craigmcd Posted October 15, 2014 Share Posted October 15, 2014 Howdy, we have the 2005, and it needs suspension work. I am pretty handy and well equipped, and use the lifts at the garage on a military base - however, this is new to me. The garage has a strut / spring compressor mounted to the wall I can use. I need some recommendations for the best way to go about that. Should I just buy replacement struts with the coil (front) and the similar full assembly set up for the rear ? Or should I buy only the struts (front) and shocks (rear) and then reuse the coils ? I reviewed some of the info about ghostwalking, which is not an issue we have experienced. In the solutions area it says... Solution #3: Replace worn rear dampers. The2005-2009 chassis dampers (struts/shocks) are notorious for prematurewear. The rear end is the worst with a floatly/bouncy feeling after onlya few years of use. The fix is to replace the rear shocks with a morerobust aftermarket brand like KYB Excel-G/GR-2. Using the 2003-2004chassis rear KYB shocks is a popular option because they stiffen therear end considerably and are 100% compatible with the 2005-2009 cars.See the main suspension FAQ thread for more info. Would that be the best way to go at this point ?? I am not sure what a "damper" is, unless they are referring to the entire shock / strut assembly. They mention only the shocks, so are they reusing the spring coil ? Any other recommended struts or shocks, or should I stay with OEM from Subi ? Thank you, C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 KYB is the "go to" replacement for most of us, altho I didnt know about using the 03-04 versions on the rear of the 05-09 cars - sounds like what we need to do with our new to us 06 Outback - it is still kind of bouncy even after replacments. Springs - kind of up to you - if the car has been really bouncy for a long time they could be weakened somewhat from the excess wear. Be sure to check the front top mount bearing - these do wear out and will affect handling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigmcd Posted October 16, 2014 Author Share Posted October 16, 2014 Thanks - I will be doing the KYB struts. Don't know about the King coils, the are pricey for sure. Can anyone recommend a place to buy King ? Primative has a pair for $249, which I consider expensive. Are there any alternatives, particularly to beef it up a little ? Thanks much. C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Primative is the only place I personally know about for the King Springs, but others may have alternate sources - maybe try google? I went with OE springs on KYB struts for my 95 Legacy - very happy with the ride, not overly harsh, but not mushy either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigmcd Posted October 17, 2014 Author Share Posted October 17, 2014 Heartless, I am leaning towards OE springs. Those with the new struts will be good enough for our family car. I was hoping to buy some heavier duty shocks in case I ever put a tow package on the car, but they are harder to locate then one would think. Thanks for your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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