May 15, 200619 yr Last week with the help of an acquaintance I installed Scorpion springs and KYB GR2 struts in my 97 OBW, and just wanted to post my impressions thus far. ! Steve
May 15, 200619 yr Author This is my daily driver, primarily transporting me around suburbia between work and home, with occasional mountain and desert trips when I'm fortunate enough to have time for them. So, it hasn't yet left a paved road since I installed the new setup. But, be assured that it will take us on camping and touring trips this summer. Dust is much easier to find than mud around these parts, and when desert dirt roads get muddy, sometimes you're better off avoiding them altogether... mud here is not like mud in the East. I do have some good muddy pix of her from about a year ago... like a wave of muddy water over the entire hood and up the windshield, that hole was deeper than we thought I'll see if I can dig one of those up. No side pix yet but I need to take some, I took one "before" and want to take an "after" from the same perspective, just haven't had a chance yet. I'd say it sits 2" taller or so. Subtle but noticeable. The 205/75/15 AT tires I have look like a better fit now, they looked almost too big before. The ride is very good, comfortable, slightly firmer than stock I'd say... but it's hard to judge considering I went from 120K mile worn struts to brand new ones. I like it very much, wish I had done this a long time ago but I was waiting for a good deal on the springs and some $ in the pocket. The setup cost me <$800, well worth it in my opinion as I needed new struts anyway. In the process I learned a great deal about my car and how the suspension works. fnlyfnd: I think what you're seeing is the end link of the sway bar? Right next to the right rear wheel? Pretty sure that's it, there's nothing hanging down in the front. Probably has around 9" or so of clearance under the y-pipes I'd guess. Steve
May 16, 200619 yr Author Link to muddy pic as promised: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/muddy.jpg We had fun exploring Nine Mile Canyon in Utah; more info here: http://www.utah.com/playgrounds/nine_mile.htm http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week740/cover.html http://www.so-utah.com/price/ninemile/homepage.html Steve
May 16, 200619 yr Steve, Do you have a URL link to the supplier for your Scorpions? My OBW has 110k on it now and I assume I'll need new struts before too much longer. Might be nice to gain an inch or so of fender clearance while I'm at it. Also, are you running the stock (205/70R15) size tires or do you have something bigger? I'll likewise be looking for new tires soon, so... Finally, have you noticed any appreciable drop in MPG since you put the new springs on? I'm getting 23-26 generally and would like to keep it that way if I can ('cause I'm cheap!)
May 16, 200619 yr Author Martinjmpr: This thread shows more detail about the setup I chose (thanks YetiDon for making it): http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49336 I first read about this setup online a few years back when someone was selling their OB with these struts and springs. Here's a dealer for the springs: http://www.renickmotorsports.com/oscommerce/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=664&products_id=1220 Note there are a few models available. I paid quite a bit less because I bought the springs from a member who didn't need them anymore. I got struts from http://www.tirerack.com (very highly recommended vendor) at around $90 ea fronts and $70 ea rears. Also I got four Ingalls camber adjustment bolts for around $10 each although I'm not convinced that was necessary, others have reported they didn't need those bolts. I found another Subaru enthusiast online who was willing to do the job for about 1/3 of what I was getting quoted for labor. Of course I worked with him rather than just dropping the car off and leaving. It was great because I learned how to do it and saved money too. I have 205/75/15 AT tires (Firestone) as mentioned above, they are pretty meaty tires and I like them so far. My mileage hasn't changed much with those, highway may be down slightly. I don't know if the springs affect mileage, they shouldn't around town but maybe they will on the highway if the car is less aerodynamic when slightly lifted. Can't imagine it'd be too much of an effect though. I really like the way it's set up now, looking forward to some trips off the beaten path! Steve
May 17, 200619 yr Martinjmpr: This thread shows more detail about the setup I chose (thanks YetiDon for making it): http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49336 I first read about this setup online a few years back when someone was selling their OB with these struts and springs. Here's a dealer for the springs: http://www.renickmotorsports.com/oscommerce/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=664&products_id=1220 Note there are a few models available. I paid quite a bit less because I bought the springs from a member who didn't need them anymore. I got struts from www.tirerack.com (very highly recommended vendor) at around $90 ea fronts and $70 ea rears. Also I got four Ingalls camber adjustment bolts for around $10 each although I'm not convinced that was necessary, others have reported they didn't need those bolts. I found another Subaru enthusiast online who was willing to do the job for about 1/3 of what I was getting quoted for labor. Of course I worked with him rather than just dropping the car off and leaving. It was great because I learned how to do it and saved money too. I have 205/75/15 AT tires (Firestone) as mentioned above, they are pretty meaty tires and I like them so far. My mileage hasn't changed much with those, highway may be down slightly. I don't know if the springs affect mileage, they shouldn't around town but maybe they will on the highway if the car is less aerodynamic when slightly lifted. Can't imagine it'd be too much of an effect though. I really like the way it's set up now, looking forward to some trips off the beaten path! Steve OK, sounds like you put a lot of effort into this setup - I'd love to see what it looks like from the side. Especially since it's a 2nd Gen Legacy (IMO the best looking legacy ever, although the 4th Gens are pretty sweet, too!)
May 17, 200619 yr Author Here's a few pix of the car, before and after. Left Side, before: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/nlift_ls.jpg Left Side, after: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/lift_ls.jpg Right Rear/Side, before: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/nlift_rr.jpg Right Rear/Side, after: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/lift_rr.jpg Comparison of the OEM vs. King Springs: http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/springs.jpg I tried to take the pix from the same angles, but they're not quite exactly the same. Also different time of day, but you get the idea. The difference in the car is subtle, but I like it Steve
May 17, 200619 yr Glad you like the setup, Steve. It looks, well.... sorta like mine. I wish I had a dark blue instead of green! Martinjmpr, I have averaged about 23-26 since I bought the car. There has been no noticeable change with the lift.
May 2, 200718 yr those pics are great i have a 97 obw also. if you dont mind how much did it cause parts and labor? and do you have to be an expert to do a lift like this?
May 3, 200718 yr I think he said it cost < $800. Figure about $460 for the springs with shipping, plus maybe $280 or so for new KYB's. This type of lift is relatively easy; you pull the old struts/shocks and put in new. A spring compressor is needed but those aren't real expensive. If your strut mounts are rusty or anything, might as well get new. In that case, if you just buy all new components, rubber parts, etc., you don't even have to disassemble the old strut unit. The only thing is the bump stoppers are like $25 each so it might be worth getting those from the old units. Getting an alignment afterward is good idea.
May 3, 200718 yr Do you know if you can get the fronts and rears separately? I need some overload springs in the back of my 92 legacy (running 97 OBW struts). The front sits fine with the OBW springs, but the rear is always sagging when I'm carrying a load, which is most of the time.
May 3, 200718 yr I'm sure you probably can get the rears separately, but I don't know if renick will sell them that way. You could probably order from australia maybe....might be able to find a dealer from http://www.kingsprings.com Do you have outback springs and struts in the rear too? Or there was a post recently about those rubber strut spacer things for like $10 each that might work...
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