Suspension Upgrades

[legacyB4RSK]

I want to upgrade as much of my BE suspension as I can to provide better handling, not interested in lowering the car, want to keep the stock height. Any suggestions. For starters I'm looking at getting the aluminum control arms from the RSK.


Thanks

[Huffer]

Not wanting to lower... then you will need stock height stiffer springs:
www.kingsprings.com (http://www.kingsprings.com)

Or coilovers...though max height on those may still be lower than your stock ride height depending on what you go with.

Addco front sway bar
Whiteline rear sway bar
Upgraded endlinks

You should also upgrade any engine, tranny and exhaust mounts as any slop in those will naturally transfer to the suspension.

Tires play an important role in all of this too.

How fat is your wallet?

[legacyB4RSK]

Fat

and thanks for the tip, much appreciated. I would go with the BE Bilsteins but I've read and seen the effects of installing those, lower rear and raised front, looks weird.


Thanks

[legacyB4RSK]

Noticed that the link for the springs and Whiteline for the rear bars are Australian sites. Any US dealers for these parts. Which brand would the end links be.

[rougeben83]

Do you mean on my car? I have camber plates on the front, so they raise the front end about 10-12mm or so... If you go with regular tophats, I think the ride would be level.

Bilsteins don't affect the ride height, its the springs. So if you reuse your stock springs, you'll retain your current ride height, but the handling will be improved.

[legacyB4RSK]

rougeben83


I was hesitant is getting those Bilsteins cuz some one had put them on there BH and their front end rose and the rear dropped. I beleive it was SANSMYSTI who had done it.

[rougeben83]

rougeben83


I was hesitant is getting those Bilsteins cuz some one had put them on there BH and their front end rose and the rear dropped. I beleive it was SANSMYSTI who had done it.

Because he used sedan springs in the back, the BH is a couple of hundred pounds heavier back there.

He changed to BH specific springs and he's all even now.

like I said, its all the springs.

[legacyB4RSK]

I didn't realize he had used BE springs in the back. Maybe I might just get those Bilsteins after all.


Thanks

[track8]

Noticed that the link for the springs and Whiteline for the rear bars are Australian sites. Any US dealers for these parts. Which brand would the end links be.Turn In Concepts. http://www.turninconcepts.com/ Fast shipping too.

I think Reason sells endlinks.

[legacyB4RSK]

Thank you all for your help

[legacyB4RSK]

Just wondering what the diff is betwen springs and coilovers.

[Huffer]

Just wondering what the diff is betwen springs and coilovers.

Springs are one part of a coilover system.

Some google-fu might help:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coilover

[legacyB4RSK]

Makes sense, I had just looked it up on WIKI. I'm looking at getting Bilstein coilovers from a B4 RSK which I assume would retain my stock height.

[Huffer]

You'd be wrong then, and you don't fully understand coilovers.

Coilovers = adjustable ride height + typically harsher spring rates
Springs = nonadjustable ride height + slightly firmer spring rates

[legacyB4RSK]

Ah!!! Now that's the type of answer I was looking for.


Thanks

[legacyB4RSK]

I was given 3 choices for the Whiteline rear sway bar

18mm non-adjustable
20mm non-adjustable
20mm adjustable


Which one to choose, is the mm the thickness?


Any ideas.


Cheers

[decke48]

i'd go with the adjustable. it gives you the adjustment of having a 18mm 20mm 22mm bar in all one bar by just moving the sway bar link to a different hole.

[legacyB4RSK]

Wouldn't I want to keep it stock length? If so why pay more for an adjustable one (I assume they're more expensive) What's the stock setting on our existing bars. I have no clue, I know nothing 'bout suspension.

[Huffer]

Swaybar size = thickness, not length.

[track8]

Think of the adjustable one as 3 bars for the price of 1.1. Or whatever the math may work out to. :grin:

The sizes they are referring to with the adjustable ones are diameter equivalencies at the different adjustment points. A 20mm bar comes with 18mm and 22mm adjustment points, I believe.

[legacyB4RSK]

The sway bar I was looking at (Addco) for the front is 1" thick, I assume the stock one is thinner.

