RallyX Suspension on a budget

[SubaruRallyWagon]

Currently im running stock 96 impreza outback suspension, and im looking at getting into RallyX hopefully Fall of 2011. And i wanna know what suspension set-up is best.

Now take note that i will be using my car as a Daily Driver, so the suspension i put on will be driven alot, and should be able to handle some RallyX's. Im not gonna go hard at the events either. I just plan on learning how my car reacts and having alittle friendly competition. The suspension can be used or parted out (idc). I dont really have the money to buy anything new. Now what i was thinking was cheap coilovers, or WRX suspension.

What do you guys think?:mrgreen:

[RSTi]

Paul Eklund (owner of primitive racing) recomends the kyb agx struts and a slightly stiffer/taller spring combination. The sttruts are adjustable which makes them nicely streetable and very good for rallyx. I personally can recomend these struts as well as tthey are what I'm running on my car. Springs I cannot recomend to you on a personal experience basis as my car was orininally set up for autocross and therefore the springs are not ideal for rallycross.

Also there is a rallycross specific section just above this one (though you probably just clicked on the wrong one. Lol)

[A1337STI]

I also really like the Tein Dirt Trial suspenson setup , one of the students at the school had just bought an open light from Paul, and it had that setup on it.

You can order just the struts , witch are a stock fitment and re-use some factory springs, and upgrade to the tein springs (or sti pinks, etc, something else with in the range and the right size) i was really really impressed with how that car felt.

looks like they are bit more pricey than i remember ,
$600 price tag the best is the AGX + King springs
at $1200 you could do Ksport adjustable ride height, preload, lots of alignment adjustment , comes with springs , inverted, strong, but limited travel, 36 clicks dampening (I'll be selling a set of these used, for about $600 shortly) ...
$1600 can get you the Tein gravel dampers (need stock fitment springs) adjustable ride height 16 clicks dampening
for $2000 you can get JVAB or Allwheelsdriven.net (both include springs) adjustable ride height, no dampening adjustments, but these are designed for our actual stage usage (ie south west, north west, etc) so you won't need the adjustors


Over $2,000? i've never been serious about suspension over that price range so you'll have to wait for someone else to chime in ..

[SubaruRallyWagon]

Thxs for all u said so far. But I'm not gonna get to serious with RallyX. How would WRX suspension do? Just as maybe 1 rally event every 2 months.

[A1337STI]

Yes, for a completely stock subaru suspension, IMO WRX is the best spring and dampening for rallyX (out of stock subaru suspensions) at least i like the feel of it.

[UP2MTNS]

moved to RallyX forum.

[LarLar]

kyb agx's and king springs. LEGIT for just about anything.

[noisycricket]

OP didn't mention the car, but any stock struts and springs in decent condition will work fine.

I've seen cars with completely blown rear struts place highly. For an Impreza, suspension seems to be just something to spend money on like stickers or shift knobs. It makes the driver feel good but it doesn't seem to matter much.

[SubaruRallyWagon]

OP didn't mention the car, but any stock struts and springs in decent condition will work fine.

I've seen cars with completely blown rear struts place highly. For an Impreza, suspension seems to be just something to spend money on like stickers or shift knobs. It makes the driver feel good but it doesn't seem to matter much.



haha the funny thing is, i think my one rear strut is blown ;)
but i may just end up going with wrx struts. and if i do what all would i have to get? just the struts, and they'll bolt up?

[Rallycat66]

KYB GR2s with stock springs also work very nicely for rallycross. Personally, I find the AGXs to be a bit fragile and don't last as long as they should.

[I Like It Sideways]

The AGX's are a good bet, but as you will find, there are differing experiences with them. Mine have lasted quite awhile.

That said, stock replacement is not a bad option either. Especially if you just want to dabble in rallycross. No reason to spend more than you need to, and you'll learn quite a bit about your car regardless. You have plenty of options here...even if you didn't upgrade/replace anything, you'll still have a blast!

[MarkA]

OP didn't mention the car, but any stock struts and springs in decent condition will work fine.

I've seen cars with completely blown rear struts place highly. For an Impreza, suspension seems to be just something to spend money on like stickers or shift knobs. It makes the driver feel good but it doesn't seem to matter much.

+1

For the original poster, I'll ask the question you didn't - what tires will you be using? Tires are generally 98% more important in RallyX than the suspension setup they're hooked to.

[Daddy_Digital]

http://www.dirtyimpreza.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20710

^^this

[SubaruRallyWagon]

The AGX's are a good bet, but as you will find, there are differing experiences with them. Mine have lasted quite awhile.

That said, stock replacement is not a bad option either. Especially if you just want to dabble in rallycross. No reason to spend more than you need to, and you'll learn quite a bit about your car regardless. You have plenty of options here...even if you didn't upgrade/replace anything, you'll still have a blast!


Dabble is a good word to use. Because if im not doing anything and theres a rallyX coming up ill go and race. i just want to drive my car on roads other than asphalt. Asphalt is boring. hahaha:lol2:

[p4R4d0x]

OP didn't mention the car, but any stock struts and springs in decent condition will work fine.

