LR lower than the RR, wtf?

[Bdub]

My LR is noticeably lower than my RR, almost to the point where it looks like it has rubbed the upper fender protector a few times.
I have no idea how long it has been like this, but it appears it's probably been a while. I was wondering why my 3" exhaust seemed to graze some bumps on the road the other day, so it prompted me to check what was going on.

After inspection, it had nothing to do with the exhaust, but something to do with the suspension on the DS of the car. The shocks are newer KYB G2's, probably at max 2 years old. Would they blow this quickly? The car isn't driven much, probably has about 14k miles on them.
So, could it be the spring that has finally given up?

I'm just going to buy two new rear shocks, I can get the KYB's at a very good price at Advance, so that isn't the issue. I'm just worried that after all this work, I'm going to discover it isn't the strut that is the problem afterall.

Anyone have two rear springs? Maybe I'll do the whole shebang to prevent future aggravation.

[scuzzy]

I think there's several topics on the board about KYB G2's blowing out relatively easily.

[Imprezive]

The actual damper part of the strut does not support the car, the spring supports the car. The damper (or "shock") is simply there to control the spring and help absorb vibrations, bumps etc. BUT, if the shock has blown and is seizing up then that's a totally different story, it may have seized while traveling over a bump and just stuck that way. Although if it was seized, you'd be bouncing around a lot.

Think about what could affect ride height;

Bent control arms/ trailing links
Worn upper mounts/ bushings
Mismatched struts
Tweaked subframe or frame rails
Different spring rates, possible spring fatigue
Excessive weight on one side of the car, or uneven surfaces

Jack up the rear of the car so both rear tires are off the ground and check the tire droop, if the Driver's Side does not droop about the same as the Passenger's side, then you can start looking for discrepancies between the two corners such as bent arms, or worn out bushings. Try doing the same with the front as well.

Make sure you examine the entire "shebang" before spending your hard earned money.

[Bdub]

Thanks Imprezive for the suggestions.
I jacked the car up, made sure it was on level ground, and both sides hung evenly. Nothing looked unusual or bent at all.
When it was up, I compared both sides to see if I could see something wrong. The only thing I could think of is just an old spring, the one on the DS was very corroded, more so than on the PS of the car.

I just recently had the car aligned, and it was done to specs with no issues, and there isn't any unusual wear on the tires.

[Bdub]

Well I found a set of 05 sti springs with tophats for $50, I was thinking about just putting those on my KYB's.
I wasn't planning on doing a complete replacement, but I'm hoping this works out.

[Bdub]

Alright, Does anyone know if the 05 sti springs are tapered like the Legacy springs?
The springs I have received aren't tapered in the rears, and the 91 top mounts are too small of a dia. to work with them. I'd buy the 05 top mounts, but I'm wondering if what I got are even off an 05 to begin with.

[Bdub]

I could be answering my own question here...Perhaps if I change to 92-94 top mounts this solution will be resolved? I'm not getting much on this year spring from previous posts...mainly just people asking for fitment questions with no answers. Maybe I'll bite the bullet, and test it out.

I have no issue with fitment in the front with the 05 tophats.

[kimokalihi]

From what I was told you should be able to find 92-94 top hats and use them on 04+ sti springs. I'm not promising anything but that's what I was told and I'm going to the junkyard tomorrow to get a pair of top hats from a 93 touring wagon so I can finally get those 02-03 WRX struts/springs in the rear of the car so I can roll it out of my garage and move the new engine inside and get to work on it.

[Bdub]

From what I was told you should be able to find 92-94 top hats and use them on 04+ sti springs. I'm not promising anything but that's what I was told and I'm going to the junkyard tomorrow to get a pair of top hats from a 93 touring wagon so I can finally get those 02-03 WRX struts/springs in the rear of the car so I can roll it out of my garage and move the new engine inside and get to work on it.

Yeah, I was the one having the same problem as you.

You think there is anyway you could try and hunt down a pair for me? Junkyards around here are useless, they want to sell me the whole strut assembly, which I don't need.