-=Mr B=-

Right, so, my shocks seam to have disliked something during the winter. Both front shocks leak. Enough to be wet and shiny on the shock body.
Since the springs are, well, rusty, i'd like to replace them as well. I'm sure they are fine for a while yet, but new and shiny should be paired of with, new and shiny. Ease of mind and all that.
Since my retailer quoted me 300USD, or £230, each, i thought i'd look at "my options".
I could very well go for dropping it a couple of cm worth of ride height, but not a lot, and if i do, i have to swap all 4, of course. I wouldn't really look for, need, or even be able to figure out how to use, adjustable kit's. That said, is there any specific recommendations, kit's i should consider, or, should i just try and locate stock parts from a retailer not in Sweden? It's not like i've had issues with the ride thus far.

Love to hear all your opinions. The reality is that i love to drive this thing, but never leave the tarmac, i don't hit any tracks and "race", and i don't really know anything beyond what Grand Turismo 2 on the PlayStation taught me about ride tuning, which i'm not sure is really applicable in reality.
B!

RalliFast

iTrader: (1)

I'm looking into coilovers myself and for your needs I think I came across a good option to look into but I do not have any experience with them myself, the Tein street basis line seems quite a bit less expensive and less complex. Might be just right for you, though I'm sure you could find similar combos from some other companies.

-=Mr B=-

Good tip, perhaps. Cant seam to find a European outlet. Makes sense, you would look for something local to your area, i suppose. I guess i should start there. Locate "European" based manufacturers, and look at what they have to offer.
I was just hoping to take a shortcut, and get advice from someone, possibly UK, or Germany based, that already knew what i "should" be looking at. Mostly since i just cant tell heads from tails. I know shocks and springs attach to the wheels, in some magic way, and affect comfort, traction, and such. Voodoo, and different kinds of black magic. Picking a "good" combo for what i should run with... Not enough pre-knowledge.

B!

RalliFast

iTrader: (1)

Given your somewhat limited understanding of suspension(no offence, mine isn't exactly vast either), maybe you should be looking for a local, honest and reputable speed shop to help guide your decision and probably install as well.

Though that will bring up the price, I prefer to do the work myself and pay for fine tuning if necessary.

-=Mr B=-

The problem with reputable speed shops, is pretty much that auto-sports in Sweden is highly shunned, and there really isn't any local shops as a result. I'm going for a 1000km drive, one way, just after midsummer, and i'd really like to have it fixed before, but i might be better of taking the time to "swing by" one of the few reputable shops in the country when i'm on the move anyway.
I guess it doesn't help that i haven't been able to find any enthusiast RA owners here either. The Evo X is more common then this... thing. Not sure why. All of the fun, lower price.
Anyway, thank you for your input again, it's helpful.
B!

c08

Aside from new OEM some other options would be used OEM (though condition may be an unknown so probably not the best option) or OEM replacement (e.g. KYB) struts. There seem to be a fair number of aftermarket options for springs as well, though I don't have experience with any. I'd find some that have specs around what you're looking for (height and stiffness) then look for reviews.

If you go with coilovers make sure that you do a lot of research. I haven't really looked into them for Ralliarts but generally this is one of those things where you get what you pay for. Some of the less expensive ones can be less durable (though I'm sure there are still some decent ones), some don't hold up as well in the winter, etc. Coilovers can also take a fair bit of adjustment to get set up correctly and may require more maintenance than OEM. I'm sure there are some good coilover options for our cars but just make sure that you thoroughly look into them before buying.

-=Mr B=-

Used OEM isn't really an option. If the car was older, sure, but at this point i expect to have it for long enough that i will have to replace new parts again at a later point, starting to stick half-worn parts on just makes it higher maintenance. If i was confident enough to replace them my self i might save a few pennies, but since i'll end up paying someone for the work, it is just a slower way to spend more in the end.

