dirtygst Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 ok i know youve all probably been asked this a million times but im looking to lift up my 97 gt.... ive searched and only found deead ends. what are my options that are still available? i want to keep the driveability close to the same but im looking for 2-4 inches of lift. thanks in advance for any help -dustin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 outback or forester struts will give you some lift. i ran outback struts on my 96 leggy wagon and was able to clear a 27" all terrain tire on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtygst Posted December 12, 2008 Author Share Posted December 12, 2008 yeah about 5 mminutes after i posted this i seen the impreza diy thingy or how to do it so im looking for forester struts and springs to lift it up. thanks alot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 i have some recent threads on this too since a friend is looking to lift his 97 Legacy sedan. 1996-1999 Outback Wagon struts seem to be the way to go. Not sure about 2000+ suspension - anyone familiar with that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtygst Posted December 12, 2008 Author Share Posted December 12, 2008 i have some recent threads on this too since a friend is looking to lift his 97 Legacy sedan. 1996-1999 Outback Wagon struts seem to be the way to go. Not sure about 2000+ suspension - anyone familiar with that? do you know what kinda lift that gives? im looking for about 2" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtygst Posted December 12, 2008 Author Share Posted December 12, 2008 ok so ive looked and looked and realize that my only options really are forester or ob struts to bring it up.. does anyone know what one will raise it higher? ive got some forester suspension lined up but if the ob will get a bit higher ill do that so any help would be great, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 in general it's good to stick with legacy stuff for legacy and impreza/forester stuff for those. forester is based on an impreza platform (lighter car). probably not a big deal, but it's something to go on if no one else comments. as to the amount of lift, that's answered in numerous other threads, just plug around here a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 00+ legacy had a different rear setup so the struts from a newer outback probably will not work on a pre 00. i believe the forester struts will actually give you more lift. (a buddy of mine lifted his 04 wrx with forester struts and it sat higher than my legacy) his impreza is probably a bit lighter than a legacy though too so that could explain the difference. i was gonna through up a pic of his car but he seems to have moved them... i'll see what I can dig up... my legacy in the mean time lifted on outback struts with 215/65/16 general grabber at2's vs. my buddy's 2.5gt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtygst Posted December 14, 2008 Author Share Posted December 14, 2008 /\ looks good. im looking for struts and springs right now, how do your tires ride? do they rub when turning or anything? ive been figuring out tire size and i was thinking the only way i could fit some a/t was downgrading to a 15" rim but yours seem to actually have a smaller diameter. well thanks for the pics -dustin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 as with any all terrain, there was a bit more tire noise but the car drove well on them. i got a slight bit of rubbing at full lock but other than that never had any problems. current owner (a co-worker) is still driving the car on them with 0 problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superu Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Welcome Dirtygst, I second what's been said to stick with outback struts on a legacy, however people here have flip-flopped those lines. Generally legacies lift with outback struts as a bolt-on preceedure. 95 & 96 go with 97-99, and 2000+ gets different in the rear. Imprezas lift with foresters, but the rear end of the IMP gets rked with a straight forester strut swap. With the IMP you'll have to change the rear tophats (where the strut mounts to the car), but OB struts just bolt right into a legacy (L, or GT, or whatever shorter model you have), within the given model lineup I've mentioned. You can also get a bit more hight with scorpion springs (http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/...ght=outback_97) and king spring had a lift spring option to replace the OB coil. BUT I've recently received conflicting stories wheather King Spring is still in business. When I swapped 98 OB struts (with stock coil spring), I gained about 1.5 inches of height. This allowed for taller tires and now I'm running the 27.5x8 BFG AT/KO with NO problems. I've seen the smallest BFG AT/KO mounted to a stock 97 outback, with minimal rubbing on the inside of turn-to-turn wheel lock. This would go away with the scorpion/king spring lift spring. I stuck with the 14" wheel (got aftermarlet rims though) and had a couple different tire sizes since the strut lift, but the tallest was about 28" diameter and I had no problems with them. For you, I am not sure you can downsize to the 15" rim because your disk brakes might not llow it. My friend wanted to try my 14" wheels with the BFG tires on her 98 forester (which has 15" wheels and rear disk brakes), but the 14s were too small for the rear caliper. It may be a similar issue for you going from 16 down to 15... You may be able to grind the caliper down a bit, but I'm not positive about that... stock IMP straight FOR struts and springs Here, I mellowed out the rear with stock legacy springs BUT this wouldn't be a problem for you if you go with outback struts. Again, you could get a little more lift by swapping the coils for aftermarket lift springs as others have done here. I have attached some of my legacy during its evolution (stock, strut lift, tire options, and current) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superu Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 And here's how it started! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtygst Posted December 15, 2008 Author Share Posted December 15, 2008 wow thats a pretty big change! i was worried that it wouldnt give that much but with those a/t its looking right where i want it. right now im getting parts for my h6 swap and hopefully picking up the springs this week and have it all done by the new year. then ill need to save up for some new wheels and tires and its on. well thanks alot for those pics its exactly where i was hoping it would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 superu... are you just on the outback struts/springs or do you have the king springs too? looks like it sits higher than my wagon did (maybe due to the weight of the sedan vs. the wagon?