Reloadit Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 I'm starting to suspect I am dealing with some sagging in my rear end and after researching I see it is not uncommon with some Subarus, don't know if my year is known for it, but I have read that folks tend to change the struts and use some spacers to bring it back to normal or better and often they claim it feels much better when driving even if you haven't noticed a change over time. Anyone else here address this issue with great success and if so, what struts and spacers did you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doublechaz Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 On my second gen I got all new springs and struts and my saggy butt was like new. Springs do eventually wear out and sag some. I never thought about why Subaru Legacy sags at the rear rather than the front. I used OE dealer springs all around because that's all I could find without changing from a road car to a rock crawler. The damper part of the struts I went with KYB that are OE stiffness or perhaps a little stiffer. I also did poly bushings throughout at the same time, so it's hard to say if it is the struts or the bushings that made things tighter. Anyway, about 60K and several years later and still like new. I only do light off road with it anymore, hence the focus toward road behaviour. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reloadit Posted March 9 Author Share Posted March 9 14 hours ago, doublechaz said: On my second gen I got all new springs and struts and my saggy butt was like new. Springs do eventually wear out and sag some. I never thought about why Subaru Legacy sags at the rear rather than the front. I used OE dealer springs all around because that's all I could find without changing from a road car to a rock crawler. The damper part of the struts I went with KYB that are OE stiffness or perhaps a little stiffer. I also did poly bushings throughout at the same time, so it's hard to say if it is the struts or the bushings that made things tighter. Anyway, about 60K and several years later and still like new. I only do light off road with it anymore, hence the focus toward road behaviour. So you replaced everything all the way around. I guess I will look into doing the same. It looks like spacers can be a little risky with longevity. Thanks Chaz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doublechaz Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 (edited) Maybe I gave too much info. If your parts are generally in good shape I would just get the pair of OE rear springs. My rebuild was at 250,000 miles so I just preempted every "one day soon" problem by going with all new. Edited March 10 by doublechaz 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reloadit Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 10 hours ago, doublechaz said: Maybe I gave too much info. If your parts are generally in good shape I would just get the pair of OE rear springs. My rebuild was at 250,000 miles so I just preempted every "one day soon" problem by going with all new. Hmmm, I only have about 130K on my car. So you think just the rear springs? I can do that. I keep about 100 lbs of gear right at my hatch this time of the year. I do it every year about this time, it's shooting season so I keep a heavy bench, lead sled and shooting bags. This year I noticed the sag is a bit more pronounced then previous years but the struts seem good when bouncing up and down on my trailer stinger. As always thanks for your help. You personally have done a lot for me over years on this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infosecdad Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 I have King Springs for my rear struts of my '99, you could try these maybe. https://get-primitive.com/product/springs/king-overload-springs/king-spring-overload-25-1995-1999-outback-rear-springs/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reloadit Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 4 hours ago, Infosecdad said: I have King Springs for my rear struts of my '99, you could try these maybe. https://get-primitive.com/product/springs/king-overload-springs/king-spring-overload-25-1995-1999-outback-rear-springs/ Did you have some sag and notice a difference? How long have you been using them? Thanks by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infosecdad Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 I've used King springs for saggy butt on 4th gen wagons and on my 99 outback I'm using the heavier King lowering springs for handling. As aft as I've found they are one of the best ways to handle heavy tears. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reloadit Posted March 16 Author Share Posted March 16 On 3/10/2024 at 4:42 PM, Infosecdad said: I've used King springs for saggy butt on 4th gen wagons and on my 99 outback I'm using the heavier King lowering springs for handling. As aft as I've found they are one of the best ways to handle heavy tears. I'm just under 140K miles and I am considering changing the struts too, is the foolish? I throw in 400lbs of heating pellets throughout the winter months and sometimes they sit in my car for 12-24 hrs before I off load them. If I were to get struts with the king overload springs, which ones would you recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infosecdad Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 KYB struts are usually fine for something like this, there aren't too many decent options after 25 years. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reloadit Posted March 16 Author Share Posted March 16 38 minutes ago, Infosecdad said: KYB struts are usually fine for something like this, there aren't too many decent options after 25 years. I sure appreciate your time and help. I'm on Primitive's site and and I think the right KYB struts for me are the EXCEL-G 1999 **ONLY** Outback and not the ones for 1995-1999 Legacy. I don't really need the front struts but not terribly opposed to changing them too if they don't sell them by the pair. Your thoughts? