Strut top lift basics

[Fly]

Hello,

First of all - please don't be mad if it has been answered, I'm slowly going thru the 9 pages to see if this has been answered before Put shortly - I'm on a budget. Replacing all the springs is not an option right now. And my mechanical knowledge is still limited, I'm learning...

My needs: better clearance for those remote forest roads, yet retaining suitability as a daily drive (and highway to get to these roads!). I'm not looking at hardocre offroading here. I know I won't be able to follow the YJs :lol: So... reading a bit, it appeared that a strut lift was the most accessible option. But some things are still confused:

• What is the reasonable height that can be reached safely (without causing excessive wear on other components)?
• How does it affect daily handling? MPG? Cornering? Etc
• What do I need, besides the spacers (and bolts, obviously)? Camber bolts? (Or so I've read? Honestly, I haven't really understood their use) Anything else?
• After the installation, anything specific I need to do? (alignement? etc... besides getting that Foz dirty )

FYI I'm looking at the Primitive Racing lifts as I'll be getting a skidplate/diffguard at the same time. My Foz is an 02. Everything suspension-related is stock.

Thanks guys!
Cheers

 

[mr turbo]

You can go the 1" lift no worries. If you go 2", you'll still be ok but it can put a little stress on your CV's.

With the handling, I'll leave that for others to answer, as I've got both a spring & strut top combo on mine. So I can't really say how having just the strut tops would be.

If you go over 1" I'd get some camber bolts. But if you only go the 1" you shouldn't need anything else.

Once you have either of the lifts installed, you will need an alignment done.

Hope this helps

Regards
Mr Turbo

 

[thunder039]

Hello,

First of all - please don't be mad if it has been answered, I'm slowly going thru the 9 pages to see if this has been answered before Put shortly - I'm on a budget. Replacing all the springs is not an option right now. And my mechanical knowledge is still limited, I'm learning...

My needs: better clearance for those remote forest roads, yet retaining suitability as a daily drive (and highway to get to these roads!). I'm not looking at hardocre offroading here. I know I won't be able to follow the YJs :lol: So... reading a bit, it appeared that a strut lift was the most accessible option. But some things are still confused:

• What is the reasonable height that can be reached safely (without causing excessive wear on other components)?
• How does it affect daily handling? MPG? Cornering? Etc
• What do I need, besides the spacers (and bolts, obviously)? Camber bolts? (Or so I've read? Honestly, I haven't really understood their use) Anything else?
• After the installation, anything specific I need to do? (alignement? etc... besides getting that Foz dirty )

FYI I'm looking at the Primitive Racing lifts as I'll be getting a skidplate/diffguard at the same time. My Foz is an 02. Everything suspension-related is stock.

Thanks guys!
Cheers

2 inch will be fine height.
there will be some reduction in on road performance but that is just due to the center of gravity. other then a 4 wheel alignment then you should be fine

 

[Barry]

The advantage of a 2" lift is that it can (SHOULD) have in-built off-set, so no need for the camber bolts.
I would NOT fit front camber bolts, due to the risk of the thinner bolts breaking under load.
I have camber compensating bushes in the back, which are fine.
Quality 2" strut top plocks simply weren't available when I did my 1" + 1" longer springs.
Mine works fine, but a 2" lift on the standard springs would certainly be cheaper. Then go for heavier springs later when you can afford.
The lift may cost you new boots for your cv joints after a while, but hey, there is a cost to everything!
I recon my handling has actually improved with my raised King Springs & 1" subtlesolutions strut top blocks. Fuel economy still good as well.

 

[Fly]

Thanks guys!

So to summarize, let's say I go 1.5in (1.0+0.5), I'd need rear camber bolts, wheel alignement after that, and I should be G2G.

2in could be possible, but I'd be flirting a bit with the cv joint's stress limits, so 1.5in would be safer yet a significant improvement.

Correct?

Plus with that I'll keep an eye out if I can find good deal on a set of wheels to get more (and slightly bigger then stock size) offroad-suitable tires that I can swap when I plan a trip.

 

[thunder039]

i dont think anyone is making 1.5inch spacers only 1 and 2 inch. they should come with the camber built in so there should be worry about that other then getting a wheel allignment
2inch will be safe there are people with 2+ inch that have done many ks with out an issue

 

[Rally]

I think you'd need to be doing some pretty hardcore offroading to need a lift at all

 

[Fly]

i dont think anyone is making 1.5inch spacers only 1 and 2 inch. they should come with the camber built in so there should be worry about that other then getting a wheel allignment
2inch will be safe there are people with 2+ inch that have done many ks with out an issue

That's correct! Primitive has .5, .75, 1 and 1.25. A 1.5 lift would be 1 + .5 :iconwink:

As for 2in... I dunno. I've heard that 2in is pushing it... others say it's alright... ARG! So now I'm confused

I think you'd need to be doing some pretty hardcore offroading to need a lift at all

Not really... Just Canadian forest roads, LOL! I've hit the limit (litteraly and figuratively) already when the plastic mudguard got ripped off on rocks. And I was very careful. So now... skidplates and lift are in order.

