July 10, 200520 yr I have reviewed as much old thread material as I can handle. I am looking to fit outback struts into my 91 legacy, and am concerned about fitment of the rears as someone has given me the impression there may be trouble with the way the strut caps fit in- is there anything I should be concerned about here?
July 10, 200520 yr Caleb, I got your message. I have a set of new struts and a pair of old stock struts here. If you'd like to check them out you give me a shout. Ken
July 11, 200520 yr It worked out fine on a 95 brighton. The drivetrain/ suspension is pretty much the same for the earlier legacys, so it should fit fine. Expect 2" of clearance increase. More with bigger tires.
July 11, 200520 yr i have already done this mod.... it works, you just need to use the stock legacy springs, and you will be fine.... if you were to use the outback springs, you would need to re-drill some hole in the rear as the rear strut top is different..... but if you use the stock springs, no problems at all....
July 11, 200520 yr Seems like I read on Legacy Central that there's a height difference in the struts on '90 and '91 Legacies compared to '92-'94 models. Is that right and if is it just the stock struts that are different or is it something in the suspension? When fitting Outback struts, are the Outback strut caps also used?
July 11, 200520 yr Author Hey former neighbor! <I still have your weber Mike- I could bring it down to the show if you going> Sounds like caps are different, no modding if stock springs are used, at least thats the way Im reading things here...
July 11, 200520 yr Looks like I'll be doing this mod soon so I'm glad to let others nail down the details first. So Thanks for the info! Is Tire Rack the best deal for buying KYB Outback struts? <Caleb...Yeah hey back former neighbor! I keep tabs on what yer up to every time I drive past. Sure wish I could adopt that Brat you're sellin'. I don't think I'll be at the show so maybe I can stop by sometime to pick up the carb. Thanks for reminding me.>
July 12, 200520 yr when I installed the forester struts on the imp, i had to switch the strut caps over to impreza caps, but only the caps, the springs can stay... just try swapping the rear caps over and they should fit fine
July 12, 200520 yr When I added OB springs/struts to my imp, I had to use the OB caps in the rear cuz the springs have a bigger diameter. . .
July 12, 200520 yr i know that on early model legacies you need to use the original spring and strut top.... unless you re drill the mounting for the rear strut top, the holes for the the top are spread out more for the outback.. and if u use the outback strt top, u use the outback springs...
July 13, 200520 yr i have already done this mod.... it works, you just need to use the stock legacy springs, and you will be fine.... if you were to use the outback springs, you would need to re-drill some hole in the rear as the rear strut top is different..... but if you use the stock springs, no problems at all.... is there a height diff between stock legacy springs and outback springs?not sure if i want to do any drilling.also thinking of picking up the scorpion lift springs.
July 13, 200520 yr you dont need the scorpion springs, i bet that the stock outback springs will make it pretty stiff..... and yes there will be a difference in the stock legacy springs and the outback springs..... enough to make a noticable difference.. if you use the outback springs, you will need to re drill the rear, doesnt matter if you use the scorpion springs or not, they're just different..... the legacy struts are conical ( they are smaller towards the top ) whereas the outback springs are the same size all the way up....
July 17, 200520 yr i bet that the stock outback springs will make it pretty stiff..... and yes there will be a difference in the stock legacy springs and the outback springs..... enough to make a noticable difference had a feeling ob springs would make for a stiffer ride.is there any extra lean when going around corners? it doesn't make you feel like your gonna fall over does it?
July 18, 200520 yr that all depends on what your used to..... right now i have the ob springs, but i dont have them in yet, but being stiffer than the stock part, it should cut down on the lean factor some....
July 25, 200520 yr I plan on doing this same modification to my Legacy, so any updates from subie94 would be appreciated. I think I'll order the struts this weekend, but I've been having a difficult time so far getting ahold of OB springs, even from local junkyards. Sadly, Subaru's aren't as popular down here in Arkansas as they are up north. :/
July 25, 200520 yr so any updates from subie94 would be appreciated. but I've been having a difficult time so far getting ahold of OB springs, even from local junkyards. Sadly, Subaru's aren't as popular down here in Arkansas as they are up north. :/ it prob won't be for about a month before i can do mine,so you prob have yours done before me i know what you mean about getting ahold of the ob struts,i did find some at a j/y but been thinking of getting new(they'll prob last longer then j/y ones)
July 25, 200520 yr it prob won't be for about a month before i can do mine,so you prob have yours done before me i know what you mean about getting ahold of the ob struts,i did find some at a j/y but been thinking of getting new(they'll prob last longer then j/y ones) Hey subie94, I ordered my Forester struts off of eBay the other day, maybe we can have a lifting part or something All we need is a spring compressor.. i've got a compressor, jacks, jackstands, and air tools
July 25, 200520 yr Hey subie94, I ordered my Forester struts off of eBay the other day, maybe we can have a lifting part or something All we need is a spring compressor.. i've got a compressor, jacks, jackstands, and air tools now only to get up $100. bucks.you getting yours new or used? how much you spending? took a look see at e-bay,i couldn't find anything as far as ob struts
July 25, 200520 yr My KYB OB struts should be here tomorrow and should be installed this weekend. Just in time too... the air suspension is giving me problems. In case anyone cares, KYB lists the same front strut mounts for '95-'98 Outbacks and '90-94 AWD Legacys. Rear strut mounts are different as someone already stated.
July 25, 200520 yr now only to get up $100. bucks.you getting yours new or used?how much you spending? took a look see at e-bay,i couldn't find anything as far as ob struts I just happened to run across the auction, and couldn't resist. The set was like $298 including shipping. I got my impreza struts for.. way to much off of tire rack.. soo.. awesome deal to me I'll keep my eyes open for some OB struts, and let you know if i see any.
July 26, 200520 yr Due mainly to monetary concearns, I've ordered the front Left and front Right Outback struts to put on my 95 Legacy LS. :-\ However, I'm hopeful that it will work. Does anyone know of any potential problems of raising the front and not the rear? I plan on raising the rear about 30 days after the front, given the frequency of paychecks and such. Soo, I guess I'm on a mission to find Outback springs as well. I look at it this way.. If I gain 2" additional clearance between my struts and my wheel well top, I can add an additiona 4" in tire height. (2" above the center of the wheel, and 2" below the center of the wheel) which should give me an additional 6" of ground clearance. Does that make sense? ************, I should've taken more math classes. haha I need to hurry up and sell my Civic HX so I can get some cashola.. Know anybody who wants a 2000 Civic HX with 89,450 miles and gets 44MPG? $6,500.. Cold air intake, S.S. exhaust header, overdrive pulleys, strut tower bar, etc... Black, 5spd.. Little Rock, AR area. Oh well.. Anyhow. I'll post before/after pix including measurements of the ground clearance for any/all interested. Let's document this stuff. SubyNoobie
July 26, 200520 yr Does anyone know of any potential problems of raising the front and not the rear? I plan on raising the rear about 30 days after the front, given the frequency of paychecks and such. Most people lift the back first, and then the front... if they're only going to lift one half... it might be wierd driving the car if you do just the front. If i were you i'd wait till you have all the parts, and then do it all at once. As for the 4" thing, it should work, but you might want to watch out for your wheelwells/fenders, they might start rubbing before anything else. Good Luck!
July 28, 200520 yr Oh, after talking to my big bro... He tells me struts don't come with bellows... OOPS, so those are an additional $14/ea for the new Outback struts I ordered. *sigh* It also means another 1 week delay as I wait for them to come in. Oh well, I'm going camping this weekend, with a little bit of offroading, and won't really have time to do suspension upgrades. I guess I'll just have to change the oil instead. lol.
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