Forester SF5 coilover experience

[Stevie2k6]

Hi there, I'm looking to see if anyone on here has had any experience with " Tein Street Basis" coilovers for the Forester SF5. Are they any good or are they a waste of money ? Fitted a set of Legacy 18" wheels the other day and now looking for the best or most cost effective way to lower the car now. Thanks.

[savage bulldogs]

My v1 sti had tein streets on it when my brv owned it and the first thing I did when I got the scooby off him was remove em .

The quality was fine but they only had adjustable height not damper , so they were far to harsh for a daily driver imo .

If your buying new have a look at meister r zeta-r coilovers . Think they cost about £500 with the s.net group buy discount .

Couldn't tell you what the longevity is like as I've only had them on my classic for 4 months but they look well made and with a 35 mm drop they're more comfy than a friends bug sti with standard shocks and prodrive springs .

If it's not broke .....upgrade it 😊

[Mr B]

I would go with custom springs from springcoil.co.uk on standard shocks or kyb ultra sr shocks if budget allows .

coilovers on uk roads are not great, I got involved in a test on standard style struts over likes of miester R & BC etc & stopping distances & grip on rougher surfaces like B roads is worse as stroke , coilovers & 18" rims on UK roads generally don't make for good handling .

stroke on  cheap coilovers is awful, Meister R & BC valving is quite awful when compare to better stuff from Bilstien & Ohlins, if go coilovers be sure have height adjustment separate to coil lower perch as if not it impossible set spring preload & corner weights.They can be ok for track use on budget but for mainly road use I recommend avoid .
 

[Stevie2k6]

Thanks for your help. Do they make kyb ultra Sr shocks for the SF5 or would I need to buy Impreza shocks ? 

[savage bulldogs]

Admittedly I run 17" 45 215 's on a lighter classic impreza and I've got quite a few supporting suspension mods.

adjustable arb ,links , roll centre correction kit, elbaich camber bolts ect ... But I've found the damper response on the meister r zeta-r coilovers quicker than the previous standard kybs with elbaich pro springs and the other mods .I now have a bit of a harsher ride but much more traction when pushed hard or on uneven road surfaces

Mr b knows his stuff, especially on springs/ strut combo's [emoji106]

I'm only speaking from personal experience of the 2 set ups I've had on my own impreza . The elbaich springs /kybs combo was good starting point for me when I used the car a lot more . I now only do sub 5k mls a year and run 350hp + so soft'ish coilovers suit my needs fine but maybe not the op 's .

I definitely agree that 18's , low profile tyres and stiff suspension isn't such a great handling combination on our crappie roads .

If it's not broke .....upgrade it 😊

[Mr B]

KYB ultra sr have ones suitable for foresters (324054 324055 rear , 324052 324053 front) . Main downside is price (£95 each roughly) .  You will need change rear struts as lowering springs won't work with standard SLS struts . Standard struts are pretty good for road driving, drop it about 25mm on custom springs slightly higher rate & you get good balance between ride comfort & high speed stability.Go too stiff & on short stroke coilovers & you loose a lot of grip .

 

[Hootieuk]

Appreciate this was an SF question Mr B, but I have a 2006 facelift 2.5XT with leaking SLS - currently SORN until end of September.  Owned over 5 years and all stock (in Plymouth).  I would like to improve the suspension and have a Prodrive (Eibach) 21.x mm rear ARB and HD mounts to fit.  I would like to replace all four struts, ideally to better than OEM.  I just missed out on some excellent, almost new Bilstein B14 coilovers.  I just have a couple of questions if you don't mind me asking:

I've read your advice about KYBs and Springcoil (progressive) springs  Is there a better quality shock than the KYB Excel-G that I could source that you're aware of?

I'd like to replace the top hats too - ideally to group N STi - any suggestions on the best place to buy?

I would also like to replace some key bushes - do you know the ones I should be looking to replace as there's a few of them?

 

[Mr B]

8 minutes ago, Hootieuk said:

Appreciate this was an SF question Mr B, but I have a 2006 facelift 2.5XT with leaking SLS - currently SORN until end of September.  Owned over 5 years and all stock (in Plymouth).  I would like to improve the suspension and have a Prodrive (Eibach) 21.x mm rear ARB and HD mounts to fit.  I would like to replace all four struts, ideally to better than OEM.  I just missed out on some excellent, almost new Bilstein B14 coilovers.  I just have a couple of questions if you don't mind me asking:

I've read your advice about KYBs and Springcoil (progressive) springs  Is there a better quality shock than the KYB Excel-G that I could source that you're aware of?

I'd like to replace the top hats too - ideally to group N STi - any suggestions on the best place to buy?

