Pedders Coil-overs

Ratbag

Ratbag

Administrator
Joined
Jan 1, 2012
Messages
7,473
Location
Bayside, Melbourne, Vic
Car Year
MY06, MY10
Car Model
Forester SG & SH
Transmission
5MT/DR & 4EAT Sports
Pedders complete adjustable coilover kit is $1,681 for an SF, SG or SH Forester. Fitting is extra ...

This kit is for an SG. Be warned, the part numbers are different for SF, SG and SH models, but the price is the same.

https://shop.pedders.com.au/pedders...053.html?_ga=1.155294459.133547958.1423012103

Unfortunately, Pedders do not seem to do these kits for any of the Outback models.

I could almost be tempted to buy a set of these, and sell my near-new Pedders rear heavy duty strut kit ...
 
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Unless you can raise above stock height - no!
 
^ From reading their bumf, it appears that they can be either raised or lowered from stock height, and either stiffened or softened by adjusting the little knob on the top of each strut in 30 steps.

I will have to make a phone call tomorrow to establish if my understanding is correct or not.

As you say, completely bloody useless and a total waste of money if their maximum height is OEM stock height!

However, they only make these kits for Foresters, so that would indicate that the midpoint would be stock height. The amount of adjustment up and down is also of great interest. All this is pure surmise on my part ATM.
 
Oh I'm liking this, adjustable coilovers, hope they have more travel and aren't just aimed at "street tuner or weekend track day racer" as they say in the description. There are offroad tracks too! :(
 
^ Description ...

Pedders+coilovers+description+-+A9RAE25.jpg
 
Hmmm if that is the mid setting, by the looks of it seems like you can't jack it up very far before you start having issues topping out.
 
^ Educate me ... :poke:.

I know next to nothing about coilovers and their setup/adjustment ... :confused:
 
Basically is a giant thread, the whole entire upper portion on the thread can go up and down on the strut lower. Basically replicating what people do with strut bottom extenstion, or chops.
You can move the lower spring seat to change preload etc.
By topping out I mean the thread hitting the top of the strut lower, seems like it's only designed to go down from it's max height(which could be stock height)
Seems I will wait on your call about what pedders says.
 
In the past I have found that coil-overs do not go above stock height and are aimed at the grass-cutter mob.
 
Ratbag said:
Pedders complete adjustable coilover kit is $1,681 for an SF, SG or SH Forester.
Click to expand...

Seems to be a nice product but the springs are too short to allow full stroke of the shocks (compression).
 
^ gidday JF

That's just an illustration from their general page about their coilovers. AFAIK, it almost certainly is not one for any Forester.

Also AFAIK, this photo is of the SG Forester kit:

picture_160053.jpg


However, it is one of the questions I have in mind to ask, which are:

Max/min height.

Physical strength relative to the fronts/rears I currently have.

Stroke length, ditto.

Spring compression/droop, ditto.

Shock rate adjustment, ditto.

Ability to service/recondition.

Fitting and alignment costs, issues if height changed.

Anything else anyone cares to add :cool:.
 
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Thanks for that info and suggestion, Rob.

I did see the live chat link yesterday, but the last few days haven't been anything to write home about ... I will need to do that from one of our computers so that I can (safely) save the conversation. Tablets are terrific, but there are some things they just don't do very well. Just in case someone has to have some highly expensive coilovers struts used as an endoscope further down the track, as it were.

I do not want or need any maintenance nightmares! It's yet another reason I prefer to buy a stock vehicle that does what I want it to do rather than modifying one that initially doesn't. Been there, done that, got it out of my system nearly 40 years ago ...
 
Spoke to the bloke at Pedders Moorabbin this arvo about their coilovers.

He asked me what I used my Forester for. I said towing, touring and off road, and told him that I already had a pair of their ezi fit HD variable rate struts in the back.

He said very bluntly that what I already had was far better than the coilovers would be. He also said that the coilovers gave a very harsh ride, and were basically designed for people who wanted to resurface the tarmac with the underside of their car.

He also said that they could have longer springs fitted, but this would make the ride even harsher!

So they don't even start to suit my uses.

Live and learn ... :iconwink:.
 
Ratbag said:
...the coilovers gave a very harsh ride, and were basically designed for people who wanted to resurface the tarmac with the underside of their car.

.
Click to expand...

Good thread, though, we learned something!

:rotfl:If I am to loose my teeth, I would rather buy a Rubicon and stop worrying about any of this:lol:
 
Exactly right, Au and MAS :biggrin:.

Just to round out the thread, I have stock OEM front struts; replaced my rear SLS struts with a pair of the Pedders in the URL below when the SLS shat themselves at around 105K kms; and a SubaXtreme alloy sump guard.

https://shop.pedders.com.au/pedders-ezifit-strut-808473l.html?_ga=1.89759451.133547958.1423012103

Other than that, my car is stock. It seems to be easily able to go everywhere that I am brave (stupid ... ) enough to go, and seems to be quite happy doing most of it with a 600-700 kg trailer behind it!

Some want to do hard core off road stuff in their vehicles and modify them accordingly. That's fine too. But I got that stuff out of my system a long time ago! My hot Morris 1100 would wipe out a Coke can with its sump guard. My '68 LC went all sorts of horrible places, sometimes towing an tandem axle double horse float.

These days, I want my car to take me and my CT safely and comfortably anywhere I want to go, and Roo2 fits that requirement pretty well IMHO.
 
Since you mentioned SubaXtreme sump guard:

I contacted them with respect to their IV gen OB one. I asked about the effect on ground clearance. They responded that they "feel" it does not hurt it anymore than the stock splash guard. I then sent them a picture of mine with arrows and explanations. I hope that they will respond, eventually, about the exact effect on clearance.

What is your case? How much clearance, if any, have you lost compared to the splash guard? I lost 0.5" from my current one, not counting the bolt heads. Given that the SubaXtreme is also heavier duty, I may be inclined to upgrade, but only if I gain in clearance...
 
Gidday MAS

I can't say what the clearance was before, because the ABS plastic splash guard was already torn at the P/S front attachment bolt.

I just measured from the SubaXtreme guard to the ground, and that's 210 mm minimum. The rear bolts are attached through a recessed part, so do not protrude below the line of the guard. I am using 6 mm spacing washers front and rear to give plenty of clearance under my sump, both for additional leeway and also to provide plenty of clearance for my headers. I now have around 20 mm between the edges of the guard and the headers.

As mine had already had some bruising use, I used a small Canadian block splitter to bash it back into something like its original shape. This involved bashing it up to around half an inch from its shape when it came into my hands.

To my enormous surprise, it didn't even look like cracking when subjected to this cavalier treatment! I was rather pleasantly surprised at just how tough this guard is, considering that it's cast alloy. Given that you seem to be a careful and thoughtful driver, it should provide all the protection you need.
 
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