Description
The Cygnus Performance X-1 Comfort Edition Coilovers are very unique at their price point. Most coilover solutions for these cars that are comfortable and provide excellent ride quality cost over $2,000. The Comfort Edition X-1 uses exactly the same technology that you would find on coilovers costing two or three times as much. At this price point we are the only brand to offer high quality Japanese made rubber top hats which are significantly less harsh than pillow ball camber plates. They also have virtually no chance of ever making noise which is a common issue with pillow ball top hats. These are also the only option to offer tunable European style digressive valving that was engineered with the best possible ride quality as a primary objective. Another thing you will not find on other options in this price range are the extremely high-quality components that we use where it matters. Our pistons are CND’d in Japan rather than hand drilled like most options in this price range which is critical for consistency and ride quality. Our shims which are probably the single most important component on the shock when it comes to ride quality are made by Ohlins in Sweden. Our shafts and radial bearings are both made in Japan from the highest quality steel. The oil used in our shocks is fully synthetic, features an extremely high viscosity index and is either produced in the United States or France depending on the specs you choose. High quality oil is very important for consistency, responsiveness and shock longevity. Our shocks also have a high oil capacity which further improves longevity. You may change your engine oil as often as every 3,000 miles, but shock oil has to last 60,000 miles or more without any significant shearing or degradation. Other options in this price range cut corners with these details. Our coilovers don’t just ride better than anything else in this price range. They also last longer.
We also offer a Classic Edition (click here to view) for customers who want a more performance oriented coilover set that still maintains excellent ride quality on the street, and we offer a Motorsport Edition (click here to view) for customers who are heavily tracking or serious about competitive driving.
Cygnus Performance X-1 Coilovers Feature:
- Monotube construction for superior performance, durability and a wider range of damping adjustment
- CNC’d pistons for maximum digression and consistent results every time
- Exceptionally high quality Swedish Ohlins sourced shims typically only found on shocks costing twice as much
- Digressive valving which allows the shock to both ride and perform better than traditional linear valving
- Independent ride height control which does not affect pre-load or travel which makes set up and ride height adjustment an easy process
- 4 different top hat options unique to these coilovers, all of which feature Koyo Japan radial bearings. You can expect silent operation and either maximum comfort, maximum performance or even adjustable caster depending on your specific needs
- 100% rebuildable, upgradable and revalvable in the USA quickly and for a reasonable cost
- Truly Application Specific. Spring rates, valving, shocks, top hats and other critical components that have all been either specifically developed or specifically chosen for your car. This is critical for both performance and ride quality.
- More Subaru specific R&D than anything else in this price range. We have been testing custom coilover options on these cars since 2006. We have been manufacturing coilovers since 2010. We have been daily driving, tracking and autocrossing these cars for two decades. We also have feedback from thousands of happy customers. We regularly talk to our customers about their experiences with our products both on the street and at the track.
- Hand built in the USA
- All shocks are individually dynoed to ensure consistency and performance
- 100% high viscosity index French or American synthetic oil used in all shocks for durability and longevity
- Truly Modular. These coilovers can be modified or upgraded anytime in the future. If your needs change and you want a more aggressive or less aggressive setup you can easily swap to any of our top hat options. Our valving will also accommodate a large spring rate swing if you want to change stiffness beyond just adjusting damping. If you ever want a revalve we can essentially convert any of our versions to another version – ie if you buy Comfort and later want to turn your car into a track car we can convert your set into a Motorsport set. You can also upgrade any of our X-1 coilovers to a double adjustable X-2 or triple adjustable X-3 (featuring Penske 3-Way reservoirs)
- An unrivaled 5 year warranty on most components
- Industry leading tech support both before and after the sale
- High quality, accurate, linear springs available in rates to suit every need. All of the springs that we sell with our coilovers are either manufactured in the United States or Japan.
No other coilover set will bring together this list of features at this price point. We firmly believe these are the best value on the market when it comes to coilovers and by far the best option in their price range.
