ok talked to the tire rack and he insist the struts are not going to raise my legacy , that it is the springs that lift it, he says i need a lift kit

 

so can the people who have done this fill me in, not sure what to do now

 

the guy was a jerk and either way i will spend my money somewhere else but he went on and on about how it will not lift it and he would not take them back, etc

I'm assuming you're trying to use outback struts? Because those will lift the car because the strut tube is longer.

 

So even with the same springs you'll be higher because the distance from the lower spring perch to the mounting flanges is farther. Tell him that and see what he says.

 

Oh, and the outback sport is the Impreza-based outback.

I'm assuming you're trying to use outback struts? Because those will lift the car because the strut tube is longer.

 

So even with the same springs you'll be higher because the distance from the lower spring perch to the mounting flanges is farther. Tell him that and see what he says.

 

Oh, and the outback sport is the Impreza-based outback.

I won't swear to it, but I'm pretty sure Outback springs have a different part # then legacy springs. This would make sense to me, because a shorter/weaker spring would wear a taller strut out. Outbacks are heavier than normal legacies anyway, so I imagine the spring should be beefier too to keep the car from riding all the way at the bottom of those extra-tall struts.

from what I hear the strut is longer and the spring is taller (and yes probably stiffer), and the combination of the two along with taller tires creates the higher ride height. Just having the struts will still lift the car, but not quite as high.

 

A weaker spring is in no way going wear out the strut. Most of the extra strut travel is going to be in the droop with a shorter spring, and it's not like it will be slamming into the bumpstops.