I would also like to replace some key bushes - do you know the ones I should be looking to replace as there's a few of them?

 

KYB ultra sr are available for SG too . Mix them with good custom springs to suit your usage and you get good results for road use. Bilstein is good stuff, i would still be wary of coilovers if you tend use lot of bad B roads or similar .

Rear arb not a bad mod for fast road use XT, standard mounts can be reinforced similar to purchased ones

Front lower arm is good place start with bushes as keeping alignment on high loaded front suspension is critical, alloy control arms is good upgrade .

Standard bushes in good order perform well, If going Poly don't go too hard for road use . I would be inclined go with pillow balls on front as gives good benefits (feedback & more camber adjustment & not too harsh on good dampers.

Done a handful of XTs with Ultra sr & custom springcoil springs & result is pleasing, quite expensive as unfortunately sr struts never get discounted prices like the excel-g's . custom springs work out close to £65 each .

Keeping realistic is important for road use as excessive rate springs & poor damping of low cost taiwan style coilovers don't make a vehicle easy live with on real roads & daily usage .

 

[savage bulldogs]

Dunno if they'll fit the foz but I've got a few suspension bits in the for sale section.

4 x elbaich pro springs (lower a uk gc8 by 30mm)

Nearly new rear shocks

Nearly new Group n rear top mounts.

If it's not broke .....upgrade it 😊

[Hootieuk]

Some good info here - many thanks!

I have no intention of tracking, just fast road use only - in Devon, so you know the sort of roads we're talking about!

If you don't mind, I have a few more questions...

Any suggestions on where to source KYB Ultra SRs - and what would be the real world benefits over Excel-Gs?

Where can I get alloy control arms and are they specifically for SG XT or are they Impreza or FSTI bits?

Can you recommend suitable polybush bushes that in your experience aren't too hard?

Where can I get pillow ball bushes for the front?

Need to see if the extra lay-out for the SRs are worth it - would the same progressive springs from Springcoil be the same regardless whether Excel-G or Ultra SR?

[stants]

Sav your group n mounts front or rear ?

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[Hootieuk]

front and rear

[stants]

Should have read the post correctly doh !

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[Mr B]

4 hours ago, Hootieuk said:

Some good info here - many thanks!

I have no intention of tracking, just fast road use only - in Devon, so you know the sort of roads we're talking about!

If you don't mind, I have a few more questions...

Any suggestions on where to source KYB Ultra SRs - and what would be the real world benefits over Excel-Gs?

Where can I get alloy control arms and are they specifically for SG XT or are they Impreza or FSTI bits?

Can you recommend suitable polybush bushes that in your experience aren't too hard?

Where can I get pillow ball bushes for the front?

Need to see if the extra lay-out for the SRs are worth it - would the same progressive springs from Springcoil be the same regardless whether Excel-G or Ultra SR?

KYB's tend be best price from motor factor dealers on eBay, sf fits sg using custom springs.

ultra srs are damped more fore performance & work well with stiffer rate springs
Is hard justify cost & hassle when sg specific excel-G can be had as cheap as £49 a strut, sr is better fast road damper though .

alloy control arms sourced from foz or imp sti
pillow balls are available from many suppliers, cusco do them & cheaper options can be found online .

Polybushes, I like strongflex red (80shA), good value for money too, Nolathane also good .

Other options can be inverted impreza struts with custom springs .All comes down to your final goal & how much you want spend on it & how easy you want it to be to achieve . If want  lower over 30mm you best looking at impreza struts to achieve it .

 

[savage bulldogs]

Sav your group n mounts front or rear ?

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4 elbaich springs ,in good condition .

2 rear shocks and 2 rear group n top mounts , I bought from icp for over £250 and did about 1.5 k mls on b4 fitting the coilovers [emoji15] [emoji5]

Dunno if any of it fits a foz though ?

If it's not broke .....upgrade it 😊

[stants]

The rear top mounts on the foz are the same shape as the bug eye, I think they are different to the classic, still have a pic somewhere, hold on....

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[stants]

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[savage bulldogs]

Best pic I've got of the top mount shape .

If it's not broke .....upgrade it 😊

[savage bulldogs]

Although they both look offset they do look different to me but that doesn't necessarily mean that they won't fit .

Basically I'm non the wiser lol .

If it's not broke .....upgrade it 😊

[stants]

[emoji23] me neither, I was told they won't fit but that's the Internet for you

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[Mr B]

turret hole pattern is 100% same, what differs is spring end style from SF to SG .

[Hootieuk]

Mr B, since you've fitted the SF spec Ultra SRs to SG Foresters, are they a direct bolt on - if so how do they differ in that they're not officially listed for SGs?

