| The Cygnus Performance X-1 Classic Edition Coilovers have been around since 2010. They are now in their third revision and we have used more than a decade’s worth of our own R&D in addition to the feedback of thousands of happy customers to refine our valving even further. This version of the X-1 coilovers is the best fit for customers looking for a well-balanced coilover solution. They maintain very good comfort for daily driving while offering excellent performance for a weekend autocrosser or track day enthusiast. We also offer a Motorsport Edition (click here to view) for customers who are heavily tracking or serious about competitive driving, and we offer a Comfort Edition (click here to view) if ride comfort is a primary concern. All Cygnus Performance X-1 coilovers use 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 tunable European style digressive valving which provides exceptional ride quality without sacrificing performance. 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 and perform better than anything else in this price range. They also last longer.
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 Classic 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 Classic Edition we have carefully selected spring rates for your particular chassis to best suit your needs. For the classic edition we offer comfort rates, standard rates and performance rates. Depending on the chassis standard and comfort can be the same rates. For the 08-21 Impreza, WRX and STi comfort is 7kf 7kr standard is 8kf 8kr and performance is 9kf 9kr. For the 22+ WRX comfort is 8kf 7kr standard is 8kf 8kr and performance is 9kf 9kr. For the 97-07 Impreza, WRX and STi comfort is 7kf 6kr, standard is 8kf 7kr and performance is 9kf 8kr. For the 93-14 Legacy comfort is 7kf 6kr, standard is 8kf 7kr and performance is 9kf 8kr. The comfort rates for the BRZ/FR-S/FT-86 for all generations are 6kf 6kr, standard is 6kf 7kr and performance is 8kf 9kr. For the 97-07 Forester standard and comfort rates are 8kf 6kr and performance is 9kf 8kr, the 08-13 Forester standard and comfort rates are 8kf 6kr and performance is 9kf 8kr, the 14-18 Forester comfort rates are 8kf 8kr, standard rates are 8kf 8kr and performance rates are 9kf 9kr and for the 10-19 Outback comfort and standard rates are 7kf 6kr and performance rates are 9kf 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!
Motorsport shock upgrade*
This upgrades the camber plates from a double bolt to a triple bolt design. It also replaces the single piece lower mount locking collars with a heavy duty cinch bolt self locking version. This upgrade gives you maximum strength and rigidity which is particularly important on a MacPherson strut front shock. For a street driven car there is no downside. Adjusting ride height is easier both during initial setup and during any subsequent future adjustment. This upgrade also virtually eliminates any chance of ride height or camber settings slipping.
*This upgrade is included by default with the Motorsport Edition
Camber plates loose in box
This option is for customers who opt to have us build classic edition X-1 coilovers with rubber top hats. If you would also like front camber plates loose in the box for potential future use it saves money to buy it as a package. This option is popular if you think you may need camber plates in the future if your needs change. It is also popular if you think you may put things back to stock and sell your coilovers down the road. The next owner may want them.
Remote damper controller
Also known as RDC this option gives you the ability to adjust all four dampers from the driver’s seat with the touch of a button. It features three separate presets. This option can also be retrofitted in the future. This is an excellent upgrade if you often track or autocross your car and want to change settings on the fly.
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 high-end 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 |
Willam (verified owner) –
Okay the hype is real. These coilovers ride so much better then the other brands we typically get. I do not have a comfort set up but man oh man do they make my WRX ride nice. No more hopping,bottom out,harsh hits, or bone jarring bangs. My car corners better then before with either BC or megan racing coils. While riding in my opinion better then stock. I have purposely hit pot holes and road imperfections i used to avoid. Due to how hard they were on the car. Now i still try to avoid them but have no fear of when i can’t. This has been one of the best upgrades to my car hands down. Better performance with a more comfortable ride ! Come on you can’t ask for more. Geoff has been very helpful and has answered all questions and never failed to respond. I know these are expensive and the wait is long. Trust me take the chance i promise you will not be sorry once you have them on your car.
Aiden –
If someone stole my STI and I had to buy a new one I would immediately order these coilovers again. I would then take them to the dealership and tell the dealer to install them before I even drove off the lot. I will never own another Subaru without these coilovers. So so much better than stock in every way. Awesome company to deal with too. They have great enthusiasm for their products and you can tell they care about their customers!
