UPDATE:
One part I did not anticipate a need for was the inclusion of washers above the lip on the rear AGX shocks. It is not part of the bumpstop. On the OEM shock the cup to which the dust boot is attached from above is metal and acts as a stop. The KYB boot attaches from below, has no integrated washer, and is too large to accommodate the metal cup. In its place a couple of stacked washers or the large extra top washers from the old shock assembly are needed. This keeps the shock body from popping through the mount bushings from below. I does not seem readily apparent when assembling the KYB shocks to the mount. I fought with this twice. This was the cause of the floaty feeling. The mount are as solid as a rock after adding washers.
Evo springs FRONT, Evo springs REAR, Evo mounts REAR:
Even mounted on AGX the front Evo spring really needs a turn cut off(this of course ups the rate). The rear will sit low anyway. I found the Evo springs to be firm and controlled, not harsh at all. I think they might be better matched with Koni's from what I've heard of their characteristics. The Evo springs are at the upper end of what should probably be put on a street car. I found that the roads here(pavement warping due to Yazoo clay) need a bit more give in the suspension than the Evo springs supply. This means on some bumps while the car is quite steady, you get thrown into the roof.
I did have a lower spacer on the rears with the Evo installed which served two purposes. One, it allowed the spring to perch properly since the Evo springs ride high and don't sit properly due to the smaller diameter than the stock Galant springs. Two, since the spacer sat atop the KYB perch they raised the height of the spring up to slightly higher than stock. The rear upper mount was OEM Evo which is significantly smaller than the stock Galant mount(bolt patterns are the same). The upper mount pad is also specific to the Evo mount.
Evo springs FRONT, Galant OEM springs REAR, Galant mounts REAR:
I ended changing out the rear springs back to the Galant springs(the spring oscillation is more suitable, the Evo shocks oscillate at almost 2 cycles per second). The front springs with 1/2 turn cut(I may cut another 1/2 since the first half is dead spring for the perch) are pretty close to the stock height and handle bumps well. Note: I had to rotate the spring approximately 90 degrees to be safe. I also had to swap to the OEM Galant mounts. This includes swapping to the upper spring pad that fits the larger Galant mount. I ordered all of this in advance from JNZ.
One characteristic of the AGX's I've heard mentioned but not experienced until now is that they change damping when cold. I can verify that this is true and somewhat annoying as we are going through temperature swings. Good news is that you can adjust it, bad news being that you have to adjust it. I have a theory that this might not be as prominent(or might be non-existent) with the stock Galant springs since the rate is lower.
I currently have the AGX's set on 1 front, 2 rear(smooth but loose, you have to fight a bit). It seems 2 front and 2 rear is a good compromise(this will likely be my normal configuration). I have tried 2 front and 3 rear which is above average unless you hit too much rough pavement(improves stability, less roll, less wander). I have also tried as high as 3 front and 4 rear(harsh but improves cornering significantly).
With the Evo rear springs I had to keep the AGX one notch higher minimum to control them(I tested every setting from 1 to 5). Anything above 5 rear and you get the uneasy feeling that the rear could throw the car out of control at high speeds on warped pavement.
All points at which I have so far tested were done at the beginning of a 15 mile commute with speeds from 30MPH to 90MPH and varying road conditions. Its interesting in that each setting shows the trade-offs in one aspect of the suspension or another(steering, stability, cornering, oscillation harmonics from differing spring rates front to rear).
I still have yet to get an alignment. And that is going to add some quirkiness to the suspension. The slightly elevated height factors in here too. It's very close to the stock height at this point though.
I may yet try changing the fronts back out to the stock Galant springs just for comparison sake. Another post is forthcoming with all dimensions and measurements I took before, during and after for both setups as well as pictures.
