FutureFicus

I see you used Koni inserts + LGT wagon springs up front, but am curious if you used Koni or OEM LGT shocks for the rear, with your Outback springs? Your ride height and stance is exactly what I want for where I live, including the wheel and tire setup as well. Nailed it.

 

Any information you can provide would be tremendously helpful. I was full steam ahead on getting Bilstein B6 front and rear with springs being unknown until I came across the massive Koni insert thread. Now I have no clue what to do LOL.

Hey there! Been along time since I’ve been on the boards but got your message. I went full Koni front and back with LGT springs up front and used the stock OBXT springs in the rear. Loved the ride. I liked running 245/45 on the 18s too. The second set of tires were a lower profile tire forgot the size, didn’t like it as much.

I’ve since lifted the car with the ADF kit and am now on KYBs and stock springs, but might be getting rid of the car at this point.

I still have the Konis, if interested in a used set I’d be open to letting them go for just the cost of mailing them out to you. I can snap some photos later. Might have the springs too, just no top hats.

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You can’t appreciate how big those tires are in pictures. You have to see it in person.

Yeah I’m really enjoying this new wheel setup, it so much more fun to drive now. Do it do it!

It was great to meet you too!

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Why does it not really look lifted?

It’s a bit raked, I’m still on my koni setup with using legacy front struts.

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Adding a decent profile shot.

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I think I can join this thread now.

2” ADF lift on Koni inserts.

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Went for a quick off-road jaunt with my son over on Eastside of Oahu. Son fell asleep on the way over but I still did a couple test laps, felt great and my son never woke up over the terrain. Sadly forgot to get a photo in the element. Here’s a quick snap after getting gas.

Right now I have a super minor rub at near full lock. I’m sure there wouldn’t be a rub if I were on OB front struts.

Stoked with the outcome!

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How cool! Can't wait to see how it looks.

With the meats on all four corners.

Now to jump into the lift install!

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Hit me up when you're ready to sell, I'm on island and bored from Covid.

Oh for sure!!!

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Would you look at that more Oahu members. That's a fine looking outback. What are your plans for the current wheels tires and suspension setup?

Thanks! Planning on selling them. Going to keep the Konis with the ADF lift kit.

Will be working on my install tomorrow

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The milktea hauler picking up an order, really digging the new lens, off to the beach tomorrow morning for some relaxation.

 

This looks so good, still waiting on my lift to arrive. Hopefully next week!

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LOL!! Before you lift it please take a bunch of photos of it lowered with the big meats. Looks hilarious but works. One of my outbacks has a 2"front/2.5"rear + multi link spacer, if you wanna check it out, peep my build thread under outback photos.

I’m onboard with that haha! Yes, your thread definitely helped to sort out the direction for my outback, much appreciated!

Ended up ordering the 2” with the multilink spacers. Excited!

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New set of wheels and rubber arrived, quick test fit. Typical method MR502 15x7 et15 wrapped with 225/70 Grabber AT2s.

Time to put in an order for a 2” lift from ADF.

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Damn, I'm digging your build! I didn't mean for this to happen but we both have very similar setups...

 

I've got 245/45 with the 18" XXR 530s too. Everything suspension-wise is Whiteline. I installed BC BR with Swift springs for the Outback.

 

I want to go to a smaller tire as well, it's too meaty and it gets chewed up. I just re-rolled the fenders and added more camber so I hope it stops the rubbing, but I haven't given it a drive since I made the changes (I live in NYC and I don't want to lose my parking spot during this crisis)

 

The smaller tire set-up looks great. Would you recommend the change to a smaller tire?

Nice man!!! Been MIA, trying to catch up on messages.

At this moment, I miss having the 245/45s. Mostly because I keep curbing my wheels with the 235/40s.

However, I'm about to get rid of these wheels for some 15x7s and AT tires. There are beaches here on Oahu that have some mean rocks/terrain that I'd like to get to with the family using my Outback. My wife has a 2017 Outback, but I just don't enjoy driving it as much.

Looking at 215/17r15 or 225/70/r15 along with a 2" lift

I have LGT Konis with stock Outback springs in the rear and LGT springs up front.

https://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5912217&postcount=53

Added a roof basket. Sealed the connecting parts and screw holes with RTV and sprayed the whole thing with bed liner to prevent any rust from the cheap powder coating.

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Got a quote for fixing rust around the windshield - $2,200!

 

I guess that's what I get for buying that has lived back East and had someone shitty replace the windshield before I got it.