Optional Upgrades
Top Hats
We offer three distinct front top hat options for the X-1 Comfort Edition. The standard camber plates are the default option. There is no additional charge for these. They offer a large range of camber adjustment, and any potential for spring bind is eliminated with Japanese radial bearing upper perches. These are high quality camber plates that get the job done, but if it’s within your budget our High Caster Plates are one of the most beneficial upgrades you can make to these coilovers. They feature a best in the industry +1.2° of positive caster which has many benefits including better dynamic camber characteristics, more front end grip, less understeer, better tire wear characteristics, better on center steering feel, better overall steering feel, better straight line stability and better high-speed stability. Improving straight line stability is particularly beneficial when you lower ride height since this throws off factory steering geometry. They are also an extremely well made plate – they are very thick with fully recessed hardware and dual camber adjustment channels for more rigidity and strength than anything else on the market. They are worth every penny if they are within your budget. Finally, we offer pre building these with genuine Fuji Heavy Industries OEM rubber top mounts. You do give up some rigidity as well as sliding camber adjustment with these, but they are a good option to consider if you drive on a lot of bad roads and don’t plan on going much lower than stock ride height.
Spring Rates
We cover a total of 17 different Subaru models, so this section may get a little bit complicated. For our Comfort Edition we have carefully selected spring rates for your particular chassis to provide excellent ride quality while still giving you excellent handling and performance. For the 08-21 Impreza, WRX and STi rates are 7kf 7kr for neutral spec and 7kf 6kr for max comfort. For the 22+ WRX rates are 8kf 7kr. For the 97-07 Impreza, WRX and STi rates are 7kf 6kr. For the 93-14 Legacy rates are 7kf 6kr. The rates for the BRZ/FR-S/FT-86 are 6kf 6kr. For the 97-07 Forester rates are 7kf 6kr, the 08-13 Forester rates are 7kf 6kr, the 14-18 Forester rates are 8kf 8kr and for the 10-19 Outback rates are 8kf 8kr.
Long Travel Option
This option will change your ride height range from the standard 0.75″ minimum to 3″ maximum drop to being able to run just slightly higher than stock at max height to a 1.5″ drop at minimum height. This option is popular with customers who want additional snow clearance. An added benefit of this option is longer stroke shocks. The only downside is not being able to lower the car as aggressively.
We are also one of the only shock manufacturers in the world to offer custom length shocks. If you are looking for a specific, non-standard ride height range please feel free to contact us. We can accommodate most needs whether you are looking for an aggressive drop or to lift your car.
Swift and Hyperco Upgrades
Upgrading to one of these two brands has many advantages. Swift and Hyperco make the highest quality linear coilover springs in the world. They offer more accuracy than generic springs which essentially means they match their advertised rate and do not deviate much from this rate throughout the entire range of compression. More accuracy provides significantly better handling. The car will feel very consistent whether you are turning left or turning right. Transitioning from corner entry, to mid-cornering to exiting a corner is all very predictable and consistent. They also have less rate distortion which means the spring rate does not increase very significantly as the spring is compressed. This gives you considerably smoother ride quality. Extremely high quality spring steel coupled with extensive cycling and testing at the factory means that both of these brands are much less likely to settle or sag than lesser springs. Years down the road these brands typically provide exactly the same smooth ride quality and exceptional handling that they did out of the box.
A spring seems like a simple component because it’s just a single piece of steel, but the reality is this is the second most important component on your entire suspension after your damper. Building a high quality, accurate spring requires decades of expertise which most manufacturers do not have. Cygnus Performance, LLC is proud to be a top level master distributor for both Swift and Hyperco. If there is one upgrade to get this is the one. If you have questions about which spring brand or spring rate is best for your goals we are happy to help!
Self Locking Lower Mount Collars
By default we include self-locking spring perches with every set free of charge. Upgrading the lower mount locking collar to self-locking will make things easier to adjust both during the initial installation and during any subsequent height adjustments. The standard locking rings require a hammer and a screwdriver for tightening. This is both less convenient than a cinch bolt and causes cosmetic damage to the lower mount locking ring. The self-locking version won’t slip, it will be easier to adjust if the threads are ever dirty and you won’t have to hammer away the finish every time you tighten them. This is not a must-have option, but it’s a worthwhile upgrade.
