Coilovers Installed

[teK--]

If the preload wasn't adjusted (to limit the travel) and only the base was set to the low ride height I imagine that bottoming out the strut is not the only thing to worry about, since the wheels would be hitting inside the guards and fenders which is especially bad when they are at anything but pointing straight ahead.

This is gonna get worse when he fits wider wheels.

The Pedders XR4 test car killed a pair of rears when they were dialed in very low and after they bottomed out hard a few times.

BTW the rear has factory bumpstops built into the chassis/control arms. In this case the bumpstop is probably doing most of the work as the car would be sitting on them at resting ride height. It is more the front to be concerned about since it relies on the strut's internal bumpstops.

By not lowering the front/rear an even amount he has also messed up the geometry of the suspension and weight distribution of the car since the front is designed to be higher than the front. And at such a low ride height the roll centers have probably dropped to below ground level so it's gonna induce a whole lot of body roll unless he gets a roll center adjustment kit.

[nytrojen]

I don't think he's gonna be pushing it that hard to even notice Jim Not all of us are track demons

[Arith]

Yeah but he's Arith who I'm pretty sure is loaded and would just replace anything that gets broken. Actually no he'd upgrade anything that broke

Hey hey hey! I upgrade because I'm not happy with something! So I replace it with something that better suites my taste/driving style. And don't you mean I 'upgrade anything that ain't broke'?

But it seems to me that Alex plans to keep the car on the streets most of the time. You act as if he's taking it off roading every weekend where massive bumps will kill his suspension. And as far as I know, he's not planning to track it frequently.

For mainly street driving, coilovers set to that height is more than satisfactory. I can't speak for the Pedders brand, but the Teins I have on ride better the the S.Tech/Bilstein combo. And dialed in to the right setting, is practically equivalent to stock in terms of ride comfort. I've been driving around for almost 2 years with the Tein Flex, and except when it's an extremely large pothole, I rarely ever bottom out, and I'll pit my ride quality up against a stock Integra any day. At that height, the only thing I would worry about is ground clearance.

I'm no techie nor can I produce links like Tek does, however from my experience there are always things you can do to improve the ride:

1) Cut the rear bump stops - Sure, at that height you may hit the stops. If you cut the bump stops in half, you gain a good deal of suspension travel. Makes for a more comfortable ride
2) Roll the guards - Once the aftermarket wheels come on, expect the rear to rub. Roll the rear guards to allow the wheel plenty of clearance. The fronts may or may not require rolling as well
3) Bushings - You don't need the suspension set to low to wear out/tear the stock bushings. Those things are notorious for tearing. If you're after more precise steering, consider solid rubber bushings (Phat sells em). Don't get the polyurethane ones. They're too harsh, especially if you plan on bigger wheels
4) Sway bars - Get em. Nothing compliments the coilovers better than sways. You'll take corners like there's no tomorrow

Alex, you're riding on stock 17's now, which absorbs a portion of the bumps. But once you move to 19's, be prepared for sharp bumps to have a bit more impact. Still very tolerable though, and you'll get used to it in a few weeks time.

[CheesyMong]

I think they ar 17's Arith or I might be wrong....

[Arith]

I think they ar 17's Arith or I might be wrong....

Opps! Corrected!

[tangcla]

Yeah but he's Arith who I'm pretty sure is loaded and would just replace anything that gets broken. Actually no he'd upgrade anything that broke

I had to lol at that.

[tangcla]

1) Cut the rear bump stops - Sure, at that height you may hit the stops. If you cut the bump stops in half, you gain a good deal of suspension travel. Makes for a more comfortable ride

or, take a leaf out of the European suspension setups - have long bump stops which are always in contact between the frame and the shock, but progressive rate. This allows for a softer spring rate to soak up the bumps but will not have that 'rock-bottom' feel.

[Laps]

Thanks guys, sounds good!

Yeh I plan on getting the guards rolled, and I think there is a group buy somewhere for whiteline sways which maybe I should jump on...

And your all right in saying im not going on track... I dont even plan on leaving ACT, which, we all know has the best roads in canberra \

Dont understand these two bits though:

1) Cut the rear bump stops - Sure, at that height you may hit the stops. If you cut the bump stops in half, you gain a good deal of suspension travel. Makes for a more comfortable ride
3) Bushings - You don't need the suspension set to low to wear out/tear the stock bushings. Those things are notorious for tearing. If you're after more precise steering, consider solid rubber bushings (Phat sells em). Don't get the polyurethane ones. They're too harsh, especially if you plan on bigger wheels

What this roughly cost to do?

