I just made an apointment to have Blu's struts replaced with the KYB's I bought over a month ago. Blu goes in next wed. My Mechanic said he refuses to sell KYB's because they are too hard. I trust my mechanic.

 

So what say ye who have had KYB I have a week to decide, as I can always sell mine on ebay.

 

 

nipper

I just made an apointment to have Blu's struts replaced with the KYB's I bought over a month ago. Blu goes in next wed. My Mechanic said he refuses to sell KYB's because they are too hard. I trust my mechanic.

 

So what say ye who have had KYB I have a week to decide, as I can always sell mine on ebay.

 

 

nipper

 

I won't buy anything but KYB GR2s for street driving in my Roos. I've had them all the way around on two different gen1 Legacys, and I have them on the rear of my gen2 Wagon currently, and plan on putting them no the front in the next month or so. I have had no issues with ride stiffness. If you are used to driving a mid 80's GM, then yes KYBs are hard. If you are used to driving something that handles well, with a comfortable ride and good translation (Feeling of what the car is doing on your butt) then KYBs are the way to go... in my opinion.

 

Keith

Don't hear feedback like that :-\

I like a tught ride. I expect a GM ride from, well, a GM. I expect a tighter ride from a Japanese car. Blu has 1 blown strut and one in the rear making noise. Right now Blu rides like an oldsmobile.

 

I'm glad you like them, its putting me at ease.

 

nipper

KYB makes most of the OEM struts, and the GR2s are pretty much the stock equivalent. I've heard 0-20% stiffer depending on the car.

I just replaced the GR2's on my '91 Legacy after 120K miles; still okay but I thought it was time. Fronts were still tolerable but the rears were toast. Installed another set of four GR2's. I wouldn't have anything else on my daily driver.

I'm happy with the KYB struts I have in my 95 Legacy. Much nicer ride than the old blown struts. Plus, I gained some ride height by replacing the Legacy ones with Outback ones.

i had gr2's on my rx and i have the kyb agx struts on my impreza, i wont go with anything else for a stock replacement other than kyb. the only exception being that they dont make an adjustable strut for the oldschool cars but i swear by kyb suspension, they make a very nice product.

It really depends on what you want/like. If you like a little firmer ride, you'll like GR-2's. If you're the kind of person who likes that soft, absorbing (which I think feels sloppy) kind of ride, then you may not like GR-2's.

 

Just put KYB GR-2's on '00obw, plus king springs. Yes the ride is stiffer (firmer) than it was before. But that's the way I like it. It seems to handle better that way, especially in bumpy situations like over railroad tracks and such.

An alternative might be to have Dale Teague at boxer4racing install Koni yellow adjustables in your (or core swap) struts. You'd need to email him about your year/model.

 

Otherwise - what they said. I THOUGHT I read KYB makes soob's struts.

 

 

 

Carl

OK I feel better. I just needed some reassurance

 

 

nipper

KYB does make the original struts, but they are not the same as the GR2s. I have GR2s in my '99 Outback. The GR2s are much stiffer, and the car handles much better with them. They are a little harsher than I like, but I was spoiled by Bilsteins in my Volvos. Bilsteins are firm, but not harsh. Alas, Bilstein does not make struts for my Outback, so I must settle for the KYB GR2s.

I just made an apointment to have Blu's struts replaced with the KYB's I bought over a month ago. Blu goes in next wed. My Mechanic said he refuses to sell KYB's because they are too hard. I trust my mechanic.

 

So what say ye who have had KYB I have a week to decide, as I can always sell mine on ebay.

 

 

nipper

I went with KYB all four , last year. I have been very pleased. The ride quality is very close the originals imo. The shop tried to push Monroes on me, never again. Had these twice on other cars, very unhappy with both sets.

John

I just put GR2's on the rear of our '94 Legacy and I like them. Firm yes, but not enough to bother me. As others have said it's a world of difference from the blown rears.

I think a lot of this "yeah the GR2s are stiffer" partially comes from going to new struts from old blown ones.

 

An alternative might be to have Dale Teague at boxer4racing install Koni yellow adjustables in your (or core swap) struts. You'd need to email him about your year/model.

 

Otherwise - what they said. I THOUGHT I read KYB makes soob's struts.

 

Carl

 

Konis are expensive and pretty stiff. But they will fit in most subaru strut housings. Probably not outback stuff though because it's longer. Some guy on nasioc got them into STi housings but it's not easy.

 

Oh, and KYB is stamped into my sti struts.

KYB GR-2s being described as "too firm"? That's a first to me. They're basically just an OEM replacement(OEM *is* KYB), and really aren't valved in anyway condusive to performance. Nothing special.

 

If your mechanic is used to driving huge '70s American sedans, then yes, they'll feel a bit firm.

i've been poking around on Zapar's thread about using WRX struts in the Impreza wagons to get rid of the sagging rear end. anyway...he mentioned he used KYB GR struts in his OBS and liked them just fine...much better than stock on the OBS. he knows subaru's fairly well, so i took that as a vote of confidence for swapping my OBS as well to the same thing.

KYB GR-2s being described as "too firm"? That's a first to me. They're basically just an OEM replacement(OEM *is* KYB), and really aren't valved in anyway condusive to performance. Nothing special.

 

If your mechanic is used to driving huge '70s American sedans, then yes, they'll feel a bit firm.

 

Well in this neighboorhood where people think that having to bring in their own garbage cans and actually doing thier own cooking for thier kids is an inconvience, yes that are too firm

 

nipper

I agree with the "too stiff" problems being the transition from old struts to new. Your body acclimates to the busted ones.

 

If GR2's are too stiff... put on some STi struts for a while and you will be begging for the very plush ride of the GR2's.

I have used KYBs on a number of cars, but not yet on a Subie . Yes, they are a little stiffer then stock, but with that slight stiffness comes excellent handling control. My daughter's Jeep Wrangler needs shocks, and I plan to intstall a set of KYBs. For the money and performance, they are a good value.

We have KYB GR2s on both Subarus. Here's what I've observed:

 

1) The up and down undulations of pavement (shallow dips and bumps) are better absorbed and eliminate the sea-sickness of worn out stock or lesser struts like Monroe or Gabriel.

2) The initial impact absorbtion is excellent...and they temporarily "stiffen" up if there are a lot of road variations. Initial absorbtion is just like stock, but after they stiffen up, they feel 10-20% stiffer. This allows a very stock like ride for most trips....yet somehow the slightly stiffer damping does not punish your kidneys at all.

 

Conclusion:

I highly recommend the GR2s. Also consider replacing the strut mounts at the same time.

is this a dedicated subaru mechanic? because they usually recommend KYB as a replacement because they are just that good...

 

I'll chime in my agreement on the old vs new making them feel stiff in comparison...

 

they seem a little stiffer to me, but after having worn-out ones the lack of "sea-sickness" with new KYB's is refreshing...

 

in conclusion, they aren't too stiff... but they are likely slightly stiffer... after all, they're new, and they're good...

 

 

--Spiffy

No this is not a dedicated subaru mechanic, but he has treated me and my subaru very well. He also knows when he has to use subaru parts and can use generic parts. I would recomend him to anyone. They arent just mechanics, but car guys

 

 

nipper