So I've got an '05 WRX Wagon and it's in dire need of new struts. Already talking to Scuba Steve about the work, but I gotta order some up, and I have no idea where to start. Anyone have any recommended aftermarkets and online shops that they recommend for such things? I've been poking around online a bit, and I have zero idea where to start. :eek3:
if your just looking for a strut to run with your stock springs, or lowering springs, i'd suggest the KYB AGXs.. cheap strut, long warranty, and decent adjustability. if you wanna go all out, the best strut option is going to be Koni Inserts. little harder to install, little more expensive, but excellent struts.
One of Shane86's autox sponsors has the Tokico D-specs which I have read good things about. http://www.turninconcepts.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_9_7_480_490_509_1064&products_id=544 I am in the market for some too.
I believe KYB makes a non-adjustable stock replacement strut that's pretty cheap - GR2's or something like that. You could also get an MNSOC card and check out what the price is with the discount for an actual stock replacement.
I checked this a little while ago and aftermarket struts are cheaper. Either the AGX or or GR2 are cheaper. I just ordered a set of GR2s from Summit Racing and am going to use them with my Prodrive springs (which killed my 90k mile OEM struts pretty quickly). You can find them slightly cheaper on ebay, but I'd prefer to have a genuine retailer to cite in case of warranty issues.
yeah, was it you that had a source for cheap AGX's? I don't recall. I haven't checked recently, but IIRC they've been in the 450-500+ range. They used to only be 350 a couple years ago...that was a great price.
Hmmm .... they've gone up. Damn. Doesn't really make sense to get the AGX's now since the D-Specs are so close in price to them.
fyi, if your gonna DIY... buy a spring compressor at harbor freight. They are super cheap and this is the kinda tool that as long as it gets the job done, you don't need to buy name brand.
you can certainly buy a spring compressor, not a bad idea, or O'Reily's will loan you one for free which is usually more built than the cheapies at HF. only have to leave a deposit that you get back when you return it
I have the D-Specs on stock springs and have been very happy. MAPerformance gave me a great price. I don't remember how much anymore, but I was pleasantly surprised. I borrowed the Harbor Freight spring compressor from a friend when I did the swap. It worked fine for the fronts but didn't fit well on the first back spring I did and ended up completely locking up. Nobody locally had the simpler spring compressors that are basically long bolts with spring hooks/clamps on each end - not even the Snap-on guy who was at one of the shops in town while I was doing the rounds trying to find one. My car sat on jackstands for 3 days until I could make a trip to the nearest Sears and get a set. The Craftsman spring compressors and impact gun got the other spring compressor off and the rest of the job finished up with no hassles. Also, if you are not sure what you want out of your suspension, check out the tech, tips, etc forum and the mods forum here as well as searching some of the other boards. What works for me might not be what you're looking for. Good luck!
Thanks everyone for the responses. I've been working with Scuba Steve to get this accomplished as my mechanical skills in regards to cars are virtually non-existent (the opposite of my bicycle mechanic skills, basically). D-Specs are probably the way I'll go, but I'm still waiting to hear back from Dave as to what he can find for me. Beyond the suspension work, I'll need to do my spark plugs and a timing belt later this year. And I'm thinking a "driveable" Stage One tune.
Check out Rockauto.com There are two manufacturers I believe that make direct replacement struts for your car. KYB, and Monroe. (Those are the most common, anways) KYB GR-2s are what most Subarus come with I believe, and Monroe makes a similar replacement strut with a little bit different technology, where the strut gets stiffer when it is under heavy, repetitive operation. KYB AGXs are cheaper than coilovers and extremely stiff ( I think ) Hope some of this helps...
+1 for the D-Spec. The infinite adjustability is nice. The AGX just can't match that, and it is relatively critical to the end ride quality to properly match the damper rate to the spring rate and chassis mass. With only a coarse 4-way adjustment on the AGX struts, it's really hit or miss on which springs will actually function really well with the strut. In most cases, you'll be close but not dead on. One benefit to the AGX strut is ride comfort. It has a little lower compression damping then the D-Spec and on rough roads (if you have adequate bump travel) it will give a little nicer ride. However, from a sport standpoint, the slightly higher bump damping of the D-Spec does make it more functional. In the end, it's D-Spec all the way. Koni would be a good choice as long as you don't plan on doing anything rough with the car. They apparently have a tendency to blow if used for off-road use. For example, if you wanted to get into rally-x, they would not be the choice for you. If you're sticking purely to street use, then there's no problem. The Koni is infinite in adjustment too. The only difference is the Koni strut has fixed bump damping. Struts like the D-Spec and AGX adjut both in compression and rebound and simply remain proportionally constant. The rebound only adjustment is nice when it's appropriate, but I kind of feel the proportional adjustment is a better option as it would be more consistent with a wider variety of spring options. The Koni will technically work well with a smaller range of springs. It would give a firm ride with a soft spring and a compliant ride with a stiff spring (relatively speaking). The Koni strut with near stock springs will feel really good and responsive because of the relatively high compression damping, but with stiff springs, it won't share the same feel.
