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  #1  
Old 12-17-2006, 03:35 AM
alia176 alia176 is offline
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Suspension and tire inquiry - not for racing!

Folks,

It's been a long time since I've posted here but I've been a little busy as of late. We moved to east of Albuquerque, N.M. this summer and my needs for the SVX has changed a bit.

I need to look into replacing my leaky struts and old tires. However, here's my situation: I live on top of a mountain, approx 6800' elev, at the end of a mile long dirt road (read washboards). The paved road to the beginning of the dirt road is twisty but it's only about three miles long. The last 100 yards of my driveway is a very steep climb, especially in snow/ice during the winter. The rest of my driving is on Interstate and in town.

Given my scenario, I'd like to, <gasp> not lower my vehicle. I'm not a racer but just an occasional "spirited" driver. While I find the worn out struts do provide a comfortable ride, I have a fair amount of lean on corners. However, there aren't that many corners in this town to speak of! I understand that the Konis or OEM struts are my only option. If the Koni's won't beat me up on the washboards too badly, I can go with them. Wouldn't mind some real life experiences with this type of road from other drivers.

Please don't confuse washboards with a road with potholes. For that one mile of dirt road, my car is being shaken like a Martini . In order for me to have a decent ride, I need to run it at a min speed of over 45 mph. Otherwise, it's a torturous ride to the pavement. So far, my rims are still true The road gets worse after a rain fall or snow and we're at the mercy of the county to grade the road.

Tires: I'm very afraid of having my nice after market rims be trashed by a protruding rock on this one mile of dirt road. Should I consider getting <gasp> higher profile tires? I may need a little more meat between the rims and the road. The only caveat I see with this is not being able to use the spare tire in case of a flat. No, calling AAA for a flat is not an option for me or my wife This is more of a principle thing more than anything else! I prefer an all season type of tire with a good price point. I'm not a racer so Z rated tires are wasted on me I'm afraid!

The vehicle has 120k of easy miles. The front sway bar bushings were replaced about 8k miles ago. The suspension is still original. Vehicle drives great, gets alignments quite frequently, no loose tie rod ends. I am hearing the usual knocking from up front which I can only assume to be the strut tower bushings.

I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Thanks.

Ali

ps would love to meet up with the local SVXers!
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Last edited by alia176; 12-17-2006 at 03:37 AM.
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Old 12-17-2006, 04:23 AM
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Dessertrunner Dessertrunner is offline
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Ali,
I have my SVX set up for dirt driving 100% of the time. I run a light truck tyre as they have good tread, raise the car about 10 mm. In the last 4 months I changed the struts to DMS and this gave me a extra 40 mm clearance, in your case you would not bother to raise the height but they are strong enough to handle wash board road. My SVX would have done more k on dirt then any other in the world as the car has 360 k same engine. On this weekend I went into two of the deserts in Aus and the car handle all the different condiations that it faced and never missed a beat, trip was 1,300 k.
The tyres also have the advantage that they are tough and will protect the rims from rocks ( and I mean rocks) etc.
Tony
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  #3  
Old 12-18-2006, 03:51 PM
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When I lived in Colorado I had a bit of the same drive. I found it very easy to just call the county road & bridge dept. and ask if there was any maintenance scheduled for my road. They would invariably ask if it was in bad shape. I'd reply that it was indeed in disrepair and they would follow up by having it graded by the next evening. All it takes in most areas is a phone call, if you leave it for them to find it on their own it will never get done. If the road is in chronic disrepair make that known also, you may find them making improvements that will reduce its maintenance requirements. If this doesn't work well for you find your local representative/alderman/etc. and make an issue.
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  #4  
Old 12-19-2006, 06:36 AM
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SVX_MY_BABY SVX_MY_BABY is offline
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I just converted to Koni's with Mychailo's sport springs. I must admit that I have yet to hit a washboard road with the new set up but can say that the damping of the Koni's is great and adjustable too. Fronts while installed but rears need to be taken out to adjust. In theory better damping should create less bounce and wheel skip.
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Old 12-28-2006, 07:29 PM
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kwren kwren is offline
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Where is a good place to get these Koni struts and Mychailo springs

Quote:
Originally Posted by SVX_MY_BABY
I just converted to Koni's with Mychailo's sport springs. I must admit that I have yet to hit a washboard road with the new set up but can say that the damping of the Koni's is great and adjustable too. Fronts while installed but rears need to be taken out to adjust. In theory better damping should create less bounce and wheel skip.
Does anyone know?
Thanks
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  #6  
Old 12-29-2006, 10:10 AM
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SVX10 SVX10 is offline
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Howdy...I live up in the east mountains as well...or I used to. It's still home to me, though.

Anyway, I've got Konis and Mychailo's springs on my ride. I've taken the setup onto some serious washboards in Dennis Chavez estates and, well, I probably only go 20mph. You could probably go 45, but that'd be some serious vibration. It's not the suspension, though...that's how I'd always drive on that road even stock. I think you'll be fine with the suspension (Springs/dampers)

What I can't really help on is wheels/tires. I was running 18" H-rated. Maybe a 17" H-rated A/S tire would work well enough for you. The A/S was always enough to get me through the snow, especially with the sweet AWD of that AT. My car pulled through snow better than my parents' '96 Legacy MT. I guess it should've though, since it's got a much better AWD system.

So, how you likin' the mountains?
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  #7  
Old 12-29-2006, 10:54 AM
dcarrb dcarrb is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alia176
I live on top of a mountain, approx 6800' elev, at the end of a mile long dirt road (read washboards). The paved road to the beginning of the dirt road is twisty but it's only about three miles long. The last 100 yards of my driveway is a very steep climb, especially in snow/ice during the winter.
Excepting the elevation, this could describe my old place here, which is why my then-wife and I bought our very first Subaru. I had an aunt who wouldn't return to the house; the drive up was so steep, it scared her.

I think you might as well go ahead and set-up the car as you wish for pavement, 'cos whatever you do won't make much difference one way or another on dirt.

dcb
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