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Initial photos of Outback with Coilovers


03Indigo

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I think it is OK, not much noticed off the line, where i notice the difference is in 3rd gear, and highway passing. 1st gear is so wicked quick anyway, not much of a chance to notice a difference there, at least for me.

 

you are welcome to try my car with it some time to see if it feels different to you, since my handling is on par with yours right now, should translate fairly well power wise for a comparison.

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here are some before and after pics for the current settings I am running. A bit higher than the photos above...but there is also a comparison to stock.

 

I tried to match angles and stuff like that, it was the best i could do at the moment.

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highfront.jpg.7478813fa3eb4adc721d48d7647e3c8a.jpg

highback.jpg.dc2b1dd92b83989ff009fde12363c282.jpg

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here are some before and after pics for the current settings I am running. A bit higher than the photos above...but there is also a comparison to stock.

 

I tried to match angles and stuff like that, it was the best i could do at the moment.

 

...so, I've been lurking/posting here (more lurking than posting) since Aug when I first got my XT, which happend to be identical to your's. I've been trying to refrain from spending my money on upgrading the crappy Potenzas and unappealing stock rims (at least 'till I wear out the rubber), and/or doing something about the squirmy stock suspension. All I can say is...

 

...with people like you doing upgrades like this, my money's as good as spent! :D

 

That's one of the best looking, most tasteful mods I've seen on an OB posted here. Very, very nice. I don't know if I'd be ok losing the stock ground clearance come Winter out here, but I do like the look. Dare I ask what the coil overs ran you, ball park?

 

Also, I've read a lot about 245 rubber on these cars causing tramlining, hydroplaning, etc, not to mention I'm told that Subarus are notorius for eating tires quickly (I assume due to the AWD)...have you seen any adverse effects of the 245's, or even running 45 series tire? I'm debating between sticking with a 17" rim and upgrading to 245's like Fast Sly just did, or throwing-in the towel and doing 18" rims AND 245's.

 

Any advice/feedback would be appreciated

 

Rgds,

Tim G.

 

"Make the bad man stop!" :lol:

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thanks for the compliments, and sorry about your money, I have that effect on many of my friends.

 

As for the cost, well, you can find coilovers all over the internet, you might want to find the max ride height before you purchase them, I would say get the highest versions you can find, as there is an issue of running LGT wagon shocks on the OBXT...you end up real close to your bump stops. You can also do what Chucktoo did, he had 2" added to the shock to get more ride height out of his Zeal V6 coilovers.

 

Coilovers in general run from about $1600 on up. Most expensive I have seen is about $2600, I was on the low end of average between those 2. I got them from http://www.rallitek.com, so you can see the price for yourself.

 

As for the tires, well, here in colorado, it has been raining, snowing and down right crappy weather for the past week, no hydroplaning, no tramlining, no issues what so ever with my tires, and they are summer tires....I felt secure, safe, and had some fun around corners and on hard acceleration. I say, for those that say there are issues, it more has to do with the suspension that comes stock on the outback than the difference between a 225 tire and a 245 tire. That is only a 20mm difference, and on the same width rim, that only added about 15mm of tread width when going to my 18" rims.

 

I say, look into a suspension, but if you are patient, there will be a ton more options out later this year for the OB specifically, but as for rims and tires, DO IT, get the 18" and go 245...you won't look back. I promise. Did the same thing on my Allroad when I had it, and they come with the same wheel tire size set up as the Outback...and I never had an issue there either.

 

Wear is wear on tires, all wheel drive will always burn up tires quicker, period. Pay to play, turbo, all wheel drive, spirited driving, what do you expect to happen to PERFORMANCE tires. They will ALWAYS wear out quickly, just the nature of the beast. Performance tires are not rated for 40K miles for a reason, no matter how you drive, they won't last that long.....if you want a tire that lasts that long, you will give up handling and safety, but it comes down to what value means to you, and what you want out of a tire. For me, I want traction, cornering, and braking, as well as adverse weather control...so I look for great rain tires for the summer, and ultra high performance all seasons for the winter, like the ContiExtremeContact.

 

hope that helps

 

cheers

jon

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You're running 18x7.5 ET48 wheels, right? Do you think there's any issues with 18x8 ET51 wheels and 245/45-18 tires? I'm more concerned about the inside clearance rather than the outside.
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well, got the custom painted Perrin rear sway installed, along with the Perrin rear sway/subframe braces. I also put in the Cusco Type II rear underbracing today. Here are the shots of the parts on the car. Sorry for the photo quallity, lighting was off since the car was in the garage. The color of the sway bar is very close to the Cusco color, but Cusco is metalic, and the sway bar is glossy but flat blue powder coating. I also installed the AVO endlinks.

 

I will try to install the front's next week, got too tired today.

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for the type of driving i do, the rear lower arm bars are not noticable....but the sways make a big difference. I have both the rear and front at the stiffer settings. The car is very precise in corners, very predictable, and if pushed very hard, has a slight tendency to rotate, but that takes a LOT of effort.

 

I am very happy with the set up, although, I have a large clunk...see the suspension forum for details...once I get that resolved, I will be back out having fun in the car.

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