Longer rear trailing arms

[Junkie]

I'm going to be lifting my 99 Legacy Outback before too long. I know that under droop, the wheel moves forward due to the relatively short trailing arm. Some people will relocate the mount, but that means that at full bump the wheels are farther back than they should be.

Has anyone tried either making extended rear arms or extending the factory arms? It seems that this would be a good way to improve the geometry.

 

[havachat]

Gorilla Offroad make longer trailing arms. My Foz has raised springs and are about to put in a 1 inch lift kit. This will give me approx 2 inches of lift.
From what I have seen on other Fozs I don't think it is absolutely necessary. It maybe different on the Outback.

 

[Junkie]

I have or have access to the tools needed to DIY pretty much anything. MIG, TIG, tubing bender with 1", 1.5", 1.75", 2" dies, notcher, press, etc.

I think the Gorilla Offroad arms mount in the factory location, and are a fraction of an inch longer to put the wheel in the right place.

What I'm proposing is mounting the arms significantly forward, so they move in less of an arc.

 

[NachaLuva]

Making longer trailing arms is not the best way to do it. It's better to fit trailing arm blocks the same height as your lift, that way the path the wheels follow with articulation is the same as stock. It's also easier lol. Search on here for my thread on trailing arm blocks :iconwink:

 

[Junkie]

Many vehicles come stock with fairly short arms simply for packaging and cost. I know many Jeeps do, including the Cherokee. Going with longer arms will often improve the geometry vs stock.

In addition, the less that hangs down low the better.

 

[stilson]

How much room is there behind the rear tyre and the rear of the wheel arch?