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infosecdad Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 Rockauto has the two rear KYB outback struts for $63 each. Ideally I would replace all four if you can, but you should be ok with just the rears for a while. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reloadit Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 13 hours ago, Infosecdad said: Rockauto has the two rear KYB outback struts for $63 each. Ideally I would replace all four if you can, but you should be ok with just the rears for a while. Thank you again, I ordered all four struts and the rear King Overload springs thinking I will reuse my front springs. I sure wish I had a lift to raise my own cars! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infosecdad Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 Not to enable... https://www.quickjack.com/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reloadit Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 4 hours ago, Infosecdad said: Not to enable... https://www.quickjack.com/ LOL, maybe someday when I have a full on shop with a solid slab. I squirm a bit using my jack stands on my cheesy patio slab now days, but boy and I looking forward to some beefy springs. I've been thinking of all the weight I have hauled in this suby and it's no wonder my rear is sagging. Packing elk out with it, filling it with camping gear and massive cooler during salmon fishing season and of course loading it down with livestock feed or heating pellets. I have a 3/4 ton chevy truck with a 454 and it cost two dollars just to start it up. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reloadit Posted March 20 Author Share Posted March 20 OK, got my KYB struts in and my King springs and they are bare struts, can I reuse my old parts without drama or should I order all the parts so I can preassemble my coil and struts fully before tackling this job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infosecdad Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 You can probably reuse the bump stops and covers unless they are crumbling/degraded. The top hats MIGHT need to be changed, but it would depend on their condition. I generally like to replace all the parts when I do this, so it's a simple "replace the full assembly" rather than risking something by doing it piecemeal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reloadit Posted March 20 Author Share Posted March 20 51 minutes ago, Infosecdad said: You can probably reuse the bump stops and covers unless they are crumbling/degraded. The top hats MIGHT need to be changed, but it would depend on their condition. I generally like to replace all the parts when I do this, so it's a simple "replace the full assembly" rather than risking something by doing it piecemeal. Well I ordered bump stops and covers because they were inexpensive. The top hats are pricey as are the rubber cushions for the bottom of the springs. It will be another 250 greenbacks to replace them all if I use KYB, is there another manufacture that is reliable and less expensive you might suggest? Thanks again and no hurry. I decided to spring for an electric impact wrench before tackling this project and it won't be here until the 26th at the earliest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reloadit Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 OK fellas, I did the rear struts on my car, I reused my top hats and boots. I bought new boots but they were the KYB boots and apparently only work with KYB top hats. I didn't do the fronts because the rear struts were completely shot, no hydraulics at all so I assume the fronts might be just as bad and the springs will be pretty abused so I ordered a set of the Kings overload springs for the front too. With the new struts and overload springs, I gained a little over an inch and half in height. I decided to stick with overload springs because I will be driving on a lot of dirt roads in the near future when I get to living off the grid. I removed my brake lines instead of cutting the brackets. Scratched my head a lot but got the two rears done, brakes bled and test drove in about 6 hours. All seemed right. Now I just got my new Milwaukee Cordless Impact wrench so I expect to get the fronts done in 3 hours. Am I asking for any problems putting the Kings overload springs on the front? They mention they are good if you do a lot of dirt road driving. I expect the ride to be a little stiffer but if all my struts are bad, I can't imagine it being any worse. Funny how stuff can fail slowly and you not even notice it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reloadit Posted April 3 Author Share Posted April 3 Got all 4 replaced, used the king overload springs on front and back with the KYB struts. Just like the rears, the front struts were shot. Now my car rides just like my wifes 2014 Outback. Before it rode like a Cadillac, now I can feel the road. The struts might have been shot when I got the car with 104K miles unless they were the reason for the sag. I reused all the top hats and boots to save a couple hundred dollars. I hope the old ones hold up well. They seem fine so far. Thank you guys for all the help. I know it might not be a great idea to have overload springs in the front but as I mentioned above I will be driving a lot potentially rough roads in the near future once I am off the grid entire in God's country. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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