[track8]

Stock front on my BK/GT is 20mm or .7874 in inch-speak so yeah, stock is thinner. A 1 inch bar should be 25.4 in mm-ese.

You do understand that increasing the front roll stiffness will increase understeer or push, and that Legacy's already push like a shopping cart, right? If you are getting a big front bar, I'd say to get the "race type" 20/22/24 rear bar.

[filter27e]

Stock BE is 20mm? Damn my stock BD bar looked like a string of spagetti... it was 14mm I think. I put a 22mm on my front and an 18mm on the back mainly because I don't drive aggressively or autocross, so I didn't feel like going with a setup that would make my car over steer when I never break traction. Just wanted to tighten up my steering response a bit. If I ever decide to put more money into it I would definately go with a 20 in the back though.

So anyways, how about all poly bushings?

[track8]

Stock BE is 20mm? Fixed.

I'm not sure of a BE bar diameter, I shouldn't have posted that generalization. I just measured the bar on my former BJ/L, and it is 19mm in front, no rear bar. We are installing my old 16mm rear GT bar (mine has an 18mm OB unit now) on that car this week.

Weeehoooo, post # 100!

[rougeben83]

BE is 21mm actually.

The biggest difference I felt in getting the car to rotate around tight corners is the front swaybar, even changing it out to a 22mm IPD one made the car more likely to switch ends. I have a 22mm in the back, while it really made the car more neutral, I wouldn't say it made it all that too tail-happy with just the RSB alone...they couldve gone with a bigger RSB and still be ok actually.

Like I said to KAG, I don't know whether the addco 25mm bar (1") is all that great for the street. For one thing, it may give you too much rotation in tight corners, and will reduce your suspension articulation moreso than a thinner bar.

Finally, I don't really think having an adjustable feature would matter all that much. If you're like me, you don't want to go back and do things twice, which is almost what changing the endlink position amounts to. I just pick one setting and go with that. I think people often overestimate the amount of fiddling you have to do to make a setup work well, most of the time its more of a matter of you changing your driving style to take advantage of it. If you like playing around with different suspension settings though, then yeah the adjustable is justifiable for the extra $50 you pay.

my $.02

[Zedhead]

So what would the ideal street set up be?

On My OBW, I was thinking of KYB's with stock springs, Whiteline end links, and possibly some poly frame bushings. Is there any need for larger RSB?

Sound good?

[99gtlimited]

Your outback (BG) already has a thicker sway bar than a stock GT or an L. 18mm stock for you 16mm stock for the GT and 14mm (?) for the L IIRC.

[Huffer]

So what would the ideal street set up be?

How long is a piece of string?
The ideal set up is going to differ from driver to driver, car to car.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read many many more threads before posting, look in the member rides threads for setups... you will find this question has been asked and answered 100s of times before.

[Zedhead]

A piece of string is however long You cut it.

IMO An ideal street setup would be a comprimise between a bone cruching track setup, and the stock mushy, plowing setup.

I've browsed/searched this forum for hrs. Most seem to want to mimic STI settings. Which I'm really not that interested in. I jsut want the car to corner without squatting like a girl.

I asked because many more before Me have done these mods. Input was asked for.

Do You have an opinion on the setup I posted??

[Huffer]

So what would the ideal street set up be?

On My OBW, I was thinking of KYB's with stock springs, Whiteline end links, and possibly some poly frame bushings. Is there any need for larger RSB?

Sound good?

Based on your most recent post above, yes I do have an opinion. BTW, the two extremes you posted are just that - extremes. There are several members with "bone crushing" setups that are perfectly happy driving them daily. Others, not so much.

So the ideal street setup isn't as simple as you assume.

As for your idea - if you want to eliminate squat, you need stiffer springs, an anti-lift kit (Whiteline). If you want to eliminate roll, you need thicker swaybars, endlinks and springs.

If you don't want to lower the car, the only manufacturer I know of that makes a stiffer spring in a stock height is King Springs (Australia).

[Zedhead]

Thanks, That's what I was looking for.