Jump to content
Ultimate Subaru Message Board

Best stock suspension


Recommended Posts

depends on what you mean by upgrade.  

 

if you mean repair or fix them back to stock smooth ride then just search around for a quality brand, or search the site for recommendations.

 

if you want stiff suspension some people mod in toyota struts, and some people use Honda front springs in the rear, and some other car (mercury?) in the front to stiffen it up.  I hear its pretty stiff though so expect some ride quality impact.

 

I dont know exactly how they work from a ride height standpoint, but people do get small lift out of suspension changes

 

just search the site for Honda springs or Toyota struts and you should be on the way to finding something out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ensuring that the stock parts are all in good condition makes a huge difference; dampers/shocks, bushes/bushings, anti-roll/sway bar and tracking alignment. I've never had a problem with springs on my wagons but they have all been younger. Depends too if by 'upgrade' you mean better street handling or better off-road ability - do you want less roll or more articulation?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well bare with me since I don't know too much details about suspensions but right now if feels very soft. I get a ton of body roll around corners even at low speeds. As for lift or tires I'm thinking on going to 25-26" tires and I want minimal or preferably no lift. Iv read about toyota coils and Honda springs but am curious how they handle on the streets like that. If possible I want a happy medium between street and off-road use. I want to be able to hit some light trails and mud but this is my dd so nothing crazy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

check your sway bar in the front.  some people will take them off or they can just wear out.  if its unhooked or worn then fixing it will help your body roll a lot.

 

Its more likely your struts than anything else.  the style of suspension you are probably thinking of has springs and arms with shocks attached to help out.  the system you have the spring, shock, and upper a-arm are all one piece called a strut.  Springs can wear out, but the gas part of the strut is more likely to be a problem.  Id go new struts with low mile springs from a JY if you can find them.  

 

the spring swaps are from what I hear pretty rough on the ride.  people generally do it so that they can haul more weight or really corner a lot.  i would think stock gear with good parts would be a better happy medium.

 

for tire size stay under 25 inches.  you can fit that with no lift, fill nice and still is able to articulate and not rub.  check the manufacturers site for the actual diameter of the tires.  my bridgestones are slightly large for their size and are 24.9 inches.  they fit very well and still noticeably lift the car.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

check your sway bar in the front.  some people will take them off or they can just wear out.  if its unhooked or worn then fixing it will help your body roll a lot.

 

Its more likely your struts than anything else.  the style of suspension you are probably thinking of has springs and arms with shocks attached to help out.  the system you have the spring, shock, and upper a-arm are all one piece called a strut.  Springs can wear out, but the gas part of the strut is more likely to be a problem.  Id go new struts with low mile springs from a JY if you can find them.  

 

the spring swaps are from what I hear pretty rough on the ride.  people generally do it so that they can haul more weight or really corner a lot.  i would think stock gear with good parts would be a better happy medium.

 

for tire size stay under 25 inches.  you can fit that with no lift, fill nice and still is able to articulate and not rub.  check the manufacturers site for the actual diameter of the tires.  my bridgestones are slightly large for their size and are 24.9 inches.  they fit very well and still noticeably lift the car.

Thank you that is good info. I am still a bit confused because I thought "strut" referred to the spring and the shocks together. I think I remember someone saying xt sway bars being larger? That is what I'm looking for essentially, "beffier" parts thanks again to everyones help.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use my car for mild off-roading and have found that stock suspension is fine; I've improved ground clearence with 80% section tyres and I've recently rebuilt the struts (spring-damper units) at the rear with new dampers and bushes, new coaxial bump-stop and new suspension bump-stop. I think I've posted stuff on most of those tasks here and/or on my website if you need pics and so on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the "Strut" is the shock and spring in one, however theres a couple types of strut systems that use them. some have upper control arms and some don't.  the ones that do will have upper and lower control arms that allow the spindle to move when you turn, and have springs and shocks together above it.  ours look like a big L, theres a lower control arm and the strut hard mounts to the top of the spindle.  the bracket up at the top of the strut has a bearing in it so that the whole strut can pivot allowing you to turn.

 

just pull your wheel off and look, its obvious and easy to see.  since the strut in our system is control arm, spring, and shock absorber it is much more important than some people give it credit for.  when they get worn they can affect steering, tire wear, etc.

 

I believe the sway bar your talking about is an XT6.  XT guys used to use them because they were thicker.  I dont know if normal XT ones are thicker than ours.

 

I dont understand the beefier thing.  theres no major weak spots there that need strength for normal driving, the CV's are the only thing that commonly breaks or would need strengthened.  Jeszek's write up I believe used much more rugged forerunner struts in the back.  i have seen spring changes in the front but not actual strut changes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...