chucktoo Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 We just got the installing pinks in my XT wagon. The ride height dropped about 2 in , I will try to get a better number over the weekend . There appears to be enough tire clearance with stock 225/55/17. About 1.5- 2 in to wheel well liners from the tires. Unless you are off roading or jumping the car should be fine . We did a bunch of railroad track crossings at high speeds and had no problems with bottoming. The XT does have much longer springs - so part of the height difference with the GT is in the subframe spacers and part in the springs. It really needs the sway bars now - Myles any word ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest *Jedimaster* Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 I'd like to see pix of the car lowered if you have them. How much did the lowering affect the handling. Also keep in mind that it will sit lower in a week or so as the springs compress more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usaplanb Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 sweet... didn't know you could put pinks on an XT. Pic would be awesome... i'd consider doing this too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucktoo Posted November 27, 2004 Author Share Posted November 27, 2004 I won't get the car back for another week - there are still a lot of mods to be done. I 'll get pictures and measurements next weekend when it come home. It should be aged by then. We just put then in to see if shims would be needed and they look OK for now - if it settles to much we will shim up an inch or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxerGT2.5 Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 [quote name='chucktoo']We just got the installing pinks in my XT wagon. The ride height dropped about 2 in , I will try to get a better number over the weekend . There appears to be enough tire clearance with stock 225/55/17. About 1.5- 2 in to wheel well liners from the tires. Unless you are off roading or jumping the car should be fine . We did a bunch of railroad track crossings at high speeds and had no problems with bottoming. The XT does have much longer springs - so part of the height difference with the GT is in the subframe spacers and part in the springs. It really needs the sway bars now - Myles any word ?[/QUOTE] Does it concern anyone that the drop was suppose to be 15mm and you got 2 inches??? WTF? OBAMA......One Big Ass Mistake America! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fressshhh Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 I think the pinks went on a legacy outback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxerGT2.5 Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 [quote name='fressshhh']I think the pinks went on a legacy outback.[/QUOTE] Yeah.....and people have been gettin over the 15mm on the GT. I'm just curious whats up? There was suppose to be no sag with these springs, but this is beyond sag. (That requires the car to settle, not right off the bat)??? OBAMA......One Big Ass Mistake America! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deer Killer Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 [quote name='BoxerGT2.5']Yeah.....and people have been gettin over the 15mm on the GT. I'm just curious whats up? There was suppose to be no sag with these springs, but this is beyond sag. (That requires the car to settle, not right off the bat)???[/QUOTE] Considering people are using the same springs on different kinds of different cars.. I haven't yet seen spring rates, and spring rates vs stock.. edit- same goes for things like sway bar sizes. We know the USDM car is heavier, we don't know where it's heavier. I think it would suck to play with the characteristics of the car in the dark.. It's going to become unpredictable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxerGT2.5 Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 [quote name='Deer Killer']Considering people are using the same springs on different kinds of different cars.. I haven't yet seen spring rates, and spring rates vs stock..[/QUOTE] Spring rates on the Pinks are out there. I'm talkin about drop in ride hight. OBAMA......One Big Ass Mistake America! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deer Killer Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 [quote name='BoxerGT2.5']Spring rates on the Pinks are out there. I'm talkin about drop in ride hight.[/QUOTE] If you put the same rate spring in a heavier corner it's going to be lower :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxerGT2.5 Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 Outbacks curb weight is 3500 Legacy GT curb weight is 3300 It's aint that much heavier. And I also stated that I think everyone who has put the Pinks on got more than a 15mm drop....including the GT's. Just curious why? OBAMA......One Big Ass Mistake America! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deer Killer Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 [quote name='BoxerGT2.5']Outbacks curb weight is 3500 Legacy GT curb weight is 3300 It's aint that much heavier. And I also stated that I think everyone who has put the Pinks on got more than a 15mm drop....including the GT's. Just curious why?[/QUOTE] Let's say we have a spring rate k in lbs/in, of say 190. At 3300 lbs equally distributed, we'd get 825lbs per corner, with a spring deformation of 825/190= 4.342 in. At 3500lbs equally distributed we'd get 875lbs per corner, with a spring deformation of 875/190= 4.605 in. That's a difference of 6.7mm. However the weight is not equally distributed. On top of that the drop heights may be based on the JDM legacy, which now makes the difference even larger. In that case going from an estimate of a JDM legacy sedan to a USDM outback wagon, we could see 15mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fressshhh Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 I'm pretty sure the outback has a higher ride height than the gt, so when you put the pinks on the outback it drops it 2 inches lower relative to the outback's ride height., not the gt's I may be wrong though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucktoo Posted November 27, 2004 Author Share Posted November 27, 2004 As best I can measure with a tape measure the XT dropped about 2" front and rear . This actually makes sense - I was trying to figureout where the height difference between the GT and XT came from - according to the shop manual there is 2.8" in wheel arch height difference - there are about 1.5" tall spacers between the frame and subframe in the XT so there should have been about another 1.5" difference caused by longer spring in the XT. Upon remooval and looking at them side by side [ sorry no pictures] XT spring free lenght is signifcantly taller than the pinks - that is a little misleading since that is unloaded height and the spring rates are very different. So if the Pinks drop a GT 15mm = .6" and XT stock loaded springs are 1.5" taller that adds up to about a 2" total drop for the XT. These are not exact numbers so please don't get hung up on them it is just an explanation of where the differences come from. All and all it worked out much better than I expected. Now real world driving will tell is the car is too low and things bottom/rub. Pictures next weekend when I get the car back . