wagonryan Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Hey all, Next week I'll be tackling a long awaited project. In the last 3 months I've been researching and slowly collecting parts for a Forester lift. I went with the 04 XT struts and springs and I'll be adding a 1" strut top spacer for what I think from my reading will give me 4" over stock. I'll also be buying some 215-225/65/16 tires unless I can find some just a junk yard tire/rim combo for cheap. So with tires, I'll be looking at close to 5" over stock. My question is regarding the subframe spacers. Clearly the half shafts are not going to like their new angles, so I'm going to be making body spacers out of 1/4" 2"x2" tubular steel. I bought the 99 legacy steering joint and I'm wondering if it will be long enough since I'm dropping everything 2" instead of the factory 1". I have no access to a welder, so lengthening is out of the question. Will it be long enough? -Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 No, it is only designed for the 1" subframe spacers, so it would need to be lengthened an inch to accommodate the 2" spacers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonryan Posted April 30, 2012 Author Share Posted April 30, 2012 Okay thanks for the info and quick response! I'm debating now after reading a few threads that say the Legacy outback subframe spacers are not really necessary with lifts in excess of just the Forester or Outback struts. So now what i'm wondering is if 04 Forester struts, 1" spacers and 27-28" tires will give me 5.5" will I not have to worry about axle geometry if I do a 1" subframe drop? This is a highly debated topic, and I wish there were some definitive answers, but I guess it varies person to person. I won't be doing serious wheeling, but I am definitely going to take advantage of the clearance via puddle splashing/swimming. unless anyone thinks 4.5 inches of lift will put too much stress on my half shalfs with just 1" body spacers, that is what i'll be doing this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 If you put Forester or Outback struts on a stock Impreza, that alone is about 2.5" of lift. Then if you put 27" tires on it(which is about as big as you can go with stockish wheels because of the rear strut perch) that will give you another 2" of clearance at the least. So there is at least 4.5" more clearance with just that. If you out 1" spacers on top of that, your axles will REALLY not like it. They will be ok for a bit, but not last long, and forget it if you plan on actually going offroad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthCoast Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 They will be ok for a bit, but not last long, and forget it if you plan on actually going offroad. I ran that way for 4 years and did tons of light/medium offroading and never had a problem with my axles. Adding the 1" OB body spacers actually helped my geometry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureSubaru Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 (edited) I gained about an even 5 inches between 99 Forester struts/springs, 3/8 strut top spacers and 215/75/15 tires. No subframe spacers. The car has been just fine and I've put at least 3000 miles on it since the lift. I'm guessing I got 3 1/2 inches just from the springs/struts/spacers alone. If you're going with 04 XT struts/springs and 1 inch spacers you're looking at 4 1/2 inches before tires. Maybe more. These axles are more forgiving than EA cars but adding stock spacers on the subframe would round out the lift and put the geometry in line with just a strut/spring lift - which has been time tested by several and been just fine on the axles. You'd be safe with the spacers. Without? maybe yes, maybe no. Edited May 2, 2012 by AdventureSubaru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonryan Posted May 2, 2012 Author Share Posted May 2, 2012 thank you that was the answer I was looking for! I've read a lot of conflicting posts, but my hunch was that if I just used the stock forester XT struts and subframe spacers I would basically have a stock height forester. with the 1 inch strut spacers i will have a 1 inch lifted forester, which is not enough to cause geometry issues. Cool beans. I am going to be doing the strut swap this weekend with the strut spacers, and will be buying the subframe spacers just to be safe. I won't have new tires for a while but when I finish up this weekend I will post pics of what I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 So your plan is to use Forester XT struts on your Impreza, and then add 1" strut spacers on top of those. After that, will you be adding the sub frame spacers or not? If you don't use them, the axles will not like it. You're talking about 3 1/2 inches of lift over stock. That's a lot. I have a 2" lifted Forester and that is borderline. But I guess feel free to try it out and see how it goes! And post some pics when you're done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureSubaru Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 remember to lengthen your steering shaft to accommodate any body lift you do. Lengthen the shaft one inch for every inch you put between body any sub-frame. None necessary for the suspension/strut spacers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthCoast Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 No need to lengthen the steering shaft for what he has planned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonryan Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 I am going to pick up the subframe spacers when I get some spare cash. For now i'll likely drive my dads pathfinder around if I get the violent shaking I've heard about on the boards. The only 2 parts of the subframe lift I currently have are the outback rear trailing arm brackets and the outback steering joint. I'm about to do the front struts right now as I only have limited time today and tackle the rears early tomorrow. I'll post pics later on. Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonryan Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 well it wouldn't be a project without a road block.. since I am adding 1" spacers, I'm using 50mm bolts for the top hat studs and I realized after I got the damn strut in place that there was no way to tighten them.. so I found someone that can weld them to the strut tomorrow afternoon and I'll have another go at it. sighhhhhhhhhhh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthCoast Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Lock washers and nuts. No need to weld. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonryan Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 too late lol. got em welded, hit them with a hammer a little and came up with this still waiting for it to settle a bit, but overall a pretty painless install. got about 4.5/5 inches with just the struts and strut spacers =] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Is anyone changing out the Front A-arm pivot bracket for the Forrester or OUtback ones when adding the crossmember spacer? The brackewts are different to put the pivot point down an inch to match the spacer. If it isn't swapped out, or spaced down, that bushing is being twisted. I;'ve never wanted to try that it. But is it working out O.K.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonryan Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 havent swapped any thing out but the struts so far and its working out alright for city driving. only got clicking at full lock on 1 turn, and a little rubbing on right turns on the passenger rear tire is hitting plastic box.. idk what it is but maybe it will go away. Gonna be driving my dads pathfinder to school on the east side and gonna hit the junkyard to see if they have any of the outback spacers. Even though its driving fine now I don't want to foul anything up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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