SF Foz Lift combo's???

[danboon23]

G’day guys.
I am doing some research into a 2” lift on my 97 SF Forester and have a few queries.
I think i will be going with:
KBY struts: Excel G twin tube gas shock [F- 3341 89/90 R- 3341 91/92]

King Springs (Aus): HD 30mm Rise [F- KSFR-32 R- KSRR-33 (req KBY 334191/2 struts on rear)] $250-$350
Or
Dobinson Springs (Aus): HD 35mm Rise [C55-045] Similar price to Kings

One of these:
Subtle Solutions (USA): 1” lift kits $200-$250
Velocity Offroad (USA): 1.25” Alloy spacers
Jackson Rally (USA): 1” tophat spacers
Does anyone know of any 1” tophat spacer suppliers in Aus?

Eibach or white line camber bolts
All new bushes and ball joints.
Will look into options for the sway bar arrangment.
Bash plate
Interested in bullbar, rear bar and snorkel also

So here is the bit where i need some help:
What is the difference between the stock struts and the KBY struts?
Do the KBY struts provide any lift or only when combined with springs/tophat spacer?
What is stiffer, Kings or Dobinsons?
For those of you that have already lifted you cars in a similar way to this; what was you final gain in hight after everything had settled in? I want to get as close to 50mm as i can and need to work out the best combination of springs/spacers.
Has anyone tried using spacers between the sway bar and chassis to help maintain its normal alignment with the rest of the suspention?
Where in Western Australia can i get all this gear?

I am compileing a list of all the manufacurers of these components that i shall post soon.
Thanks in advance for you help

Cheers Daniel

 

[Tweaksta]

I've got the KYB Excel-G's with raised King Springs. Had them for about 20,000kms and I love the combo. I had the car fully fully loaded for my trip to Lake Eyre 2 years ago and there was very little sag. Trip report here. The good stuff begins halfway through page 2.

The Kings gave me about an extra 30mm.

I am looking to get the strut top spacers shortly too, just trying to fully research them before I jump in so I'll be interested to know what you find out.

 

[Tweaksta]

This is a good read if you haven't already -> https://offroadsubarus.com/showthread.php?t=1659

 

[tomtom88]

The KYB struts also allow for a larger tire to be fitted to your fozzy. The Top hats of the KYB Struts are not nearly as restrictive as the stock strut top hats.

 

[danboon23]

Thanks guys

Tweaksta; did you have any diffeance between front and rear hights?
So a KYB strut/king spring (30mm) and a 1" tophat spacer kit (25mm) will end up with a 55mm total lift?

Also happy to hear any other sugestions to achieve the 2"
Aus law only allows an increase in tyre diameter of 15mm so im gonna stick with my 205/70/15 tyres for now.
In the future i may look into a body lift and larger wheels but it will require an engineering certificate to be legel and maintain insurence.

 

[Tweaksta]

When I got the car in stock form it did suffer saggy-bum.

Since I really can't stand the saggy bum look of Foresters I went for raised rears only to try and achieve a raked look. The Kings on the front are still slightly higher than stock - by maybe 10mm or so.

So with the rears about 30mm higher and the fronts 10mm higher than stock the look is about right, however, now that they have settled down a bit (and since I do occasionally load her right up with 100-200kg of gear) it has a tendency to look stock again when fully loaded up. Unloaded it looks great.

So, now I am looking to whack some 1" spacers on all 4 struts but wouldn't mind looking into 3/8" spacers + 1" spacers on the rears to maintain rake.

["So a KYB strut/king spring (30mm) and a 1" tophat spacer kit (25mm) will end up with a 55mm total lift?"]
Yes I understand so. Although I have heard from some people that the 1" tophat spacer is actually 40mm according to some posts.....even better eh!

 

[taza]

Hey mate, I'm in Perth too. If you want to catch up sometime and check out my 2001 Forester feel free. Just message me, I'd rather explain it that way then type for an hour.

I used to have 2" with with Dobinsons(30mm) and 1" Subtle Solution lift blocks. Alignment was fine, CV's were fine. It did make a big difference but wasn't enough for what I wanted.
I have KYB's in the rear of my foz, almost 60,000km I've put on them and they are going strong. Surrisingly haven't bent, haha. I have my stock front shocks in the front but they are worn out now. Not bad for 200,000km on them and half of that of hardcore driving

This is my car with it's 5" or there abouts now. As you can see it has heaps more clearance than the GreatWall ute infront :biggrin:
I have a TJM front bar too, not as nice as a subaxtreme one but does the job and cost me 1/4 of the price Plus it's pretty strong too. Pushed bogged cars out and have hit a wheelie bin(trying to avoid being hit by a stupid driver)..

