Tired of waiting to do suspension mods-a rant of sorts

[red beast]

I think the original rims a nice too. Their balance is right on for mass appeal but for me I like to be more distinctive with the 3.0r. I don’t want to be “blingy”. I want the car to exude elegance and beastliness. Kind of ying and yang. A divergence, with tension, without creating conflict.

 

In other words “attention whore”

[caramall2]

Chucktoo:

 

I too love the outback "look" (vs GT) and off-roadability but am also a Mario Andredi road racer at heart. Would like to lower the outback an 1" and get it close to the Legacy. Sounds like you've done this (2").

 

- Are there additional threads/photos on how you did this (products, methods, etc)?

- How much does merely putting low profile tires on help?

- Do you have to replace suspension arms, etc, to get a 1" drop (e.g. can you not do it with springs/coilovers, etc alone?)

 

I've driven both the GT and XT pretty hard--XT does extremely well in some respects but definintely has suspension issues (rear) and body roll of course.

 

I know I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too. Maybe an outback with an adjustable suspension--push a button and it drops 2" and firms up, push it again and it raises back up...

 

 

AC

 

 

I have an Outback - with STP front strut tower bar, Cuscos bars front and rear and Zeal V-6s all around, SSR Comp 18x8s wheels with S-03 245x45x18s - I am happy.

 

I am 2" lower than stock but it works real well and NE snow was no problem [ Winter Sport M-3 for winter ] .

 

It is all there but not cheap.

[caramall2]

Two more questions

 

1) With your mods, how does it actually drive compared to the GT?

2) Being 2" lower, are you back to the same clearance as the GT?

 

Specs seem to show a little over 2" more clearance in the XT vs GT, but body-wise (roofline, etc), the XT appears a good 3" plus higher than the GT.

 

I think the GT needs more "fender flares" etc. The Mazda 6 wagon even looks better IMHO.

[chucktoo]

I have never driven a GT - they were not available when I bought my XT last July - GT s did not show up till last Fall in NE or I would have considered one.

 

Overall height is simular to stock GT not lowered GT.

[caramall2]

I hit send too fast on my original question and you may have missed it. Trying to find out how you did the lowering (what parts, brands, etc). Thanks!

 

 

I have never driven a GT - they were not available when I bought my XT last July - GT s did not show up till last Fall in NE or I would have considered one.

 

Overall height is simular to stock GT not lowered GT.

[sduford]

Hey thank for all the words of comfort. I'm with Jedi, and not willing to lower the car. I'm also a little skeptical of the tire specs on Tire Rack, as I recently bought tires for my GX470, and found wide discrepancies and one certain error. BUT, once some guinea pig throws them on to confirm no speedometer errors and fit, I would probably take the plunge.

 

Are the Toyo Proxes your referring to Jedi the S/T truck tires?

 

Then don't trust TireRack and go check on the Pirelli and Michelin sites! You will find that the numbers on TireRack are accurate and the Pirelli is in fact small for it's size and smaller in diameter then the Michelin.

 

Even if it wasn't, according to this tire size calculator the speedometer error would only be 1% anyway, and given that most car's speedometer read on the high side, it would actually make it more accurate.

[chucktoo]

Originally I put in "Pink Wagon" springs - now it has Zeal V-6 coilovers which are adjustable for preload and height. Everything came from racecomp.