Cheapest 2" SF strut lift ?

junglejim

Forum Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2014
Messages
4
Location
Audubon, NJ
Car Year
2002
Car Model
Forester
Transmission
auto
Hello all, I'm new to the forum and have found a ton of good info here! I have a bone stock 1999 Foz and am looking to do the cheapest 2" strut lift I can find. I see a couple of DIY options but unfortunatley I don't have the tools (or time!) to make one up. The only 2" kit I found was by Sumo for $400. Can I use two 1" kits by Gorilla? That is the cheapest I could find to do just a 2" strut lift as their 1" kit is $115 so $230 all together.

I'll be doing some mild off roading so didn't want to get crazy with it and cost is a factor as well. If I can do the 2 Gorilla kits, is there anything else I need to consider, or need to upgrade, when installing?

Thanks for your help!!!!
 
Gidday JJ

A warm :welcome: to the forum, mate.

If I were you, I would forget about the cheapest possible lift, and look for a cheap sump guard instead. No matter how high you lift your car, there is always some rock, somewhere, with your sump's number in its sights ... My sump has some nastiest dings in it, and I am flaming glad to now have a s/h SubaXtreme guard under it. They might not be the best sump guard ever made, but better by far than the ABS plastic engine bay under-cover.

Learn to drive within your car's current capabilities, and it might just surprise you as it stands. However, for off-road use, some sort of sump guard is really not negotiable ...

I took my '93 Impreza over some fairly startling "roads" and "tracks" without either a sump guard or any kind of lift. It had about 125 mm clearance, and appalling hang, approach and departure angles. It still performed amazingly well.

Nothing like as good for this as even the stockest of stock SF Foresters though!
 
Yeah, I agree. Having done a lot of the digging around on the net for the same information that you are currently looking for I can tell you that $400 for a 2inch lift is around the mark. Mine cost a little over that but was made with love and amazing attention to detail that I was more than happy to pay for (just got to get round to installing the damn thing) :lol:

The thing to remember is that cheap may be good now, but when you are out the back of beyond and it fails you may have second thoughts. Remember, the reason we modify our cars is to get into places that are hard to get to. one recovery from a bush track will cost you so much more than any lift kit possible.

And to answer your question about the two sumo kits, no, it wont work. At a guess i would suggest that the geometry would be all off and your wheels would end up somewhere they are not meant to be.

+1 for the sump guard too...next time I am in Melb I am getting one. Til then I'm sticking to tracks that i know dont get anywhere near my sump
 
Thanks guys! A sump guard is definitely in my future as well before I even attempt to take the fozzy offroad......

Doug86 did you get the Sumo 2" lift? If so how do you like it?
 
2" lift on a SF is too much, you will have front CV issues...
 
I got Nachaluva to make me a kit.

some details here

https://www.offroadsubarus.com/showthread.php?t=4487

I havent put it on as it seems the gods are against me, work slamming me, having the wrong camber bolts delivered, destroying my ankle and having mates not return my tools :furious:

I have an SG XT that currently is only lifted by the BFGoodrich AT tyres on it. gives it about 2cms of lift. I'm not planning on going for taller springs or anything as that will put way too much stress on the CVs. If i was going for a suspension lift in combonation with the strut top then I would def only go one...or go for Nacha's full kit
 
Sorry to hear about your project, I have that kind of luck myself ...lots of great info in that thread thanks Again Doug86!!
 
I've got the 1" lift from Paranoid fabrications (same as the Gorilla lift, just worked out a few dollars cheaper with postage to Perth), in my SG. This gives me 225mm of clearance from my measurements. Which is about the same as most stock larger 4wds, meaning I can now easily follow the sandy rutty trails that other 4wd's make. I was already very happy with my cars stock capabilities, but I am much more happy now after the lift.

There will always be times when you want more lift, but everyone has to draw the line somewhere. I chose to stop before I start going through CV's, but I do understand why people go higher.

As for sump guards, you can save money by making you're own, I've made two out of the same $60 piece of aluminum, and there's plenty of guides on the internet.
 
Mine is from Paranoid....just tell Shane it's for a Forester and he'll send you the right ones. To make it easier, order the new bolts from him as well so you don't have to go looking for the right size.
 
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