 

[Rally]

Well those Canadian tracks must be pretty bad then. I've done all this with a standard height Forrie and not being bogged once. Admittedly, it was slow going but a 1" lift would have made marginal difference:

The first two were with the plastic tray, which while slightly damaged was ok

 

[Biesel]

it's your car mate if you want to lift it, lift it.

 

[taza]

I find that having lift means I damage less of the car offroad than I used to without. I don't have to creep over rocks and the likes worrying if I'm going to hit undernieth.

2" for the most part in combination with some stock size or slightly bigger all terrains will make any Subaru much more capable.
Personally I would never offroad a stock height Subie as when I did with mine I damaged quite a few thousand dollars worth of the car. With the lift the things I found challenging I can do easy now.

Everyone to their own though.

Taza

 

[thunder039]

I find that having lift means I damage less of the car offroad than I used to without. I don't have to creep over rocks and the likes worrying if I'm going to hit undernieth.

2" for the most part in combination with some stock size or slightly bigger all terrains will make any Subaru much more capable.
Personally I would never offroad a stock height Subie as when I did with mine I damaged quite a few thousand dollars worth of the car. With the lift the things I found challenging I can do easy now.

Everyone to their own though.

Taza

ditto with epecially with the saggy rear end of the 1st gen's also.
i got my lift to prevent damage while offroad

 

[Rally]

I'm not saying don't lift it- it is after all up to you. I just found it has not been necessary, and apart from a cracked plastic splash guard, I have had no damage to my car. The advantage of not doing it is a car that is better on the road, and I have more money to spend on other things. On the other hand, as we have seen on other threads, I drive like an old woman compared to everyone else too!:lol:

 

[Fly]

Well, I don't know any old woman who would've done what you posted last page

But I'm with Taza on that one. While I don't have the cash to get a full suspension lift and everything, I prefer to make the ~500$ investment to get the skidplate/diffguard/strut toplift to get a little more margin, than either break something (and pay even more on repairs) or turn around because I don't think I can make it.

 

[Rally]

Well, I must confess I do have a sump guard. Now.

Anyway, have lots of fun and take lots of photos of your beautiful country! Outside of my long interest in Europe, I really would love to see Canada.

 

[NachaLuva]

I think the sump guard is just about compulsory! But I also think a lift just adds some tracks that you couldnt do otherwise while lifting your car's belly out of harms way. It gives you more time to learn skills without damaging your car

 

[taza]

I think the sump guard is just about compulsory! But I also think a lift just adds some tracks that you couldnt do otherwise while lifting your car's belly out of harms way. It gives you more time to learn skills without damaging your car

haha, I had no sumpguard or lift for the first year of owning my Forester. It basically got r@pped in the process. Everything from the clutch to bent rims, smashed panels, smashed sump and exhaust, etc...

 

[bobbotron]

Where in Canada are you? I'm in Ottawa, I drive around a fair bit in Quebec, lots of crappy roads to have fun on. Put a skid plate on my 05 forester, money well spent.

The forest roads around here have a lot of crap (rocks, sticks, etc) on them. I'd LOVE to get a 1" lift for my forester some day, though TBH I've done well with so far except for one mystery ding on my oil pan from before I got the plate installed. Right now, the lift is too much headache to bother with.

Off topic, out of curiosity, is there a good reason why all the aftermarket camber bolts are smaller diameter? You'd think someone would build a beefier bolt.

 

[Rally]

I taught myself to drive on unsealed roads in a lowered, heavy V8 Falcon that went places it had no right to be. It was a car that was so easy to get bogged, almost as if it was designed to get bogged. But it meant I got a lot better at avoiding getting bogged, etc. When I bought the Forrie, that knowledge came in very handy, as I had developed an eye for what part of the track to place the car, and what speed I needed, and so on. I think that is why I have never bogged the Forrie. So I believe having a car with limited ability actually makes you a better driver, as the driver has to make up for the car's shortcomings.

 

[Fly]

I'm in Quebec city!

I often go hiking in ZECs and to get to the best places (the least "humanized" areas), I gotta drive a fair bit in remote roads forest roads. When I see other vehicles, it's either quads or lifted pickups/Jeeps. Last time I was in this area: https://goo.gl/maps/n3Iv

The "remote forest roads" bit is almost as fun as the hike, but it'd be better if I wasn't afraid I was gonna break something because of how low I am At one point I had to get on reverse for about 100m until I could turn around because the trail was barely large enough for the car... while it's not much of an issue in itself, it was impossible to get around holes or larger rocks, so going further was too risky.

@Rally: That's true. Having a more limited car means that the driver has to compensate with his skills. Still, you can't get over nor around a 8in-high protrusion with a stock Forry on a road barely large enough for the car, no matter how much skills you have