When you say they would require custom springs - would the progressive springs from Springcoil that would/could be used on the Excel-Gs be the same...or would they need different specs?

I'm thinking that, having never experienced coilovers, for my daily driver use they'd likely be more hassles (set-up and maintenance) than I'd want.  I therefore just want a better than OEM strut set up and don't mind paying a little more than Excel-Gs if there is an option. 

[Mr B]

Spring platform is lower on SF than SG , they direct bolt on, SF can be bolted to SG & SG can be bolted to SF .

Due to Spring platform difference you ideally need custom springs to set a desired ride height and as you want lower & increase spring rate mildly it no extra expense .

Springs to be used with SF ultra sr would need be longer than specific SG excel-g's due to differing spring seat position on strut .

Unfortunately easy options are limited on struts, you got sf ultra sr, sg excel-g, sachs (bit firmer than excel G) or pedders kits .

You can custom fit Bilstein inserts but not cheap for decent effort.

Excel G's are superb for the cost, no hassle fit & easiest to specify custom springs over phone.
sti or wrx wagon struts can work out cheap upgrade if find decent used set but ideally want custom springs especially rear to get sit right .
Most people really like the excel-g's, i've used them on XT with custom springs lowered 30mm & owner been very happy with setup,
throw in group n rear mounts-pillow balls mod to front mounts, rear stabilizer mod, strut brace & lower brace & make sure bushings good or replaced, allignment setup & it should feel far more stable/precise at speed but remain compliant for devon road daily use so won't fatigue you from harshness .
wrx or sti struts are worth considering especially if aiming lower 50mm+ . Done one with inverted struts modded with greasing nipples, standard wagon springs lowered 65-80mm & rear was too low to front so we got springs made up off of the wagon springs .

Choices are up to you & your budget and your use, if carrying load or sometimes towing you need build this into your final package spec .

[Hootieuk]

OK - after much thought and reading your words of wisdom, I'm going to go for the Excel Gs - I won't be tracking it...I just want a fast road set-up better than stock.  So, just a few more questions if I may...(forgive me if I've misunderstood your last post):

I'm planning to order springs from Spring coil and I know they already have a spec for a progressive set to fit an SG XT - do you know if these will be 30mm lower - if not, do you have a spec that I need to request?  Also, a contact name who'll likely know what I'm talking about would be useful too.

Do you know where I can get group N rear mounts?  I've found ICP do STi group N front top mounts here but not rears.

Is the pillow ball mod to the front control arms?

Reference the rear stabiliser mod - I have the Perrins HD mount but it's for an Impreza and is only around 60mm high rather than around 9mm - I presume I'll need to fabricate an ally block to mount it onto, yes?

I presume you mean the FRONT strut brace?  Can you recommend a decent one for the money? (and same for the lower brace please?)

As always, your advice is much appreciated.

 

[Mr B]

When you contact springcoil for your springs they will be able calculate height changes from data that they already have so just telling them you drop range front and rear should be all needed, I would drop front more than rear as helps keep some balance when rear loaded as you no longer will have SLS . Tell them your usage and requirement for stiffer springs & all should be good.

Try roger clarke motorsport for group n top mounts, they not cheap but good way go if standard rear top mounts not serviceable, modding front has way more gains than rear so should be priority . camber bolt kit (2 bolts, 1 each side) for rear strut to hub uppermost bolt hole is super useful at setting perfect rear camber .
other top mount option could be whiteline top mounts .

pillow ball camber plates are for front strut top mounts. Bit of tweaking required to combine it with standard top mount spring platform from old top mounts .
ideally need do this prior to ordering springs as they tend make the top spring platform sit lower so that distance change needs measuring & added to your spring drop requirement . pillow ball mounts come up used, new can be had starting around £100 a pair .

You can make up a block to raise the HD brackets you have (that why I mod standard brackets to HD)

Strut braces from impreza will fit, massive amount around new or used so best hunting about for a nice one/price, cusco or ultra racing are couple of names.
The sti titanium top strut bar is nice, any good H shape 4 point lower brace will be good . Check out condition of your wishbones as do corrode bad, sti alloys are nice if need replacements but not a must, good polybushes on wishbones help a lot but more cabin noise & vibration is the negative factor .

another good mod is poly mounts for steering rack or even better the 2004 impreza sti rack .

 

Keeping with standard style struts is key factor for daily on B roads though so your excel-g is sensible choice & all other mods will keep things tight & aligned & improve feedback to the driver without ruining daily drive-ability & safety.
i've had some coilover cars come in that just damn dangerous on real roads & owners only too glad go back more standard via softer springs on coilovers or switching back to standard struts .