[teK--]

But it seems to me that Alex plans to keep the car on the streets most of the time. You act as if he's taking it off roading every weekend where massive bumps will kill his suspension. And as far as I know, he's not planning to track it frequently.

Yeah you're right I seldom get out of the "function over form" train of thought In saying that it doesn't take off roading or track work to bottom out suspension, even small potholes, bumps or even cornering of the car in everyday driving will bottom out if you have very limited suspension travel, especially if the modified geometry promotes body roll as I explained.

At least you have made some more constructive suggestions than I have!

[nytrojen]

But it seems to me that Alex plans to keep the car on the streets most of the time. You act as if he's taking it off roading every weekend where massive bumps will kill his suspension. And as far as I know, he's not planning to track it frequently.

Yeah you're right I seldom get out of the "function over form" train of thought In saying that it doesn't take off roading or track work to bottom out suspension, even small potholes, bumps or even cornering of the car in everyday driving will bottom out if you have very limited suspension travel, especially if the modified geometry promotes body roll as I explained.

At least you have made some more constructive suggestions than I have!

Ahh Jimmy... you think with your head too much man Typical engineer eh? hehehe.

Hey Alex, when you get your wheels, can I come down an have a look at your car in the metal? So I can be sure that they're the wheels for me

[Kevlar GT]

I can't see what all the fuss is about, seriously. Here's my car"


As you can see it is marginally, if at all, higher than Laps' and I have never had any issues with bottoming out or harsh ride. I have had the car packed so full of gear (climbing, camping etc) that you couldn't see out the back window and had stuff on the racks at the same time and still never had any issues. Mine are Teins, which may account for something but not even so sure of that I guess.

I just had my car in for a check up on the suspension and the only thing that was 'worn' was the lower control arm bushes and we know they are shite direct from the factory. Other than that everything was "in perfect working order".

I guess I just can't see why everyone is being so hard/critical on him when you look at the first post to hit the majority of welcome posts and they are "drop that bitch" or "dump it man" etc etc. All in all if Laps is happy with his car, the ride height and the quality of the ride then let it be. Give him some credit. Poor bloke is probably a poor bloke literally after spending up on these and the wheels and you are all hacking shit on him.

Sheesh.

/rant.

[nytrojen]

Haha, I hear ya Kev. Props Alex, your car's gonna look mean as hell

[Kevlar GT]

Ha ha, yeah, I guess I am just shocked that I think this is the first time I have heard of someone being bagged out for dropping their ride - very strange. Anyway...

Yeh I plan on getting the guards rolled, and I think there is a group buy somewhere for whiteline sways which maybe I should jump on...

Give Mick @ Techworkz a call 0418 837 055. He is a local Canberra guy that runs a Subie specific workshop and just happens to be a Whiteline rep too. The group buy you saw was for NSW (Sydney??) only so buying local might save you some head aches.

[nytrojen]

Think that's weird, you should go to Sri Lanka. The "in" thing to do over there in terms of car modding is actually RAISING the car and putting phatt offroad tyres on with small diameter wheels! Even on little Pulsars (Sunnys as they're called over there) and Chasers!

It's crazy seeing all these little Jap sportscars with bodykits and wicked paintjobs driving around like a tractor lol. It's just cos the roads are so incredibly bad there

[Laps]

Haha its all good guys, everyones just trying to help/give their opinion.

But by the sounds of it, im happy to keep my car this low, its comfortable for front/back seat, and ill just replace bushes etc when it comes to it

Thanks for making me feel good about my purchase tho kevlar/nytrojen

Hey Alex, when you get your wheels, can I come down an have a look at your car in the metal? So I can be sure that they're the wheels for me

Sure can, just PM me whenever ur up this way...

Give Mick @ Techworkz a call 0418 837 055. He is a local Canberra guy that runs a Subie specific workshop and just happens to be a Whiteline rep too. The group buy you saw was for NSW (Sydney??) only so buying local might save you some head aches.

Thanks heaps, ill call him and ask him about it... As for the NSW group buy, im in act and always drive to sydney, so I could pick them up whenever if i decided to buy.