The 2" is good with some stock all terrain tyres and will get you around offroad(beach mainly) just fine. I'd highly recommend Yokohama Geolanders for tyres and they make probably more difference than the lift in my opinion offroad

Do not stack lift blocks either! It is dangerous...

 

[Kevin]

Welcome Daniel.

What is stiffer, Kings or Dobinsons?

Need to know the spring rating to compare. Kings normal HD I think are 180 ft/lb.

 

[jf1sf5]

On my SF, I also upgraded the rear with the suspension of an SG turbo(the 6 lower arms, 2 shafts and sway bar) because they are 30 mm larger, it makes the car better looking and handling.

 

[danboon23]

Cheers Taza, might take you up on that.
im working in qld for the next months so wont be back in WA till jan.
Did you get an engineers cert for your lift Tazza and if so where from and aprox how much.
if i can get the whole lot done (struts, springs, 1" or 2" body lift, 2" or 3" spacers, all the balljoints, bushes etc and engineers cert) for around $3k or so then i might do it all in one hit.

people seem to be doing different things with the front and rear.
i would like to know if i went with KYB struts, one brand of springs an 1" spacers all round, will i end up with an even 50mm lift or will front/rear now sit higher?

i have read a few things about using SG struts as they are meant to allow slightly larger tyres, is this true and are they compatible with SF without modifications?
if so then i might be better off bying new KYB SG struts rather than SF.

jf1sf5: i will look into this, cheers.

 

[danboon23]

Taza, do you have any pix or you bull bar?

 

[jf1sf5]

The first thing I did on my SF was Dobinson springs and 20 mm top hat spacers, I then mounted some SG rear struts (self leveling) with the SF springs and top hat, top hat spacers, worked perfectly.

2 years ago, I bought 2nd hand adjustable (everything !) Proflex shocks with 22 cm wheel travel front and 25 cm rear, love them !

 

[taza]

Cheers Taza, might take you up on that. im working in qld for the next months so wont be back in WA till jan.

No Prob anytime, just send me a PM on here.

Did you get an engineers cert for your lift Tazza and if so where from and aprox how much.

No I don't and in WA I can easily get away with it as it doesn't look out f place like patrols with 6" lift kits. It just looks like a standard 4WD :iconwink:
You can get it engineered in Perth for around $600.

if i can get the whole lot done (struts, springs, 1" or 2" body lift, 2" or 3" spacers, all the balljoints, bushes etc and engineers cert) for around $3k or so then i might do it all in one hit.

Easy mate, half that price If you want to do the work yourself I'm happy to help ya on a Sunday or what ever. I even have a workshop with hoist and all the tools if that makes life easier

people seem to be doing different things with the front and rear.
i would like to know if i went with KYB struts, one brand of springs an 1" spacers all round, will i end up with an even 50mm lift or will front/rear now sit higher?

Just run SF struts, in Aus I wouldn't bother with SG struts(although you can fit bigger tyres) because with the 2.0l motor running tyres that big completely wrecks the performance of the car in every way. Just ask anyone who has driven my car, hell I even get flogged by a 1.6l Ford Laser automatic It's completely crap, thus I use low range all the time :lol:
I have green Dobinson Springs, very happy with them but the ride is a little hard. Not bad, just hard. Kings have a much nicer ride, but sag noticeably more when the car is loaded up.

i have read a few things about using SG struts as they are meant to allow slightly larger tyres, is this true and are they compatible with SF without modifications?

Yes they can but personally I wouldn't bother, see above post. Oh and for the KYB ones they are more expensive too.

If I were you I'd just go 2" lift blocks all round, king springs(standard height) in the rear(for when she's loaded up, she wont sag in the @rse) or raised in the rear if you want(best thing I ever did) and new KYB shocks in the rear(front too if worn out, check first). Chuck it all in on a Sunday and have a few drinks... you then don't need an Engineers Cert :ebiggrin:
The ball joints are easy to do aswell..

Taza, do you have any pix or you bull bar?

Yes heaps..

Fitting it, was pretty easy really..

