~WrxScooby's Subies~ NEW Subaru Ascent

  • Thread starter WrxScooby
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ITCC_Andrew
Insider: someone who's in the field...?


I'm trying to give you helpful advice about camber... :) nothing personal, I would tell myself that advice, so...
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Alright noted. I need front camber to drive my car on a track, and my factory camber is fine though.
 
UrieHusky
Some Tein springs would be perfect for you then 👍 Nice and firm but plenty of give and very comfortable - fit right on your factory shocks too!

As for the rims, that's 100 percent personal preference :) I'm one for 17s with thick sidewalls for a nice aggressive look - especially with some slight bulge from a maximum tyre width.

You do whatever you want with your car man, we're just mulling aloud about preferences :)
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Tein and perfect or good or quality or acceptable don't belong in the same sentence. Stock shocks would blow in weeks if not days.
 
eSZee
Tein and perfect or good or quality or acceptable don't belong in the same sentence. Stock shocks would blow in weeks if not days.
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I know if I went with a aftermarket spring I would need at least oem Sti struts. Heard decent things about kyb and belsteins. There are lots of spring options out there and have heard good and bad about most of them. Tein coilovers I heard were pretty good but there are mixed feelings about teins in general obviously.

I did talk to someone a while back about a guy who rebuilt WRX struts to be some how stronger for a realistic price. Seen a lot of cases where stock struts ride bad and blow out on lowering kits so just because of that chance I wouldn't want to do it. Not to say people don't have success with that either I do know a guy running that way and he seems alright.

Plenty of coilover options though.
 
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WrxScooby
I know if I went with a aftermarket spring I would need at least oem Sti struts. Heard decent things about kyb and belsteins. There are lots of spring options out there and have heard good and bad about most of them. Tein coilovers I heard were pretty good but there are mixed feelings about teins in general obviously.

I did talk to someone a while back about a guy who rebuilt WRX struts to be some how stronger for a realistic price. Seen a lot of cases where stock struts ride bad and blow out on lowering kits so just because of that chance I wouldn't want to do it. Not to say people don't have success with that either I do know a guy running that way and he seems alright.

Plenty of coilover options though.
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UrieHusky
Subaru shocks must be made of wafers then. Nissan shocks have never had an issue :lol:
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My Stillen Maxima is running Eibach Progressive lowering springs on the stock A32 shocks and has been for the past 17 years with no trouble at all.
 
UrieHusky
Subaru shocks must be made of wafers then. Nissan shocks have never had an issue :lol:
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I know wafers that hold up better, actually. :P


My own struts are crap, and I didn't even lower the car... just track days, attacking curbs, and rallycross...


Edit: regarding struts, actually, Tokico is a rare but excellent brand for struts... I ordered my own, but got a refund because there were none available.
 
UrieHusky
Subaru shocks must be made of wafers then. Nissan shocks have never had an issue :lol:
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Not entirely but people tend to really beat up on subarus so its not that they blow out all the time or anything its just after a long time of being used the cartridges need to be replaced aka rebuilding the strut.

I should also mention that the WRX struts and STI struts are different, as you can run anything on STI struts(why Im considering them) and they are everywhere from all the guys that move to coilovers and want some extra change for them. Just gotta be aware and see how the previous owner treated them, I wouldnt want beat up anything.


Korza
My Stillen Maxima is running Eibach Progressive lowering springs on the stock A32 shocks and has been for the past 17 years with no trouble at all.
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I could ask how many miles total are on your car and how do you drive on them?
On a newer car running stock struts and lowering springs can be perfectly fine but considering my car just broke the 100k mark the cartridges are probably nearing there end and need a rebuild (Mine dont show any signs but ya never know). After the rebuild I would probably be fine on stock struts with a stiffer spring but if I was gonna rebuild them I would instead buy a stronger strut.


ITCC_Andrew
regarding struts, actually, Tokico is a rare but excellent brand for struts... I ordered my own, but got a refund because there were none available.
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Thanks for that, looked around and the Tokico's to appear to trend well. I will keep them in mind.
 
WrxScooby
Hey I asked cause I want to know the goods and bads from what everyone has done and been through already.