I've seen cars with completely blown rear struts place highly. For an Impreza, suspension seems to be just something to spend money on like stickers or shift knobs. It makes the driver feel good but it doesn't seem to matter much.

I can vouch for this, I bought my RS, raced the championship race for my region last season and placed first in class. Took it to get inspected for the first time the next day and found out both rears were blown and I had no rear brakes... whoops...

Heh, very happy with the bone-stock suspension all this season though, now that those are replaced.

[RSTi]

yea i suppose the stock suspension is perfectly adequate for just dabbling in it. i mean p4R4d0x^ is whipping everyone this year on stock suspension. rallycross is a huge drivers sport and competitive times come down to driver skill.

[p4R4d0x]

yea i suppose the stock suspension is perfectly adequate for just dabbling in it. i mean p4R4d0x^ is whipping everyone this year on stock suspension. rallycross is a huge drivers sport and competitive times come down to driver skill.

When I first started racing, the advice I got from the people with a lot of experience was to 'learn to drive a slow car fast' and to drive the car as is and see what you think should be improved, before doing any mods. I like how the car feels as-is, and definitely feel that the car still has more speed than I'm getting out of it, so until I feel like I'm outdriving the car (if that ever happens haha), or until something breaks, I'll be staying stock. If just for dabbling stock should be more than enough!

I also like not having any settings to worry about, it's less for me to think about and screw up haha.

But just so we're clear RSTi, lol, you destroyed me in speed and consistency last time.. I've just been to more events so have more points, lol..

[RSTi]

Well consistency maybe, but I'm willing to bet that your last couple of runs were the fastest of the day. Lol. But yes its true the most important part of and car is the driver and you should always invest in yourself before the car

[I Like It Sideways]

When I first started racing, the advice I got from the people with a lot of experience was to 'learn to drive a slow car fast' and to drive the car as is and see what you think should be improved, before doing any mods. I like how the car feels as-is, and definitely feel that the car still has more speed than I'm getting out of it, so until I feel like I'm outdriving the car (if that ever happens haha), or until something breaks, I'll be staying stock. If just for dabbling stock should be more than enough!

I also like not having any settings to worry about, it's less for me to think about and screw up haha.

But just so we're clear RSTi, lol, you destroyed me in speed and consistency last time.. I've just been to more events so have more points, lol..


This. Very key to properly learning to drive and control your car.
Until you feel you are exceeding the capabilities of the car, drive it as is.

[SubaruRallyWagon]

wow, thank you guys for all the good answers. This saves me alot of money. haha now knowing that my stock suspension will do just fine for a couple events a year. :thumbsup:

[Greg Donovan]

yeah, if you are in a situation where the stock stuff is trashed and needs replacing then look into an upgrade.

i second the reccomendation for the GR2. they worked great on my old '90 rallycross legacy and my brothers impreza coupe.

spend as much time as possible making sure the loose nut behind the steering wheel is properly adjusted.

[Conechaser]

yeah, if you are in a situation where the stock stuff is trashed and needs replacing then look into an upgrade.

i second the reccomendation for the GR2. they worked great on my old '90 rallycross legacy and my brothers impreza coupe.

spend as much time as possible making sure the loose nut behind the steering wheel is properly adjusted.

This is exactly where we are at. Our rears shocks are completely shot on our nationals winning SA 2003 WRX. If we need to replace them, we want to see if ther is an upgrade that we can do. We will look at the GR2, anything else?

[slowautoxr]

My car was on GR-2/Excel-G. Probably not an "upgrade" to factory fresh stuff but certainly better than the blown struts that were on it.

[eage8]

I'm a big fan of the STi dampers just because they're robust inverted monotubes, they'll take way more abuse than twin tube GR-2s will and you can buy them used for pretty cheap.

I've been rallycrossing on mine for about a season and a half and they still work great.

[Conechaser]

I'm a big fan of the STi dampers just because they're robust inverted monotubes, they'll take way more abuse than twin tube GR-2s will and you can buy them used for pretty cheap.

I've been rallycrossing on mine for about a season and a half and they still work great.

Will those work on an 03 WRX?

[nkx]

Will those work on an 03 WRX?

Yes, if you find 04 Sti takeoffs.

[Soupastud]

I wanna go to the events

[joelwatts]

i have a relatively stock legacy w/ stock wrx struts front and rear. testing has shown very good results for my driving style. however, imo, the sway bars are much more important. weight transfer from the bars is what my driving kinda revolves around. but im real happy with my struts.

[Draco-REX]

STI takeoff springs and fresh WRX struts should work great for any GD and probably all but the lightest GCs. With the price increase of D-specs, Monroe OE Spectrum (Sensa-tracs) struts are half the cost. So if they last half as long as my d-specs (3 seasons) they're a wash.

If your class allows it, disconnect both sway bars.

I'm very happy with this setup.

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