Rear extenders
Rear extenders extend the rear rebound adjustment which makes it much easier to access on sedans. Without these you have to physically remove the backseat every time you want to adjust damping unless you have the remote damper controller upgrade. This is not a necessary or recommended upgrade on hatchbacks, SUV’s or wagons.
Hyperco Metric Hydraulic Spring Perches
A Cygnus Performance exclusive. These spring perches perfectly fit a 60mm ID spring and ensure that forces are evenly distributed. A coil spring will inherently put uneven pressure on the lower perch. Having a fully independent free articulating hydraulic perch solves this issue completely. In the real world this equals dead smooth operation for better handling, better ride quality and longer shock life. These are sold in pairs, so you can upgrade the front or the rear or both. If you have questions about this upgrade or about whether it is better to upgrade the front or the back please feel free to contact us.
The Things That Separate Us From The Competition
Our European Digressive Monotube Valving
Because our valving is digressive it provides both soft high speed compression and stiff low speed compression. High speed compression is the valving parameter that comes into play during high shock shaft velocity events such as driving over cracks in the road, broken pavement or potholes. When high speed compression is soft the suspension is able to keep the car composed over a bad road which is critically important for both ride quality and performance. Digressive valving also provides stiff low speed compression. Low shock shaft velocity events primarily come into play when you are cornering. Stiff low speed compression means that even though the car is comfortable on a bad road it is also very flat around corners. Because of the high quality components that we use and the monotube technology that our shocks are based on we do not have to compromise between good ride quality and good performance. With Cygnus Performance X-1 coilovers you get the best of both worlds.
The best support in the business
We sell pretty much every coilover brand out there and there is a big problem with many of them which is not offering proper post sales support. Even some of the brands that have very good warranties on paper cannot make good on these warranty without very long lead times. If you damage a single shock and you need components quickly with most coilover brands that is not an option. With our coilovers all of the components are typically on the shelf ready to go in the United States when you need them. X-1 coilovers offer some of the best longevity of any shock set for these cars at any price point, but when it comes time for a rebuild this can be done quickly and inexpensively in the United States which unfortunately is not the case with most coilovers for these cars. At Cygnus Performance we have always prided ourselves on providing the best post-sale support in the business. We don’t disappear once we have your money. We will be here after the sale to ensure that your coilovers get set up properly, you are happy with the results and all of your questions are answered. You are always welcome to call, email or contact us on social media. This is true on the day the coilover show up, and it is also true years after you purchase them. Many thousands of happy customers will attest to this if you Google our name. You will read nothing but positive reviews. Spending as much time as required with each customer may not be the most efficient way of doing things in 2019, but it’s the best way and we don’t plan on changing. The truth is we enjoy talking about suspension for these cars. This job is our passion and has been our passion since 2006. If you are at the track or at autocross and you require assistance or if your set up leaves anything to be desired we are here to talk about alignment specs, tire pressure, damping settings, supporting mods and anything else that you may need assistance with.
A Better Value
All of this may sound too good to be true, but there is a reason that we are able able to provide so much value at a reasonable price point. When you buy our product you are buying it directly from us, so there are zero middlemen. This is not common with coilovers. Usually the manufacturer sells to a distributor who then sells to a shop who then sells to you – or with very high-end built to order European coilovers they have facilities and employees spread across multiple continents which is also not as efficient as building and supporting coilovers directly in the United States. We also rely entirely on word-of-mouth advertising. We spend nothing at all on advertising. Less overhead and less middlemen means more value. We focus all of our R&D and time on one thing which is offering the best possible suspension and suspension support for Subarus. We don’t try to be the biggest vendor. We don’t try to have the largest catalog. We don’t try to sell products for every car under the sun. We are heavily focused on one primary objective which is getting you more for your money with Subaru suspension than anyone else.