Noah R –
At first I was intimidated by all of the options on these but cygnus is very helpful if you contact them. I sent them an email and within an hour all of my questions were answered. Fantastic product and company. This is the best suspension I have experienced.
Nate –
Simply the best. Don’t try to save $200 by purchasing some terrible suspension from China. Buy these and you will love your car.
Taya Allen –
Love these coilovers paired with hyperco springs. My ride is so much smoother and handles even better than I anticipated. The customer service was above and beyond amazing. I was matched up with exactly what I wanted, all my questions were answered, and from the start of communication to arrival at my door across the country was fast. All around highly recommended!
Mike Bowers –
Just put these on my R32. Car had some clapped out teins when I got it. I did a lot of research before going with Cygnus. This coilovers are nothing short of fantastic. Smooth as silk and the handling is on point. I had a couple of installation questions and Geoff himself helped me. Super cool super knowledgeable guy. Definitely a great option for subies and skylines.
Xinjun Lin –
I can’t say enough good things. They are very helpful with suspension questions. Geoff has been great. I’ve only had them for 2 weeks but I can already say this is the best suspension I have tried. Very good quality and make no noise. I would buy again.
Luis –
Amazing coilovers! The service is second to none and the product lives up to the hype! I recommend cygnus to all my car buddies!
Thomas –
Just put these on my A90 Supra. What a difference. The car sits right and both handling and comfort are much better than the car was from the factory. I knew about Cygnus from my Subaru days. So glad they make coilovers for my Supra! Best suspension in the business 🔥🔥🔥
RJ Jenkins –
Writing this review I’m having trouble figuring out if I should focus on smooth ride quality, or precise handling. Everything is good about these coilovers. The description says they get you the best of both worlds when it comes to smooth ride, and good handling, and it’s absolutely true. Very, very, very good product. One thing I will tell you is you don’t realize how bad stock struts are until you buy something quality like this.
David Kim –
This is one of the best purchases I have made, and I’m not talking about just car parts. X-1 are literally one of the best purchases I have made of any kind ever. Do it you will love them. 💯💯💯
Frankie –
I don’t usually spend the time to review things, but I had to review my X1s. They are exceptional quality, the fit and finish is absolutely perfect, the install is easy, they ride silky smooth, there is about half as much body roll as stock, and finally there is lots of adjustment if you want the ride to be stiffer or softer. The customer service at Cygnus is also beyond incredible. I thought some of the things I was reading were over the top, but after the amount of time Geoff spent with me making sure everything was perfect I realized everything I read was true. These coilovers are awesome, and Cygnus is awesome.
Sebastian –
I like that they actually put them together for you and don’t give you a box of parts you have to spend 2 hours figuring out how to put together like ohlins. This is a great company and this is great suspension. Easy install. I haven’t even messed with the damping settings too much because they are so good out of the box. I’m sure they are even better if I tune them.
Kory –
Love my cygnus coilovers! I hate to admit this but I bought them because you can choose the colors (mine are teal and black with silver springs). Once I put them on my car I forgot all about the colors. I was just glad I went with the best coilovers in the business. As pretty as they are to look at they are even better behind the wheel. Now cornering is much better and they are very comfortable to.
Antony Heinlein –
I bought these 4 years ago, but I’m leaving a review on the new website. I have just shy of 50,000 miles on these coilovers. Several track days and autocross events and a lot of hard driving on the street. They are still going strong! I love them just as much as the day I installed them.
Geoff is a wealth of knowledge and the quality of his product reflects that. This is proper suspension that does everything well. Daily driving is smooth and quiet. The car is big fun at the track and highly competitive at autocross. I’ve had a couple of questions over the years and Geoff has gone above and beyond to help me each and every time. He never tried to sell anything to me. He was only trying to make sure that I am happy with my coilovers. I can honestly say I have never received support this good, but I’m writing this review because it’s a great product.
I don’t hesitate to recommend these to all my car buddies. My X-1s show no signs of trouble, but if they ever fail I will buy another set to replace them without hesitation.
Devin Weiand –
honestly I just wanted to drop my car for looks. I wanted something that would last so I bought these because they had good reviews. my car doesn’t just sit better though. it rides better and it handles better too. If you want smooth coilovers that will last I highly recommend cygnus!
