evil.soup

iTrader: (1)

Hi all,
I have a 2006 hawkeye WRX and after 11 years of ownership I have developed the common rear shock knock. Now I have done the coilovers thing and have no interest in going back down that road so all I am looking for is a standard OE replacement item as they have served me well. After doing some research I know KYB produce the Subaru shock absorbers, but is the correct KYB model the Excel-G as in the link below?
​​​​​​​http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-KYB-EXCE...%257Ciid%253A1

Also, since it is having work done I am replacing the handbrake shoes so am I right in thinking the below are the correct fitment?
Thanks in advance,
Ian
​​​​​​​http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Su...11c6798&000420

TECHNOPUG

iTrader: (1)

Yes the Excel G's are the WRX OEM equivalent. From my experience, you get about 30k miles out of them before they noticeably deteriorate. Worse still if you have uprated springs. If you do a lot of miles, you may wish to look at alternatives or accept that you will need to replace them every couple of years.

evil.soup

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the confirmation, I have found the original OE set up has lasted well considering the stories about them. My car has covered over 70k on them so not bad. I am only doing around 4k a year these days ao they should be good for a few years even if the do only last 30k.

Thanks again,
Ian

S3LDM

Hi Ian

I have just been through the same dilemma near enough following the dreaded rear shock knock

Coilovers weren’t my first option I was going to go with the KYB’s and keep it as near standard set up as I could, although I did have prodrive springs on mine

Anyway, I fitted my car with KW ST coilovers which are designed to provide a near standard set up with fixed damping with the added option of lowering if you need to

Must say I am impressed with them.

evil.soup

iTrader: (1)

I was going to ask you what that set up was like. The BC's I had almost broke me on the road. I am going to try to get out on the run next week, if only for the morning section. If we have 5 maybe you can show me what its like.

S3LDM

Yes mate of course I can, if we get there 10 mins early we can go for a run see what you think

evil.soup

iTrader: (1)

Cheers Lee, sounds like a plan

Vxr2010

Tein basiscs work well and they are a coilover but are not that firm plus at 505£ for all round are a good price , or go back to subaru and buy new oe stuff , pedders do a good range

scotty boy 80

iTrader: (5)

Pedders kit would work well on your hawk

evil.soup

iTrader: (1)

I looked at the Teins last time i tried coilovers but ended up going with BC's. They really put me off coilovers though, the BC's were great on smooth tarmac but useless on our normal crappy roads. I have never heard or Pedders, do you have any links?

Vxr2010

http://www.pedders.co.uk/
they do easy fit kits which it should just be a bolt on , Tein are also good the basic one is less bumpy than others , shame roads are poor but any suspension will be harsh on a rough road

Vxr2010

the pedders stuff is in principle what subaru would fit , have you tried the subaru costs too or contact import car parts if they do them ?

evil.soup

iTrader: (1)

If I knew about the Pedders kit I would have gone with that over BC's last time around as I have always been happy with the standard set up. Import car parts don't list anything for the Hawkeye, just the BC's.

I didn't even bother ring the main dealer on it, I have had quotes from them in the past for replacement parts and they are often 2 or even 3 times the price of other supplier's. Its put me off wasting my time contacting them.

Vxr2010

the pedders were made based on oe spec but possibly a bit firmer , the tein basics i have on my jdm wagon which is a nice ride but not as smooth , i have bc on the fsti firm but a sporty ride , i got lucky and got my bc used but as new on ebay for 300 , i liked the fsti with standard jdm suspension but prefer the now sportier drive , and take the view of not all roads are as well maintained

evil.soup

iTrader: (1)

Don't get me wrong, the BC's were good on the right roads and I miss the smoothness of them when on motorways, I drove to the South West of France on them and found them great, but the French have far better roads than us as a rule.

I took the car out on my favourite road in the Beacons, the road isn't the smoothest but the OE setup was great along it, the BC's just couldn't cope with the rough surface and felt very skippy in places, it didn't inspire confidence at all and kind of ruined the road. They were off and sold within 3 months of them going on.

​​​​​​​

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

Don't forget the Hawkeye WRX PCD is the same as the Blob, so should 99.9% of the time be compatible.

evil.soup

iTrader: (1)

Very true that Ian

​​​​​​​I have bitten the bullet and gone with the OE KYB Excel-G relacements for now. Think I will go Pedders in the future when funds allow though, just can't afford to replace all 4 corners at the moment.

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

Good choice Ian, not the most expensive but a real quality product that should last.

Get a bigger penny jar

Wull

Did you ever try and adjust the damper settings? Assuming they had this adjustability.

evil.soup

iTrader: (1)

​​​​​​​I think I need to get a 5 pound note jar instead!

evil.soup

iTrader: (1)

​​​​​​​I am no expert but did spend some time playing with the damping, I did get improvement but not enough for my needs. I also went for the softer spring rate when I bought them to try to avoid a super hard ride but it just didn't suit me. Like I said, I found the product quite good, just too much of a compromise for the way I use the car.

Wull

I have a set going on my Hatch this week and you have me a little bit worried I'm not even sure what the spring rates are but the roads around here leave a lot to be desired, especially of late with all the terrible wet weather, they're falling apart.

I had std struts fitted with 30mm lowering springs so TBH the ride was pretty stiff, so I think I'll be ok and as it's my weekend car that's what I'm wanting.

evil.soup

iTrader: (1)

Mine has been on Eibach progressive pro springs with standard struts for almost 10 years which is spot on for the roads around me. I was given incorrect advice from a garage because they assumed my struts were gone so I went with BC's as a final solution but it turned out it was my boot catch knocking. If the struts were shot that time around I may still have the BC's on there but went back to standard because there was nothing wrong with them.

​​​​​​​Don't be put off by my experience, they just didn't suit the roads I was using or the fact I used the car for work now and then, it was hateful to commute in but for just a weekend car I would imagine the issues would be insignificant.