Replacement parts, vs coilovers. I dunno. Coilovers are a nice option since it's a single package. Sure, you can switch spring on them, but generally, you get something with the shock, aimed at "your" ride. Adjust-ability at that point comes to ride height, (near stock, would be great) and possibly valve-adjustments of the shock, tuning dampening & rebund. Not sure if car shocks even has individual adjustments of those, but regardless, that is a price range above what i'm hoping for, for sure. Trying to figure out what shock, and spring combination one should get for a ride nobody else has, and the retailer has no experience with, seams to turn out to a nightmare quite fast. Which is the problem i have right now. :- )
I was sort of hoping for a "these are your basic OEM suspension replacement, but coilovers, with great reliability. Buy them, and have them shipped to you, and you are golden." (Yeah, and preferably they should come free, have a mechanic attached to put them on the car, and come in a range of colors. Hey, one can dream.)
If they just happen to be serviceable, meaning one can fix them should they start to leak down the line, great. If not, oh well. It would be great if they last a bit longer then the OEM's, since the car has yet to pass 50.000KM, but if that takes a bit of maintenance, so be it.

B!

RalliFast

iTrader: (1)

Hey Mr. B,

You seem to have a better handle on your problem/needs, as far as coilovers I would recommend it if you can, you won't regret it. The Tein street basis Z(seriously I don't work for Tein lol it's just the only simple complete coilover package I've come across) if I remember correctly is only height adjustable so since in your area speed is shunned 🙁 you wouldn't require further suspension tuning other than an alignment but your mechanic should do that regardless when changing the suspension.

Like many of us have to do, if you want the best set up of any kind you're likely going to have to drive to get to the best available shops and tuning.

Best of luck with your decision and let us know what you do and how it works out ☺

-=Mr B=-

Tein actually doesn't look like an all out crazy alternative. They aren't local by any means, but they ARE available in UK, and that IS inside EU. No extra VAT.
Street Basis Z, Flex Z, and Street Flex Z.
But i think i have to send them a mail, something seams... broken. If i understand the site right, a full set of Street Basis Z would cost LESS then just the pair of front struts from Mitsubishi... Actually, the price is such that i could fit in Flex Z or Street Flex Z, and a EDFC kit, and still be cheaper then a OEM kit for all 4 wheels. Which DOES get one thinking.

I got to think about this. Scary ****.
B!

Edit
Mailed them about Street Flex, and a EDFC II controller.
Not that i have made up my mind in any way, but... That way i can actually play around with the dampening a bit, and figure out what i like, while also having the option to go soft for comfort rides, and stiff for scaring the racers...
/Edit

RalliFast

iTrader: (1)

Ok, I figured because of the lack of knowledgeable speed shops in your area you would go for a simpler set with less adjustment but the EDFC was super fun when my buddy had it, and it keeps the wifes sensitive bum happy 😆

I always say, "If it's broke, upgrade it" often not a lot more expensive(you seem pretty lucky here but OEM is notoriously overpriced) and you're already taking it out, save your future time/money; you're going to decide to upgrade it later anyway 😜

-=Mr B=-

I figured my own sensitive bum would like the EDFC.
There seams to be a bit more adjustments to do tho, since it seams to have camber adjustments as well. Not going to play around with it. Drop the car on them, and hand it over to someone who does wheel alignment, take note of, or mark down, settings, and leave it at that. So i'm paying for that *** well, just to get the EDFC. I really like the idea of the EDFC. Not sure how much i'd use it.

And yeah, the point is my fronts are already broken and need replacing. Sure i could just replace the fronts, but this seams more... sensible, in the long run. Which to me is weird. How can OEM be so highly priced.

The only remaining "question-mark" is actually the springs, or rather the spring "rate". I have a a feeling the springs the Street Flex come with is a fair bit stiffer then the original, and while this can be tuned for by replacing the springs, i think i'll just leave them as they are. Tein for sure did some math before recommending a setup, so i suspect the springs are set to give a bog standard Ralliart between 40/60 to 50/50 compression / rebound on the shocks. I'll ask, but i doubt that is the spot to start changing things.

B!

RalliFast

iTrader: (1)

If you like the Teins(their pricing is on point and haven't heard any major complaints) I would continue with them, tell them your exact situation and they would likely have the best possible recommendation going forward.

-=Mr B=-

They sold the last Street Flex, but apparently the Street Flex Z isn't going to be THAT much more expensive when they get it in stock, so for now, it's the waiting game.

RalliFast

iTrader: (1)

Did they give you an ETA?

-=Mr B=-

June/july, in UK.
But i'm not going to hold them to that to much. New stuff is always a guess at best.
B!