Russ –
These have to be the best thing I have done to my car. I took off some shitty teins and man am I glad I spent the money to get something better. I feel sorry for people running bad coilovers. I literally love my car 10 times more since getting rid of the teins. I haven’t tried everything out there but these are damn good…. X-1 ftw
Mark Hatten –
These are great. Wasn’t too sure on all the options, so I just mainly selected the defaults. The car really handles well. I’ve had them for 20,000 miles and so far they have been flawless. Great company to deal with too.
Jamie Roberts –
Best suspension in the Subaru game. Already had a set from 5 years ago on my STI. They worked just as well after 5 years as they did the day I put them on. Got an Evo X and the newer ones are even better. It might be the Hyperco springs that Geoff recommended which are awesome. This is really an underrepresented option outside of the Subaru community. Been recommending it to all my Mitsubishi friends.
Ron Baker –
I did a lot of research and the consensus was don’t go cheap on suspension. I wanted high quality suspension without spending more than I had to. I’m not sure what coilovers that cost a lot more than these are like but I couldn’t imagine that they are much better. These are comfortable quiet and the car is on rails. So much more fun to drive. I had questions and the owner Geoff spent over an hour personally helping me and this wasn’t trying to sell me the coilovers. I already bought them. We were talking alignment, damping adjustment and ride height. Geoff is extremely knowledgeable and extremely helpful. You can tell he cares about his customers and his business. I know this is cliche but I wish I could give more than five stars.
Steve –
PERFECT couldn’t ask for more. Quality packaging quality product quality support. Best thing I have bought for my car. If I totaled my car tomorrow and had to buy another one this would be the first mod I did.
Caleb S –
5 stars! The best coilovers I have run!
Mitchell Hamann –
These have the perfect drop on my 2004 WRX wagon. A lot of times I put my tools and heavy stuff in the back. There are also some pretty bad roads in my town. I have had these a few months now and they handle everything I throw at them. No noise no bottoming out no clunking or harsh ride. These are the best subie coilovers out there.
Hunter Guzman –
All the good stuff you read about these is true. I was lucky enough to have a friend buy them….. one ride in his car was enough to convince me to upgrade my $500 Tein coilovers. You get what you pay for. I thought I only needed to spend money on good coilovers if I was going to the track. This is just my daily but now I enjoy driving my car again. Good suspension is worth every penny. This is the best I have tried.
Adam –
Everything I wanted. The car sits perfectly. Quiet smooth suspension and fun in the turns. I cannot recommend these enough. They are perfect.
Paul O’connor –
Best suspension for the money. I learned that the hard way by buying BC. They rode rough and made noise. These are very quiet. I don’t think they make any noise at all. Ride quality is better than stock and I still get the ride height I want. The car handles like it should too. I highly recommend these. If I would have spent $300 extra the first time I bought coilovers I could have saved myself $1,000. If you are like me and you are trying to save money you should know that buying cheap coilovers is a bad way of saving money. Buying good coilovers once is the real way to save money and these are very good coilovers.
Jacob Zailskas –
Fantastic suspension! I’ve already had two friends buy these after riding in my car and I just installed these 3 weeks ago! They do everything that you would want. They are quiet and comfortable but the handling is there when you need it. If Subaru put suspension this good on the car at the factory they would sell twice as many cars!
Leo Cruz –
I almost didnt want to install them because they are so beautiful lol. Being able to choose colors is really dope. Glad I did install them because now my car handles properly. the drop is perfect and ride quality is better than any other coilover I have used
Alvin Lee –
Absolute quality. You can tell from the moment you take it out of the box that these are good, but wait till you put them on the car 🙂
Dan H. –
So much better than my yellowspeeds. I had ysr and they kept clunking. Ride quality was okay, but not great. Hard to put into words how much better the X1 is. Wish I would have saved a lot of money and just bought these from the start. Smooth and quiet and the performance is great. This is how the car should have come from the factory. Make this your first modification like I should have…
Travis –
These coilovers are amazing. I was skeptical when people said they were better than kw. My rce t2 started leaking and I needed replacement coilovers quick. I chose hyperco standard rates and I received my coilovers within a week and a half. I can honestly say they do everything better than the t2. Better ride quality and better handling. The jury is still out on longevity but so far so good. I read nothing but good things and they were all true. Couldn’t be happier with Geoff and his team at Cygnus. Great company and great product! Five stars all day.
Zach –
Excellent quality. Best coilovers I have ever put on any of my cars. Top notch customer service too.