallycross this car but I want an upgraded strut. So my thought is that I can install 04 sti struts with my stock springs and be at stock height with a much better strut than a GR2 or AGX. Is that correct?

Ok, so as my signature states I have a 93 N/A Legacy Sedan.

I want to use 04+ Sti springs on my car.
Based on what I read so far all I need are either 91-91 Legacy rear strut mounts or a 04+ Impreza rear strut mounts?

Did I miss anything?
I don't have to change the fronts correct?

Thanks!

You need 89-91 Legacy rear tophats. The front will bolt in.
You'll want to install camber bolts in the rear, as well. The 04 struts will give you positive camber in the rear.

03 Impreza 2.5 ts and 04 STI front springs are the same diameter correct?

"If you have a 90-91 Legacy, you can use 04-07 Impreza springs as direct replacements. The 90-91 Legacies have tapered rear springs like the 04-07 Imprezas do, so they will fit."

so i have Tein 04 wrx sti springs and i can use these springs as direct replacements..is it still true

Either you believe it or you don't...

mike-tracy wrote:Either you believe it or you don't...

ok i'll try thanks

I was teasing you. But yeah if you've been through all 7 pages of this thread without anyone saying "WTF, this doesn't fit like it says on page 1" then you should be set. I haven't tried all the combos on this thread, but what I did try worked as advertised.

mike-tracy wrote:I was teasing you. But yeah if you've been through all 7 pages of this thread without anyone saying "WTF, this doesn't fit like it says on page 1" then you should be set. I haven't tried all the combos on this thread, but what I did try worked as advertised.

i was confused i only read edit:3 and i decided to get tein sti springs for my bc2 legacy.my english not very well sometimes i cant understand some posts sorry for this

R-PIS59-OVO GBC this is the part number of Tein springs.i couldn't find any information with this code.is it good for me ?

I'm looking for some advice / recommendations for struts and springs for my 94 GT wagon. I didn't come across too much info for wagons. I was thinking of going with '03 WRX Tokico D-Spec struts. I was looking at the Tanabe springs. My biggest fear: saggy butt. I would just do coilovers, but I don't want that hard of a ride and the winter seems to turn adjustable coilovers into seized coilovers.