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtguy Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 The only real way to know what people got for a drop is the measure the car, pre-install, then park it in the same spot, post-install, and measure again. If STi springs are drooping, then something is wrong. When I installed the SPT kit on my WRX wagon, for example, the ride height never changed after the initial install/drive. With all the STi springs out there, I would find it surprising, indeed, if they drooped over time. Nobody has ever complained about such a thing, and we know how message boards are. :lol: Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boris Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 [quote name='chucktoo']As best I can measure with a tape measure the XT dropped about 2" front and rear . This actually makes sense - I was trying to figureout where the height difference between the GT and XT came from - according to the shop manual there is 2.8" in wheel arch height difference - there are about 1.5" tall spacers between the frame and subframe in the XT so there should have been about another 1.5" difference caused by longer spring in the XT. Upon remooval and looking at them side by side [ sorry no pictures] XT spring free lenght is signifcantly taller than the pinks - that is a little misleading since that is unloaded height and the spring rates are very different. So if the Pinks drop a GT 15mm = .6" and XT stock loaded springs are 1.5" taller that adds up to about a 2" total drop for the XT. These are not exact numbers so please don't get hung up on them it is just an explanation of where the differences come from. All and all it worked out much better than I expected. Now real world driving will tell is the car is too low and things bottom/rub. Pictures next weekend when I get the car back .[/QUOTE] The OBXT tires are 26.9" diameter, the LGT are 24.6", doesn't this explain about 1.1" of the height difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucktoo Posted November 28, 2004 Author Share Posted November 28, 2004 More information on stock suspensions from Service Manual for Outback vs Legacy Yes tire differences are 26.9" vs 24.6" = 2.3 / 2 = 1.15" difference in ground clearance for tires. Ground Clearance 8.7" vs 6.1"/5.9" [6.0 ave] = 2.7" or about 1.5" difference in suspension . So dropping the suspension 2.0" on Outback is about the same as the 15mm= .6" on Legacy or close enough. So all the height difference at the end of the day is in the Springs ? Did I miss something ? Now to put 17" x 8.5" on Outback and fix speedo error . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usaplanb Posted November 29, 2004 Share Posted November 29, 2004 Will lowering the outback 2" have any negative side effects on other suspension components? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sduford Posted November 29, 2004 Share Posted November 29, 2004 The main reason I bought an XT and not a GT Wagon was for the increased ground clearance and sturdier suspension. So I'm just curious, why would you want to buy an XT and then lower it? Shoudn't you have bought a GT in the first place? Makes no sense to me... The GT is cheaper and lighter and already has a "lowered suspension"... Sylvain www.digitalfotographer.com - Audi Q5 Club - MB-GLK Club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucktoo Posted November 29, 2004 Author Share Posted November 29, 2004 GTs were not available and dealer had no plans to get them for months last Summer in Boston. I was looking for a 1.5" drop which would have been slightly tall than GT and with a stiffer suspension. Eventually I will put in coilovers when they are available to get exactly what I am looking for. They are way to expensive to gamble on - the springs were a crap shoot and I lucked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sduford Posted November 29, 2004 Share Posted November 29, 2004 I have to admit I wouldn't mind lowering mine by up to an inch or so. Let me know what you find for coilovers, I would love to tame that under-damped rear suspension, but I haven't found anything yet... Sly Sylvain www.digitalfotographer.com - Audi Q5 Club - MB-GLK Club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drift Monkey Posted November 29, 2004 Share Posted November 29, 2004 It makes sense....the OB's springs are just that much longer is all... Assuming the struts will hold and the suspension geometry isn't greatly altered, this shoud work fine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
das s14 Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 i was suckerd for the finder flairs....hahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest *Jedimaster* Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 Me2. Chuck- how do you like the maddad downpipe? Did it fit without any modification? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucktoo Posted December 1, 2004 Author Share Posted December 1, 2004 They alligned my car today with no problems . answer to Jedimaster- should not really be in this thread. Looks like I will not get my car back till next week - still waiting on Perrin for TMIC says they will ship Thursday with BOV and Deadbolt maybe Friday for turbo . If Jerry really make his numbers 580-590 cfm at 17 psi combined with the TMIC this will start to be really awsome and over 300 whp - we will see next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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