The History of Cygnus Performance X-1 Coilovers – Why building something that is truly application specific matters
At Cygnus Performance Subaru suspension has been our primary focus since 2006. We have been selling high end digressive monotube European custom coilovers solutions for many years. These high-dollar European options are an excellent choice if money is no object. They give you night and day better performance than stock while maintaining excellent ride quality, but for many customers it is not practical to spend several thousand dollars on coilovers. Unfortunately most of the lower-cost coilover options use harsh valving that is not application-specific, cheap pillow ball top hats that can creak and make noise, low-quality springs with very little consistency and poor ride quality and short travel shocks that are also not application-specific. The European (and private labeled) coilovers at lower price points are often twintube and some of them even use plastic spring perches. At the entry level price point corners are always cut in all the wrong places. We wanted to fix this. We wanted to offer customers coilovers that were designed similarly to high-quality European options that also used similar high-quality components and we wanted to do this for a fraction of the price. This was a tall order, but with Cygnus Performance X-1 Digressive Monotube Coilovers we have achieved everything that we set out to accomplish.
In 2010 we began work on our own coilovers. To develop these coilovers we worked with our long time suspension partner Fortune Auto North America. We work with over 30 different shock manufacturers. We chose to work with Fortune Auto for several reasons. They offer better US based support than any other coilover manufacturer at any price point. With any kind of shock absorber good post sales support directly from the manufacturer is extremely important. Not all customers consider this when they are deciding what coilovers to purchase. Our coilovers can be rebuilt and upgraded quickly in the United States, and it can be done by the guys who built them in the first place. Fortune Auto has four roehrig shock dynos which both gave us the ability do all of the required R&D and to ensure that every single shock we sell is tested and perfect. They also had a lot of experience working with monotube digressive shocks which is the best possible shock technology for these cars. Our basic goal here was to offer coilovers that used the latest and greatest technology, had a valving profile similar to the highend European models we sell for thousands more and also to allow customers to select from multiple different top hat options so that these would be modular and perfectly fit their needs. One other critically important goal was that these were not a throwaway shock like many are at this price point. They had to be serviceable and rebuildable quickly and for a reasonable price in the United States. When you buy X-1 coilovers you never have to buy them again. The results of all of this are a $1750 coilover set that gives you very similar results to coilovers costing twice their price.
Have Questions?
If you have questions about these coilovers we are here to help! Please contact us by clicking here
Dan (verified owner) –
Just received and installed my new X-1 Comfort on my SJ Forester and just have to say wow! Went from stock to Mann-Engineering lowering springs and that in itself was a vast improvement in handling. But after installing the X-1, it’s pretty much night and day difference in the ride! The lowering springs had quite a bit of bounce. The X-1 is very smooth and so far handles amazing! Still can’t believe that these are performance coilovers with how good the ride is! Wish I had bought these before the lowering springs… And not to mention how helpful Geoff was/is! Great company, great product and IMO, worth the money!
Sean Nguyen (verified owner) –
Installed these on my 19 STI. Completely improved and changed the way the car rides and handles. Amazing how the ride is no longer harsh while also performing much better than stock. Also upgraded to Titan 7’s with Continental ExtremeSport Contacts. After corner balancing, it fees so compliant going over bumps and uneven pavement. Steering response is also noticeably improved.
I really appreciate how easy it was dealing with Geoff as he was very helpful throughout the whole purchasing process.
JBleeker (verified owner) –
I removed Ohlins R&T to replace with these X-1 Comforts and I love them. The Ohlins handled excellently but were just too harsh. I know they have a great reputation for ride quality, but I think Ohlins may have not done enough research on the STI, or maybe I just got a bad set (didn’t purchase here,) perhaps I’m too old, but I couldn’t stand the ride. The shop that installed these X-1 comforts said I was the second person to bring in an STI to have Ohlins removed due to ride quality.
I was prepared to give up some handling performance and expected more body roll, but after 3 weeks of spirited driving I am pleasantly surprised. These handle just as well as the Ohlins on the street (I never tracked the Ohlins and haven’t tracked the X-1’s.) There is the slightest tiny amount of more body roll, but I actually like it. The feel of the weight transfer is perfect and more enjoyable. The grip is awesome, I’m on Titan7’s and MPS 4S.
