Lowering Springs, Struts & Shockers for a Vortex ?

FujiFan · Post by **FujiFan** » Sun Aug 21, 2011 11:18 pm

Ah was actually checking out and test driving said car for possible addition to the family, and remembered your call for assistance

Turns out the Royale was a bit of a bomb, but that is for another post!!!

J

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:09 am

Thanks again J and Chris

More torment going through head. The electronic US version of 88 specs does not contain "conventional suspension" data as the 85/86 manuals do. Stops me from seeing if later models had different coil specs on FWD sedans. Whatever these yellow paint dab springs are from, they have a thicker wire cross section than the L Series FWD sedan rear coils I chucked a few years ago.

Those after market spring companies I have checked online do not stock lowered rear coils at all. One company has a litsing for MY front and that is it - no L Series at all!

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Mon Aug 22, 2011 11:17 am

T'subaru has confirmed that of his two vehicles with known L Series RX rear springs, one, an RX, the other , his XT6 , both have yellow paint dabs.

The old scrap merchant that told me he was gonna check his stock pile of cars - is dreaming. His son tells me anything as old as L Series is scrapped immediately.

Not going the Suzuki spring route - too much chance and needed specs have been revised. I'll just sit and wait until a pair of RX rear coils jump out at somebody - probably Mark

discopotato03 · Post by **discopotato03** » Mon Aug 22, 2011 2:21 pm

Steptoe I can't remember what the 86 WSM quotes but my 87 one shows RX sedans having 159.6 in/lb springs and the RX coupes 179 in/lb ones . They both got the higher rated dampers like you mentioned .
It could be a long time till I see the 86 factory WSM I had access to but as I mentioned I thought the early RXs had the 179 lb springs .

A .

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Mon Aug 22, 2011 6:41 pm

Nope, I have the early manuals and they list the 159.6 lb/in springs for all but wagons, the 3 doors (not our market) got the 179 spot on. So, no change. One sprng supplier explained the fac they sell one spring for the two jobs - is compromise engineered into it. My bet is the sedan owner gets the compromise !!

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 11:59 pm

OK. Just in case some time in the future someone is searching for info on converting a 4WD Vortex to coils ......

21032GA461 is the number on the KYB shock fitted to the front left of mine - marked by a wrecker as EA82 FWD FI . It was superceded by 21032GA771 and lists for a 2WD manual Loyale LHS

21032GA451 is on the right, superceded by 21032GA761 for same car above RHS

One spring has two paint daubs, blue and yellow, the other side hmmmm???

The resulting height with 185/70-13's measured at the centre of the bolt hole of the inner lower control arms is 5 to 7 mm lower than Subaru manuals lowest suggested height

Manuals and autos may be different?? As far as donor springs and shocks/struts may be.

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 8:22 am

Hmmm, was looking under the Vorts bum the other night and noticed the rear axle shafts are not at the angle we are used to in Subarus, as in they run up hill from the diff to the wheel centre, not downhill. Given I am at Subarus minimum height for a 4WD I think I can see why and where they give consideration to their measurements and it is not based on appearance of tyre to wheel arch relationship

Fury · Post by **Fury** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 8:35 am

On the subaruXT forum, thats what was in the discussion re the AWD suspension geometry angles. The thing is, that if it is the same relative angle is up (say 10 degrees), instead of down, other than ground clearance, there should not be mechanical issues.

The air suspension was higher in the AWD / 4WD Vortex's / XT ( as you know) but it depends if you want to stick with the factory heights or the modded height as the FWD ( thus no rear diff or rear shafts )