Wilkems Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 Hey all. My suspension is pretty shot and uneven. Probably still stock. I have slightly oversized snow tires on and get a tiny bit of rubbing. I'm sure directly replacing the suspension will bring it back up to height to stop the rubbing, but I've always been interested in raising it just a tiny bit. I'm talking .5"-1". I don't take crazy corners or anything and wouldn't mind a bit of cushion to go along with the height increase (I drive my kids a lot). The benefits of extra comfort, plus clearance for Colorado snow, is what I'm looking for. So my question is, what's a good, simple way to achieve this? Outback springs? Spacer with a specific brand of spring? I'm really at a loss as I've never done suspension before, but consider myself handy and ready to tackle it. I'm interested in full kits (strut, spring, bumptstop, bellows, etc.) and I'm trying to keep it under $500 if at all possible. That's doesn't mean I want to use all of it regardless. I'm just willing to go to that for the right solution. But I'd prefer to keep it as low as possible. Also, just saying I should keep it stock and recommending the best performance/value full kit suspension is also a completely acceptable response. I'm ok going with just a cheap ebay seller with a lifetime warranty like this route: https://goo.gl/uDmva6 (shortened so it's not 5 lines long.) Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RumbleRumble Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 I know outback springs give you a 1in" lift. I know for third gen Forrester springs give you 1.5" - 2in". I don't know if anyForrester springs fit fourth gen. Those quick struts you found are kind a junky to be honest. KYB or OEM are the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilkems Posted March 23, 2017 Author Share Posted March 23, 2017 Looks like I can get a set of KYBs with Bellows and bump pad for about $400 with a current deal at advanced auto parts. How do I tell if my old springs are ok? If there are 12 years old, should I go ahead and continue to look for a full set of struts with loaded springs? Or can I reuse my current springs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dride24 Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 I saw this post in relation to Outback springs being a 1" lift and I don't think so. Check the part numbers. When I bought my '01 LGT wagon Subaru said it had "sport tuned" suspension. I talked to all kinds of people at dealers and up the Subaru chain. No one could tell me what that meant. I finally had a helpful parts guy compare all the suspension parts-all the same. The 1" difference in ride height, Legacy to Outback, was wheels and tires. Incidentally, the same is true of the '17 VW Golf Sportwagen and Alltrack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyRuu Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 ^^well... umm... not exactly^^ so if you want to run those bigger tires look into struts that were meant for and outback the spring perch is a bit higher (distance from hub to perch is longer) allowing you to run up to an outback sized tire and you can reuse your springs and this will keep costs down. If you want to go up though with a bit of lift i would look into getting the springs from an outback as well and that will give you the extra bit of lift. and if you want to go full blown outback lift, the outback is fit with body and subframe spacers that will give it the full blown outback apperance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dride24 Posted June 4, 2017 Share Posted June 4, 2017 It seems that from deeper reading on the forum, that later years had substantial differences between Outback and Legacy suspensions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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