I’ve got the same issue with mine too. For now just sprayed some of that flex seal as a band aid. Drawing attention away from it with a roof basket I threw on a couple days ago.

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After discovering that my TiC trans member bushing had failed a couple weeks ago, I went under this morning and replaced the failed bushings with Whiteline versions KDT901. TiCs were installed back in December 2015. Feels tight again and the knocking that I suspected might be the driveshaft U joint failing went away. Happy! It’s so hot and humid today, time to get in the water.

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Born there and have never been back. Thanks for the reminder jab. Need to go back.

I've been looking for like 5 months now , and it's hard to find what I want... What's really hard for me is that Oahu is 'crowded' now. I'd love to have a yard, a real garage, plant stuff and things like that. But looks like Oahu is the wrong island to do that. May be able to achieve that on the Big Island or Maui maybe... Still $$$ though .

Every time I visit, after a few days I start looking at real estate.

I'd love more Outback friends here on Oahu haha! But yeah, most likely Big Island to get the yard and garage. I mean you could live out in Kapolei or the Westside, but if you work in town the traffic during the commute is horrible. Could have a crew of Outbacks run at SCCAHawaii rallyx at Kualoa ranch!

Forgot to post, but anyone else have their tranny crossmember bushings fail? Found a couple of them split in half and have become gummy and soft. I believe these were TiC bushings. The other half is still on the car and the other set of these busing are visibly split in the mount.

I think I’m also in the club of a driveshaft replacement. Lots of forward and back play.

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Hey. I was on your island 2 months ago!

Nice avatar!

Brah!!!

Well I guess the Outback and I just made our recent reappearance on the forums after being MIA for the past two years. Next time though, shoots!

Mevotech lower control arms, Whiteline KCA334 antilift/caster bushing, Moog front endlinks, KDT903 (diff insert only, having trouble breaking the diff carrier bolt loose to install cradle insert).

Yay happy!

So that was a brutal weekend getting the old lower control arms out and new ones in as well as a seized and stripped endlink. It was a hot one too

Install Notes

I followed a bunch of how tos on this forum to install these, these are not instructions, but a recap of things I'd tell someone who might be looking to start this job.

- Mevotech arms looked and felt great.

- Rear bushings pressed out with this ball joint rental from Autozone. It took some juggling and balancing of the components to rig it up, but it's doable with hand tools.

- KCA334 looked great and felt solid. The pressed it pretty easily, just making sure everything is lined up straight being that these are aluminum. Reused balljoint press, took my time and backed off often to make sure the bushing stays seated flat. At a certain point swapped to a rubber mallet to finish the job.

- Soaked every bolt/nut and balljoints to be removed in PB Blaster 2 days and each day before touching anything, didn't have any issues with any bolts. The pinch bolts weren't too much trouble backing out either.

- Balljoint was a chore, used a stubby flathead screw driver, gently hammered on it to loosen up the grip of balljoint cup.

- Used the jack and 15mm short sockets wedge technique between the spindle and lower control arm, working my way up in socket sizes/ or handtools to wedge in and hopefully pop it free. Got to a certain point where had nothing else that would work as a wedge. Grabbed the spare wheel lug wrench and used the flat side of it to hammer down on the lip of the joint. Beat the crap out of it with a rubber mallet. Broke out a punch and hammer and tried localized hammering on the joint and spindle. Took a break, beat on it some more with the mallet and flat end of lug wrench, then just went all gorilla, grabbed it and violently wiggling it, pulling up pressing down using the LCA as a lever eventually pop it free. Paused to feel the victory, then remembered that there's the drivers side too...

- Coated spindle cup and pinchbolt hole with plenty of anti seize.

- Seating the new ball joint into the spindle wasn't too bad, used a hammer and jack to press it back in. Except when you don't do a proper job of cleaning out and rough/rust areas in the receiving cup. Well, off them came, broke out the wirebrush and made everything nice and smooth, especially the ceiling of the cup.

- This is your SECOND REMINDER, clean the cups out with a wire brush drill/dremel combo. I read others notes too and being sure to clean too, THOROUGHLY CLEAN IT.

- Stripped the OEM pinch bolt while wrenching it back into the spindle as it stopped moving forward and just kept spinning. Tried the bolt that came with the Mevotechs but it stripped as well in the same spot. Assuming that the receiving path is no longer straight causing the bolts to hit the face second section of the bolt path.

- Picked up an undersized Grade 8 bolt (forgot it's an M8 or M10, 2" or 2 1/2" will check), washers and nuts to pinch the cup joint together.