AND the ride! Super comfortable compared to the Ohlins or OEM. None of the typical coilover sacrifices are present. Adjusted to the perfect balance of handling and comfort there is zero bounce, no extra float, and no harsh impacts. Best of all worlds! Really impressive!
Ryan Hausam –
So my girlfriend still hates my exhaust but at least she will ride in my car for a long trips now. I didn’t tell her I changed anything about the car. I just went to pick her up. “Wow your car is smooth what did you do?!” Cygnus Coilovers. “Buy a Cygnus exhaust next paycheck!” Seriously though I wish they did more than just suspension because the buying experience, the support and everything else is the best there is. We both agree that this is the best mod I did to the car.
Karl –
When people tell you coilovers dont ride nice they aren’t talkin about these. Way better than stock. I wish I would have bought them a long time ago 🙌
Wade M. –
I was a little bit skeptical with all the five star reviews. After I contacted cygnus my skepticism completely disappeared. Extremely knowledgeable and helpful and the product lives up to the reputation.
Tim Parker –
I contacted 4 different vendors before I found cygnus. They live up to the hype and then some. Incredibly in depth technical answers. It’s like having a free suspension engineer lifetime consultant and getting the best price.
Trevor –
Beautifully made coilovers with a very nice ride quality. I’m extremely pleased with all of my dealings with Cygnus. I bought my first part for my car from them many years ago which was a kart boy short shifter. I’m sad that they’re not selling all of the parts that used to, but there suspension is incredible. If they are trying to do one thing better than anyone else they have accomplished their goal 🙌
Jackie –
I almost traded my STI because I couldn’t deal with the bouncy ride anymore. I’m glad I didn’t because I loved the car other than the crappy ride quality. Now my car is awesome in every way and I enjoy my daily commute again. I love Cygnus Performance for making great coilovers ❤️ The car is also much more fun when I’m driving fast ❤️
Billy W. –
Can’t say enough good things about these! Great support, great quality, very smooth ride and very good handling to top it all off! Cygnus FTW
Jake –
As good as it gets. I’ve never been in a WRX that rides better than mine. Handling is great but I bought these to smooth out the ride quality and that is exactly what they did. These are the best coilovers for the WRX and I know because I’ve tried others.
Erick –
Silky smooth ride quality just glides over road imperfections. Compared to my last coilovers (ISC) these are maybe 100,000 times better. Also no noise 🙂
Gary –
Very very comfortable coilovers. My girlfriend hated my car and now she likes it : ) There is also less body roll which makes me happy. Even if your car has 10 miles on it and your factory suspension is in good shape this is the first mod you should do.
Jon Griffin –
If you are looking at these you probably want something that rides better than stock. I’ve got a 2019 STI and I would say hands down better than stock. Exactly what I was looking for. Handling is also better. I thought you had to choose better ride or better handling but these do both. I’m extremely happy with this purchase. I wish I could say that about all of my mods lol
Robert W. –
WIFE APPROVED
I’ve had my 2018 WRX for a couple years now. My wife hated riding in it because of the bouncy suspension. I didn’t care about lowering the car. Most aftermarket suspension products are about lowering and tracking the car. I wanted something comfortable that would make the car ride more like her three series bmw. Now she prefers my car! The bouncing is gone and spirited driving is more fun. Five stars!!!
Erick –
Best coilovers ever! Factory strut blew and I was not happy. Turned out to be a good thing because I wish I would have bought these a long time ago. Cornering is more fun and ride quality is on point. The bouncing stock suspension on my 2017 WRX will not be missed.
Christian –
Smooth as butter just as advertised. I had so many people telling me not to get coilovers because I wanted a comfortable daily near stock ride height. So glad I found Cygnus Performance because these are exactly what I wanted. Damping adjustment so if I want to stiffen things up I can. Very smooth even driving around Ohio with potholes and cracks everywhere. Also completely silent. Don’t believe the things people say about coilovers. My buddy has Bilstein struts and lowering springs and his car rides like a dump truck compared to mine. If you want comfortable coilovers I couldn’t imagine anything being much better than these. Handling is great too. I did the pre-built top hats and silver hyperco springs.