MikeAldea Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 We all know that Legacy GT Wagons were only available with manual transmissions in 2005 which makes them rare on the used car market. But the Outback XT has been available with manual transmission for years. So my question is, What would it take to convert an Outback XT into a Legacy GT? Obviously the wheels and tire have to be changed but what needs to be changed in the suspension to lower the ride height back down to the Legacy GT level? Is it just a question of springs and struts or have the mounting points or the suspension arms been changed? Has anyone investigated this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenc544 Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 From performance point of view, there is no point in "converting" an OXT to an LGT wagon. All you really need to do is get some coil-overs and the OXT will handle better than a stock LGT wagon. LGT does have larger brake rotors and roll bars, you can swap those out with aftermarket parts too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forestir Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 The Megan Racing (MR) coil-overs available for Outback have seen a few rounds on this board... there are many members who've posted photos. Appears to be a good solution for you. Lowered OB-XT looks hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meier motor sports Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 yes you could swap suspension or use any number of coilovers that are outback specific. but is it true the ouback has some sorta body lift? i read that some where but that doesn't make any sense since the cars are unibody. ie no frame to lift the body above??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meier motor sports Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 thats lame i wonder if axels are any different? might be slightly longer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawfish Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb182/rawfish71/OB005.jpg My car can go lower. With the shitty Colorado roads I'll just have to wait 'till I move back to Cali. I also picked up a LGT rear bumper with the exhaust cut outs that I'm gonna fab. to my bumper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeAldea Posted September 14, 2007 Author Share Posted September 14, 2007 http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb182/rawfish71/OB005.jpg My car can go lower. With the shitty Colorado roads I'll just have to wait 'till I move back to Cali. I also picked up a LGT rear bumper with the exhaust cut outs that I'm gonna fab. to my bumper. So Rawfish, do you want to give us some more details on what you did suspension and wheel wise to your OB? It looks good in the photo. My goal is not to slam a wagon for looks but to have the best handling wagon for street driving that is practical for every day use and long trips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandman Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 //My goal is not to slam a wagon for looks but to have the best handling wagon for street driving that is practical for every day use and long trips. The MR coilovers and good tires - like Goodyear F1 GS D3's - will give your OBXT extremely high cornering limits. I have an LGT rear sway as well (Robinlsb gave it to me!) as well, or you could get an aftermarket bar. At the length they came, the MR coilovers dropped my car just about 2" - still a lot higher than most cars but great if you live in an area with rough roads. Specifically, measuring from the ground to the top of the wheel wells is now about 28", down from 30". http://www.geocities.com/theseventhfirst/OBW_coils1.jpg Who Dares Wins スバル Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainmorgan Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 Outbacks have a higher final drive ratio, which makes them great for high torque applications, like drag racing! I run 18x8.5 wheels with 24545/18 rubber, and correct me if I'm wrong, this is wider than what a LGT can run without having the tires stick outof the wells. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawfish Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 So Rawfish, do you want to give us some more details on what you did suspension and wheel wise to your OB? It looks good in the photo. My goal is not to slam a wagon for looks but to have the best handling wagon for street driving that is practical for every day use and long trips. For the suspension I have Megan Racing made for Outbacks. Wheels are Rota Formels 17-7.5, Tires are Michelin A/S 225-45's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby2.5 Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb182/rawfish71/OB005.jpg My car can go lower. With the shitty Colorado roads I'll just have to wait 'till I move back to Cali. I also picked up a LGT rear bumper with the exhaust cut outs that I'm gonna fab. to my bumper. In case you havent seen this already here is a link where I am putting on the JDM bumper with the cutouts. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69935 I think you will have problems with the area where the rear bumper meets the wheel wells if you try the legacygt bumper skin. In my thread someone comments on this. I have done the same as you by putting the MR coilovers. Man they make a difference. I also put the JDM rear sway bar. Love the car now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 Lowering an OB does not yield Legacy suspension wise. In addition to different struts and springs, there are subframe spacers and the lateral links in rear are different. If you lower OB to Legacy height (or worse, even less) you will end up with highly distorted suspension geometry. Like roll center completely out of whack. How bad in real life it is I don't know. If you lower it mildly, probably not too bad, i.e no "worse" than lowering Legacy (relatively to it's stock height). No doubt, replacing stock OB suspension with coilovers, doing sways and tires might yield fairly competent car handling wise. And, btw, OB has smaller brakes and slower steering ratio. I will not comment on the body cladding though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 Lowering to Legacy height (or just above) really shouldn't cause any problems. My alignments were all pretty close to spec. Why you'd want to go any lower than say a 2" drop doesn't make sense. Alignment is not everything! There is much more to suspension geometry... roll center, bump steer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbigunit Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 