Just got my hands on a set of D2 coilovers (Camber, spring tension, dampening and height adjustable) but prior to puuting them in, is there any other parts I should or need to change before starting to lower???

Only ever put spring kits in my last few cars.

By the way, the height is adjustable by srewing the hub bracket up and down the length of the strut, not through spring height... Anyone seen these before?

Any advice appreciated

 

I've just put these on my '99 Impreza. Problems I had was with getting the bottom bolts off, a couple were a real pain and I ended up rounding them off. So I ordered a new set of bolts from Subaru which were not cheap. Second problem was the clips that hold the brake hose in place, these were all difficult to remove. A good blast with some WD40 and plenty of screwdriver and plier action freed them and they came off easily after that. You also have to bleed your brakes as the brake hose goes through a hole in the bottom suspension mount (on classics anyway, not sure on others) and you have to undo the hose from the caliper and pull it back through once the holding clip is removed. The D2's dont have this hole and come with metal brackets that you bend yourself to hold the brake line and ABS sensor cable.

The problem I now have is with the ride height, I set them all how I wanted, but took it out for a test run and after driving off a curb it dropped quite abit and is now sat on the arches, so I would advise setting them all really high and not tightening the lock rings up too much. Take for a drive and allow suspension to settle, then lower it to where you want it. Keep adjusting and testing untill your happy, then tighten lock rings properly.

 

They do settle a bit once fitted, but there shouldn't be any major drops as described above so long as the spring is seated properly and preloaded by a few mm with the pair of locking rings.

Tip - use loctite between the bottom lockring and the 'hub bracket'; my D2's loosened if I didn't do that. Probably best to avoid getting loctite on the teflon threads though. Also, tap the c-spanner lightly with a mallet to tighten.

Should be no problem with the bolts if you have the correct tools - 18" breaker bar and decent sockets. Of course they're tight, they have to be. You don't need to remove the hose from the caliper if you open up the mount on the old struts with pliers (very soft metal).

Check the alloy parts carefully for any damage or cracking. They're light, but not as strong as steel-bodied coilovers.

 

Sorry for hijacking your thread, but what damper settings do u use ?