saggy rear suspension

[pirarucu]

. Took my 2016 legacy to the dealer and three mechanics already, and they all told me it is all fine. I measured with a tape, and the undercarriage of the car is lower by half an inch on the rear compared to the front. Put a little weight on the back, just 50 or 100 lbs, and then the car is visibly lowered on the rear. Remains a mystery to me. Anyone has any thoughts?

[iyalla]

Its an inherent Subaru trait. Several companies offer solutions called Saggy Butt Spacers and Strut Spacers to remedy it. Im not sure if any make a set for the Legacy, but I have seen sets for the Ascent, Crosstek and WRX/STI.

[silverton]

On 11/25/2023 at 5:48 PM, pirarucu said:

. Took my 2016 legacy to the dealer and three mechanics already, and they all told me it is all fine. I measured with a tape, and the undercarriage of the car is lower by half an inch on the rear compared to the front. Put a little weight on the back, just 50 or 100 lbs, and then the car is visibly lowered on the rear. Remains a mystery to me. Anyone has any thoughts?

Per factory spec, the rear is .55" lower than the front. So, all those people that said it is all fine, aren't trying to get one past you. Mine is basically nuts on factory spec, at least on the driver side, with around a quarter tank of gas.

Here's my front:

And my rear:

[iyalla]

Yup, pretty much all Subarus are like this. Like I said above there are aftermarket solutions if it really bothers you that much, but....its a Subaru thing.

[pirarucu]

Hi Thanks for that info!  So, when I mentioned earlier that the rear was lower than the front, I was referring to the distance between the flood and the chassi.  Measuring the wheels as per the nice diagram above with the car fully unloaded (and gas talk half-way), I get the following: front measurement = 16.25; rear measurement = 14.5.  This is a difference of 1.75 inches, which is more than 1 inch of manufacturer's specifications.  What I don't get is how three mechanics tell me the suspension is fine.  

Personally, I see it going down quite a lot with minimal weight (as passenger or trunk load), which tells me the springs have become rather soft. 

Question -- those spacers I could put, do they just minimize the height or actually make the rear suspension a bit stiffer?

[silverton]

31 minutes ago, pirarucu said:

Hi Thanks for that info!  So, when I mentioned earlier that the rear was lower than the front, I was referring to the distance between the flood and the chassi. Measuring the wheels as per the nice diagram above with the car fully unloaded (and gas talk half-way), I get the following: front measurement = 16.25; rear measurement = 14.5.  This is a difference of 1.75 inches, which is more than 1 inch of manufacturer's specifications.  What I don't get is how three mechanics tell me the suspension is fine.  

Personally, I see it going down quite a lot with minimal weight (as passenger or trunk load), which tells me the springs have become rather soft. 

Question -- those spacers I could put, do they just minimize the height or actually make the rear suspension a bit stiffer?

Well, you were incorrectly measuring ride height before, so there's that.  Your front is just a smidge over the specified limit, which is 16.1", could be normal deviance in the user and the measuring tool. Your rear is still within specification, which has a lower limit of 14.14".

You've failed to mention how many miles are on your car, what kind of maintenance you've done to it, or tire size.  Every car needs a suspension refresh every 70-100k miles. It sounds to me like your car is overdue for a refresh in the suspension department. Tires, control arms, lateral links, strut assemblies, et cet era... all of these components play into your ride height, which is why there is a upper and lower limit to account for these variables.

 

Your current ride height is fine, unless you have other complaints about the car like clunking in the suspension or very bouncy on the freeway, stop trying to make a problem.  At the end of the day, just get the 'saggy butt spacers' to combat the purposely squatted rear suspension, all it does is add height, no stiffness.

Edited November 28, 2023 by silverton

[ammcinnis]

19 hours ago, silverton said:

Your current ride height is fine ... stop trying to make a problem.

Quoted for truth.

Another option is to replace the rear shocks and/or install new rear springs, both of which may contribute to rear sag as they age.