Vs stock form..

How high she is Clearance isn't an issue at all, best thing I ever did. I can get through most stuff now!

See my car still sits slightly heigher in the rear with a trailer on the back :ebiggrin:

 

[stilson]

Hi DB23,

if your struts are still good I see no reason to change them unless it is to gain the rear tyre clearance of the SG unit.

If you are using higher spring rates I'd get them in the standard height to retain the amount of travel in the shocks (drop) to avoid topping out and doing damage/losing contact with the ground.

As you have the SF a combination of strut and body lift would be ideal.

I think Sumo is working on them as we speak.

 

[danboon23]

Cheers guys

the car has done 180,000km and as far as i know still has all the original suspention components so i figure they are about due for replacment. (i would rather do the lot in one hit)
i will get them checked out when i get home in Jan.

Taza, i didnt think the bigger wheels made that much difference. i might stick to 215/70/15's (if they if on my rims)or 215/65/16's (if i need new rims).
nither should have any problems with clearence after a 2" strut lift.

so my options are:
1- KYB struts, STD kings and 2" strut blocks
this will alow max strut travel but i am not sure if std size kings are any stiffer than stock.
2- KYB struts, Raised Kings and 1" lift blocks

so far the shopping list is as followed:
Struts- $600-700
Springs- $250-400
Spacers - $200-300
Bushes, ball joints, extentions ect- ?
camber bolts if required- $35
oversize Sway bars if required- $400-500
AT tyres- $1000
Bash plate - $350-450
TJM bull bar- ?
Wheel alignment -?

if anyone could provide estimates of anything that is missing or suggest anything else that is needed i would apreciate it.

 

[stilson]

Trailing arm spacers.

 

[mr turbo]

G'day danboon23 & to ORS.

Thats a good list you've got there. Your Forry is going to be a beast

A wheel alignment will set you back about $60 or so :iconwink:

Regards
Mr Turbo

 

[Ejipner]

Taza, how did u accomplish 5in of lift? I have 2in spacers and was debating on going bigger.

 

[stilson]

In the rear I think he has 65mm spacers, 35mm springs and an inch of tyre lift. The fronts a little lower.

 

[NachaLuva]

Taza, i didnt think the bigger wheels made that much difference. i might stick to 215/70/15's (if they if on my rims)or 215/65/16's (if i need new rims).

I would stick with 15's...70 profile tyres "bag out" much better when airing down, giving better grip on sand, dirt, etc

so my options are:
1- KYB struts, STD kings and 2" strut blocks
this will alow max strut travel but i am not sure if std size kings are any stiffer than stock.
2- KYB struts, Raised Kings and 1" lift blocks

Yes, std Kings are stiffer than OEM.
My advice would be std Kings front with HD kings rear (stops "saggy bum syndrome" plus gives a nice slightly nose down attitude) with 2" lift kit. You may still need camber bolts in the rear to get neg camber, fr will be fine.

so far the shopping list is as followed:
Struts- $600-700
Springs- $250-400
Spacers - $200-300
Bushes, ball joints, extentions ect- ?
camber bolts if required- $35
oversize Sway bars if required- $400-500
AT tyres- $1000
Bash plate - $350-450
TJM bull bar- ?
Wheel alignment -?

*Struts- keep going. Will be >$200 ea!!! Def get SG rear struts, i regret not doing this myself
*Springs- ~$150 each end.
*Camber bolts- use whiteline, I think bout $70.
*Tyres- hard to beat Yokohama Geolander AT-s. ~$1000 is bout right for 4 tyres.
*Bash plate- Crossbred Sump Guard in steel ~$180 or SubaXtreme Sump Guard in BRITTLE cast alloy ~$400. Airbag compliant.
*Bull bar- keep your eyes on ebay, Gumtree, etc. Be sure it comes with mounting brackets as most 2nd hand bars dont.
*After any work on suspension a wheel alignment is vital. Tyrepower seem to be the best as they use real mechanics, not just some clown with a week of training!

You could also use quick disconnects for the rear sway bar to increase wheel travel (see Taza's thread on this). I'd stick to std sway bars. With the Kings you'll find much less body roll.

A UHF CB would be a good addition, also driving lights. I'd only go HID. Make sure they are waterproof, not "weatherproof". There are many quality brands.

After all this, you'll have a Subie that's a pleasure to drive onroad & a beast offroad!