Well as for tuners I'm set there I was gonna talk to my mechanic and see if he has anything around. I might even try to convince him to let me try some out and if I like them I'll buy them. I want to do sways, end links, mounts, and pitch stops that just adds up fast and my budget at this point is non existent so really I'm just trying to come up with a plan.

What else could I do instead of rolling the fenders it's not nearly as dangerous as pulling them. I could try to modify my fender liners but that doesn't seem practical as it's all plastic. Slight camber could help but that's all I would want is just slight, don't want to start burning through tires that I rarely race on.
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I don't see any reason to roll the fender unless I am missing something. I have pretty much the same car as you and mine is dropped an inch and I don't have a single problem at all with rubbing anywhere. Maybe yours has a different wheel offset that you are worried about? If you are going with just a 1" drop or even adjustable and drop it an inch, fender clearance should not be an issue at all.

Also yes avoid rolling your lip on a nicely painted car. You will indeed wreck the paint and introduce rust like @Ibonibo mentioned.

As for upgrades I HIGHLY recommend starting with motor mounts, pitch stop mount, crossmember bushings, and transmission mount first especially since you have a 5 speed transmission. My only regret is I went with Group N transmission mount , Group N motor mounts and they are still softer than I want. Still about 25% movement I want to get rid of. I would like stiffer motor mounts and stiffer transmission mounts. Just not sure which ones I want to buy yet.

Couple different options for Motor Mounts / Transmission Mounts
  • Group N (still a bit soft IMO)
  • Perrin (Very slick design which is much easier to install)
  • Beatrush
  • Torque Solutions
  • Cusco
 
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I really wish Kartboy made motor mounts and transmission mounts but they don't. :( Hopefully in the near future.

I have their shifter bushings and crossmember bushings and they are excellent products. They really need to make motor mounts and transmission mounts.
 
WrxScooby
I could ask how many miles total are on your car and how do you drive on them?
On a newer car running stock struts and lowering springs can be perfectly fine but considering my car just broke the 100k mark the cartridges are probably nearing there end and need a rebuild (Mine dont show any signs but ya never know). After the rebuild I would probably be fine on stock struts with a stiffer spring but if I was gonna rebuild them I would instead buy a stronger strut.
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It's got just shy of 240,000km so about 150,000 miles on the clock. It's my daily driver so it gets used everyday.
 
Korza
It's got just shy of 240,000km so about 150,000 miles on the clock. It's my daily driver so it gets used everyday.
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So you drive the car gently? No racing/autocross/rally? I could see how the struts would last even with lowering springs with that lifestyle and maybe the model struts in that car are more rugged. Thanks for sharing.
 
It all depends on the local roads too. The roads here in Michigan are TERRIBLE. Constant construction, massive pot holes, just junk destroyed roads from brutal winters and lack of government funding. THAT wears cars out very quick. Winters are just all around very expensive to constantly deal with. Just destroys vehicles and everything else every year.
 
WrxScooby
So you drive the car gently? No racing/autocross/rally? I could see how the struts would last even with lowering springs with that lifestyle and maybe the model struts in that car are more rugged. Thanks for sharing.
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I haven't had an opportunity to take it to the track yet but I do my fair share of vigorous driving on the hilly roads where I live. The road quality where I live is fairly decent (no potholes and a relatively smooth road surface) so that will attribute to the longevity of the shocks. That being said, I do want to replace the shocks in the near future.
 
By contrast, my OEM struts lasted 180,000 km., in Canada (see what @CAMAROBOY69 said, only worse,) on a car with track days, autocross and rallycross. All without lowering springs.


OEM struts are fine, except lowering springs will eventually cause them to break.




For some reason, I feel like I'm beating a dead horse, but I feel it's important to mention.
 
IMHO go with a set of TEIN Super Streets or similar. Still adjustable coilovers but they are more tuned for....well...the street. Lots of the Subaru boys over here run TEINs and speak quite highly of them because of their value for money. Rolling the fenders is not particularly difficult but then again you might not even have to because the GD Imprezas have a lot of room in the guards and, IIRC, your wheels aren't as wide as mine.