- Installed Moog front endlinks, they're goliaths compared to the stock ones.

- Driver's side front endlink, top nut was seized and I ended up stripping the hex. Broke out the dremel and cutoff wheel and went to town. Battery wasn't fully charge.

- REMINDER, make sure batteries are ready to go! Tried a hacksaw for a bit, got half way then called it a day. Eventually got it cut off the next day with a charged dremel.

- KDT903, was able to easily get the diff inserts installed but having trouble trying to break the cradle bolt loose to install the other bushing set! For now, I love the diff insert and how it ties the rear end together. I had the solid bushing on my 06 STi and it was one of my favorite mods.

- Schedule alignment.

Worth It!

Wow, the whole front end is amazing now, a whole different car. It feels much more nimble and agile. I didn't realize my car still had a floaty corner feel to it, now it's like it locks in and pulls through corners with a lot less drama. The back end comes together nicely with the diff bushing inserts. Now I think I need to address some of the rear control arm bushings.

Pressed out and pressed in Whiteline KCA334 caster/anti-lift bushings into the Mevotech lower control arms. Hoping to install the control arms, along with Moog front endlinks, and the KDT903 rear carrier bushing inserts over the weekend.

edit: I realize that the rear bushing eccentric sleeves are mounted upside down in the photo. Oriented them correctly before I reinstalled the control arms.

Tires arrived last week and was finally able to get them installed last Friday. Also, ruined my front lip coming off the flatbed. Looking to pick up some conveyor belt material now.

Firehawk Indy 500 235/40/18. Downsized Outback sized tires 245/45/18. So far I'm liking the feel of these tires much more than the Hankook Evo2 V12. I'm sure a lot of it comes from the sidewall height and a bit more tire stretch. Feels much more responsive, more sure footed when cornering and all around much more nimble. I definitely notice the difference in RPM cruising speed because of the difference in final gearing between the Legacy and Outback. It's punchier now and gone is the highway quiet cruising "luxury" refinement it had before. Almost as fun as my old E30 with the 4:10LSD rear. Also, didn't have much of it before, but it seems to be in the RPM droning spot, but then again I've been driving my wife's 2017 Outback and a V6 truck the past two weeks. So far I like and I'm happy.

TL;DR

What I like:

Tire responsiveness and nimbleness.

Thought that visually I'd prefer the meatier 245/45 tire but I think it looks nicer now.

More tire clearance, should I go lower.

Possible downsides depending on your preferences:

Maintaining highway cruising speeds are more of an effort.

More RPM drone, dependent on wagons, exhaust, bushings, etc.

My current mods that might affect the above notes changes:

Group N TransMount & EngineMount

Shifter bushings set

"Hogzaust"

How do you like the general drivability with Legacy-sized tires with an Outback final drive? That's the only reason I've been hesitant to lower mine and swap to smaller tires. Highway revs are already bad as it is.

I’m curious about this too! I’ll get you an update once they arrive next week! Oahu isn’t much of a problem though, since are posted freeway limits around town are 45-55MPH, but you’ll be driving much slower than that on your daily commute.

Currently refreshing bushing bits and exterior aesthetics.

Parts to be installed in the next couple weeks:

- Mevotech Aluminum Control Arms

- Whiteline KCA334 Control Arm Bushing

- Whiteline KDT903 Rear Differential Mount Bushing

- Firehawk Indy 500 235/40/18

Currently trying to push the buy button following parts

- Lightweight crank pulley

- Pitch stop mount (thought I had ordered one when I had my engine rebuilt)

- Cadillac ATS Brembos

I've been due for a new set of rubber, was reminded when woke up to a flat last week.

I've been running 245/45/18 but wanted to give Legacy sized tires a try. Was also hoping to pick up a new set of wheels, really like the look of Eivind's White Turbomacs. Tried to pick up a set during their spring sale, but shipping to Hawaii was $500, just a benjamin shy of the actual cost of the 4 wheels! By the time I sorted out a way to get them here that was reasonable (yay for a family member's employee discount!) they went out of stock, bummer.

I've been wanting to put a set of driving lights and want to mount it directly to inset top portion of the hood where the chrome top grill piece mounts to. I've see the current options with the SSD bar and Rally Innovations type aesthetically like the look of it mounted directly to the hood or bumper top.

Also pick up a couple of these mounts to test out, but assuming it won't be strong or rigid enough.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FPPRK3S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075ST6N3G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Outback's been neglected...