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtygst Posted December 16, 2008 Author Share Posted December 16, 2008 hey superu i seen in an older thread that you were contimplating h6 springs up front. have you got any word on that and the possibilities? also the scorpian king springs are no longer made. i searched around and emailed some of the dealers and they are no longer in existence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superu Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 superu... are you just on the outback struts/springs or do you have the king springs too? looks like it sits higher than my wagon did (maybe due to the weight of the sedan vs. the wagon?) Strat, Stock 98 OB struts and coils. The first pic witht he struts (shows hubcaps too) is with the stock (185x70?x14) tires (a 24" tire).... Then the close up (also with wheel covers) is 205x75x14 (about 28") all terrains (cooper discoverer's, car tire), then the BFGs on a rim is the 27.5x8x14... I am thinking about lift springs though... My front bumper is a touch heavier than stock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superu Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 (edited) hey superu i seen in an older thread that you were contimplating h6 springs up front. have you got any word on that and the possibilities? also the scorpian king springs are no longer made. i searched around and emailed some of the dealers and they are no longer in existence Dirtygst, Yeah I'm interested in H-6 coils but I haven't really looked for them yet. I have a few projects/improvements in my head but want to save a little pile of side money for them... I've also heard king is no longer, though their website is still running and you can look at the 2008 catalog.. :-\ Anyhoo, I think H-6 coils will work for my struts, i don't think the front struts changed in from 97-99 to 2000-2002, but i just don't know if they'll add that much more strength than H-4 coils... I'm mostly looking for a stronger spring to push my front end/bumper back up, the modifications and modifications (modified mudrat bumper and BEEFY custom skid plate) have added a bit more weight than stock , but the strength is priceless... I've already T-boned a tracker (it got towed away...) with minimal damage to my rig... But alas, I would prefer a lift spring (like king or scorpion makes/made) to get the front end higher again, like from an inch+ lift... At one point i could clear a cinderblock (on its side) no problem with the stock OB strut swap and taller ATs, but now I might hang up in front now with the beefy skid and extra weight... See theyeti's thread () on lifing an outback with new struts and king/scorpion springs, for a touch more lift than struts alone will provide... Outback_97 also follwed this lift and posted pix in the new gen forum ("hitched up my britches"... or something like that) Good luck, and hooray for another lifted new gen roo!! -mark- Edited December 16, 2008 by superu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtygst Posted December 17, 2008 Author Share Posted December 17, 2008 from the research ive looked into, the h6 in the engine bay only ways about as much as the abs block and battery extra so i dont know about the h6 springs holding more. i love your bumper and wanted one but ive seen some threads about mudrat and not doing what he is paid for so i think ill do something custom. but yeah i ordered my springs today and im pretty sure i can put 15" wheels on so ill be doing something next week, ill defenitely post some pics and show it off. thanks for all the help. -dustin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 (edited) as with any all terrain, there was a bit more tire noise but the car drove well on them. i got a slight bit of rubbing at full lock but other than that never had any problems. current owner (a co-worker) is still driving the car on them with 0 problems Anyone know a way to change the bump stop on a roo? I too have lifted mine with outback struts, love it btw. With outback struts & legacy springs I sit higher then outbacks now. Edited December 17, 2008 by rweddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superu Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 from the research ive looked into, the h6 in the engine bay only ways about as much as the abs block and battery extra so i dont know about the h6 springs holding more. i love your bumper and wanted one but ive seen some threads about mudrat and not doing what he is paid for so i think ill do something custom. but yeah i ordered my springs today and im pretty sure i can put 15" wheels on so ill be doing something next week, ill defenitely post some pics and show it off. thanks for all the help.-dustin Hmm, thanks for the H-6 info and coil info... Yeah Mudrat kinda got hosed, but he still makes those bumper, alternatively look into the allied armament (alliedarmament.com) bumper, or of corse custom rocks too!! Not too savy on the GTs (though I sure like them and their 2.5 vs. my 2.2) if you originally have 16's, i know the brake calipers can be ground down to accomodate 15's (check with scoobyclimbs).. happy modding and I'm looking forward to pix!! I'm happy to share what I know and again welcome, there is a LOT of knowledge here!!! -m- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superu Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 from the research ive looked into, the h6 in the engine bay only ways about as much as the abs block and battery extra so i dont know about the h6 springs holding more. i love your bumper and wanted one but ive seen some threads about mudrat and not doing what he is paid for so i think ill do something custom. but yeah i ordered my springs today and im pretty sure i can put 15" wheels on so ill be doing something next week, ill defenitely post some pics and show it off. thanks for all the help.-dustin Revisiting old threads... Did you get your rig lifted on struts and taller tires? If so do you have pix? I'm still sittin gon spring ideas. Leaning toward scorpion springs maybe raised scorpions, but also thinking about a 1" lift block kit too... I think there are som other OB subframe parts to get which hel reallign axles with the OB strut lifting.. Anyhoo, interested in your progress.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Revisiting old threads... Did you get your rig lifted on struts and taller tires? If so do you have pix? I'm still sittin gon spring ideas. Leaning toward scorpion springs maybe raised scorpions, but also thinking about a 1" lift block kit too... I think there are som other OB subframe parts to get which hel reallign axles with the OB strut lifting.. Anyhoo, interested in your progress.. Are you looking at lifting a 97 stand legacy? I installed outback struts on my 91 legacy sits higher than 1st & 2nd generation outbacks now. Rides great, not issues at all after 6 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superu Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Are you looking at lifting a 97 stand legacy?I installed outback struts on my 91 legacy sits higher than 1st & 2nd generation outbacks now. Rides great, not issues at all after 6 months. Oh, mine's a 95 legacy sedan that's been on OB struts and springs for 5 years. Ditto, no probs and sitting higher than OBs, especially on the 27.5" tires. I'm just thinking of going with king/scorpion's raised springs when I replace the struts with the KYB GR2 outback ones. But I'm told there are other things to do to a non-outback car riding on OB struts so you don't F-up the axle geometry. I'm looking for pix of new gen rigs on king/scorpion springs or their raised springs and with and without additional lift blocks. I've got some pix of my sedan floating around here and there if you're interested. Thanks though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.