If you do though take extreme caution and use the correct tool for it, do NOT use a mallet or a baseball bat like they show you in the DIY videos. I used a guard roller I bought online for $30 shipped and a hairdryer on low heat to warm up the paint. I also only did the rears because that was the only clearance problem I was having, I could swim in the front guards with ease. To reiterate: the GC Imprezas have very little clearance in the rear guards compared to the GDs and can only fit about a 7.5" wheel and 215 section tyre without rolling the guards (mine are 8" wide and 225 section so it was inevitable) while the GDs can get away with an 8" and 235s quite easily, 8.5" with rolled fenders.
 
CAMAROBOY69
I don't see any reason to roll the fender unless I am missing something. I have pretty much the same car as you and mine is dropped an inch and I don't have a single problem at all with rubbing anywhere. Maybe yours has a different wheel offset that you are worried about? If you are going with just a 1" drop or even adjustable and drop it an inch, fender clearance should not be an issue at all.

Also yes avoid rolling your lip on a nicely painted car. You will indeed wreck the paint and introduce rust like @Ibonibo mentioned.
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Don't forget everyone I'm running wagon fenders which are not as wide as the sedan's by close if not slightly more than 1in.

Setup:
18x7.5 +44
Tires are 595's

I do think the tire size Im running is a little much to but they are great tires. Ill probably go a little smaller next time around.

Thanks for those recommendations to, will look into all of them. I have to update my mods future list to haha.

Murcie_LP640
IMHO go with a set of TEIN Super Streets or similar. Still adjustable coilovers but they are more tuned for....well...the street. Lots of the Subaru boys over here run TEINs and speak quite highly of them because of their value for money. Rolling the fenders is not particularly difficult but then again you might not even have to because the GD Imprezas have a lot of room in the guards and, IIRC, your wheels aren't as wide as mine.

If you do though take extreme caution and use the correct tool for it, do NOT use a mallet or a baseball bat like they show you in the DIY videos. I used a guard roller I bought online for $30 shipped and a hairdryer on low heat to warm up the paint. I also only did the rears because that was the only clearance problem I was having, I could swim in the front guards with ease. To reiterate: the GC Imprezas have very little clearance in the rear guards compared to the GDs and can only fit about a 7.5" wheel and 215 section tyre without rolling the guards (mine are 8" wide and 225 section so it was inevitable) while the GDs can get away with an 8" and 235s quite easily, 8.5" with rolled fenders.
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Thanks for the info sir.

As for the fenders see cam's response.^ I do rub so its just a fact that they don't fit on oem suspension. If my suspension was stiffer it wouldn't bounce as low and not rub but thats why I'm starting the hunt. Plus I haven't done much in the suspension/braking world which is my fault and I would like to go that direction now.

Haha I would never use anything that wasn't specifically designed for the job, especially when it comes to body work. My buddy has a fender roller and I have seen a lot of posts everywhere that recommend warming the paint which absolutely makes since.

I have been looking at these coilovers so far.
BC Racing BR Series Coilovers
Apexi N1 EXV Coilover Kit
Tein Street Basis Coilovers

Come to the conclusion that it will take me longer to save up for any of these but I would rather do that then spend close to the same amount on new struts and lowering springs. I will get so much more out of the coilover that its worth the extra time. Plus its always been a dream to run my wagon on coils :)

I dont think I will be able to escape without at least rolling the fenders but I would never pull them.
 
CAMAROBOY69
Really looking forward to seeing what coil overs you purchase.
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Well I wouldn't hold your breath haha.

Edit*
Future List:
Coilovers #1 #2 or #3 (As of now)
Pitch Stop
Sway Bars (Opened to different options)
Transmission Mount
Motor Mounts
Endlinks
STi VF-39 Turbo or VF-34
STi Pinks or comparable 565cc-650cc injectors
Brake Cal & Rotor upgrade
STi Hood Scoop w/Splitter
STi Front Bumper Splitters
STi Fog Light Covers
 
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I love my Whiteline sway bar kits... Whiteline 22mm sway bar on full stiffness setting defeats all understeer and induces large oversteer.

Couple that with coilovers and a front sway, you'll be passing STi sedans...
 
Did a est. road dyno pull the other night using my Cobb AP in the wagon. 4th(2600-6000rpm) run. Keep in mind im also 7000ft above sealevel.





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2009 Subaru Legacy GT Limited 2.5​
 

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