Based on the stock alignment called out in the owners manual, attached, i think that lowering an OB to LGT height wouldn't wreck the alignment too badly, I think it would actually just bring it closer to what it's supposed to be (stock LGT). As was mentioned in the beginning of this thread, I wanted a new manual wagon, but alas, no LGT-mt-wagons. So I've tried to make this OB into a more serious road car / weekend track car... On suspension, I run 245/45R18 tires, OB-Megan coilovers, COBB F/R Sways, and recently completed an OEM LGT caliper swap with new rotors and pads, and am very happy with the results. Can post pics if interested. -Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbigunit Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 Ok, here's 3 quick pics i snapped at work. I have the OB Megan Coilovers set pretty much at the lowest height w/o removing preload from the spring. In fact, I actually ran into the CV boot tearing debacle because I lowered it too much. the 245/45R18 tires are less than 0.2% smaller (OE Dia is 26.74", now it's 26.68") although in actuality it may even a little larger since there's less sidewall compliance. the brakes still look small *sigh* but they are great for day to day driving, and hopefully the EBC Yellowstuff pads, and DBA 4000 rotors hold up to a track day @ laguna seca. for the front sways (the OE LGT sways are slightly narrower than the OBXT ) I used the 5mm spacer solution. hope this helps... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfxdave99 Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 Ok, here's 3 quick pics i snapped at work. I have the OB Megan Coilovers set pretty much at the lowest height w/o removing preload from the spring. In fact, I actually ran into the CV boot tearing debacle because I lowered it too much. the 245/45R18 tires are less than 0.2% smaller (OE Dia is 26.74", now it's 26.68") although in actuality it may even a little larger since there's less sidewall compliance. the brakes still look small *sigh* but they are great for day to day driving, and hopefully the EBC Yellowstuff pads, and DBA 4000 rotors hold up to a track day @ laguna seca. for the front sways (the OE LGT sways are slightly narrower than the OBXT ) I used the 5mm spacer solution. hope this helps... Nice car, it looks VERY sharp! If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough. - Mario Andretti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbigunit Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 Thanks, gfxdave, but not as sweet as the spinning exhaust tip! sebberry, the wheels are 18x8.5" Rota SVN's. Theres definitely a lot less sidewall flex both because of the reduced sidewall height and the increased tire pressure (5-10psi higher for street use). The tires I have on of BFG G-Force. I literally have about 3/8" to 1/2" of clearance between the tire and rubbing the spring perches. so close, but it's worth it, the grip is amazing now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbigunit Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 My goal is not to slam a wagon for looks but to have the best handling wagon for street driving that is practical for every day use and long trips. Definitely the same goal I had... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbigunit Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 yup, it's about an inch from the actual shock body, it's just really close to the spring perch. i don't think I could have gotten it in with a stock suspension setup unless the spring perch for the shock didn't start until it cleared the tire (which I think it would?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Box1813 Posted September 21, 2007 Share Posted September 21, 2007 Well, if you are going to drop to LGT ride heigt wouldn't the LGT coilover give you the same drop with more aggressive rates and more tire clearance? If I remeber BoostJunkie said the LGT variant would actually go +0.5 in above stock LGT ride height. That would be perfect for the OB (provided nothing else was in the way) Please tell me if I'm wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbigunit Posted September 21, 2007 Share Posted September 21, 2007 You are correct. I think the target for the OB specific coilovers is that you can keep the stock OB ride height. If I could do it again, I'd get the LGT coilovers... plus they have that camber plate instead of reusing the top hat, right? Does that fit on outbacks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbigunit Posted September 21, 2007 Share Posted September 21, 2007 how come theres no thread on what to do if you want to convert your legacy gt into an OBXT? haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 22, 2007 Share Posted September 22, 2007 how come theres no thread on what to do if you want to convert your legacy gt into an OBXT? haha. Actually, I am thinking about it... I am in the market for another LGT wagon, and on that one I would like to raise the suspension a bit, about to the height of previous generation of Outbacks. There aren't many options... well, there is only one, Megan Racing coilovers, which I need yet to try out. Alternatively, aftermarket OB specific Bilsteins struts, but these are available only in Japan. I guess that in order to do it properly, I'd have to put in the spacers and swap the lateral links... but I'll see. Before you ask - no, I won't buy an OB. I just can't stand the slap on body cladding , especially on the doors. Meh. Smaller brakes and slower steering rack are deal breakers, too, especially teh latter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbigunit Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 = ( I think the cladding isn't bad... yeah... OB negatives are definitely brakes, but my brakes are fixed, i found a pair of LGT calipers for $50 and slapped em on with better rotors and pads... i think i can live without the steering rack... I think the higher profile rack rails are ugly... I don't like the turndown exhausts either... on the positive side over the LGT wagons... OBs have larger wheel wells and overall diameter. I'm running 245/45R18 and thinking about 255's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 Never wanted an Outback, at least never 2005+. Yuck. I admit though my slightly lowered Legacy when loaded up with people and cargo can't leave pavement at all. Hence the plan for the Legacy #2 to ride bit over stock height (max to old Outback height) so I can navigate some dirt roads in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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