Lifting my DD Legacy wagon

shanditalia458

Forum Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2017
Messages
22
Location
Salem, WV
Car Year
1996
Car Model
Legacy L
Transmission
4EAT
Hi all.
I have been recently looking into trail driving with my Subaru, nothing too high speed/ridiculous, and need all the information as to what I need to do to get another ~2 inches. Here is what I think I want:

KYB GR2 Outback struts on all 4 corners with my original springs (the ones on my car right this second)
KYB Strut Boots (if necessary)
Group N front strut mounts (top hats) from Rallitek
KYB rear strut mounts
1st gen Forester 15x6 steel wheels, with -->
205/70R15 Yokohama Geolanadar A/T G015

Any and all advice/feedback/questions/comments/concerns are appreciated
 
Ciao !

Group N front top hats is probably not necessary. But I blew both rear top hats on heavy corrugations in Morocco...

Strut boots are important to protect the shafts from the stones.
 
Thanks for the advice. Though I have some wiggle room with the money, I might still go with the Group N's simply because they are OEM I hear and are rally spec.

Tell me more about this Morocco excursion though hahahaha
 
Will 15" wheels clear your brake calipers?
 
What model Legacy? Gen 1 is 15", not sure about gen2, gen 3 is definitely 16"

If you have the money, 15" Method Racing or Team Dynamics will fit and look great!

I'd go something a little bigger than stock size tyres, 215/70/15 or 215/75/15 which is what I have in my muddies.

When you put the Outback struts on, it will gain you about 1.5" lift (not 100% sure with Legacy springs though). Don't forget to get either Outback trailing arm brackets or 1" spacers. I can help with the spacers if you want them.
 
@Kevin: My OEM wheels are 14 inch so I would think so lol, but feel free to express opinions and concerns :)

@NachaLuva: It's a 1996 Legacy L wagon. The base wheels are 14 inch, but depending on the trim level (LS and up) you could get 15-16 inch wheels. I have 14 as stated above. My stock tires are 185/70R14, and the tires I want are a little larger. I didn't want to run something too wide that's why I went with 205 width/70R15
 
Also NachaLuva, will my legacy springs lift the car on outback struts? And where could I get outback trailing arm brackets?
 
I don't think we got 14" rims on the gen 2 here, it was either 15" or 16". Stock here is 205/70/15

The Outback spring perch is higher than the Legacy spring perch, not sure what the total lift will be with that combination. Probably 0.5-1.5"

You can get the Outback trailing arm brackets from Subaru or a wrecker, or I can provide spacers to use with your stock brackets. FREE shipping to the US! :)
 
Yeah U.S. had a little more options probably. Base wheels here are a 14x5.5 with 185/70R14. If I go up a size it gives me options for A/T tires.

With the higher spring perch, won't that automatically push the already longer damper up more, regardless of spring length? I was hoping to get at least an inch from the Outback struts alone. What would a full outback strut and spring combo give me?

How much for the spacers from you? I will do some shopping around and compare pricing and availability and pros and cons to best determine what I want.

Thanks much for the input/advice
 
With Outback springs & struts you get around 1.5-1.7" lift.The Legacy struts may be shorter or a different spring rate so I don't know the lift you'll get. I would guess at 1"

I'll PM prices to you :)
 
Ok, so a complete outback strut would give me more. I am also concerned about the CV angles being too far out of spec. What will happen to the angle once I put on a 15 inch rim up from 14 inch?

As for the PM, look forward to seeing it
 
The axle shafts are still centered in the wheel, be it 14, 15 or 16, so the suspension geometry remains the same.
 
I have a 97 Legacy sedan. It has 98 Outback wagon springs/struts and 225/60/16s. I am right around 9.5" of clearance at the factory pinch weld front jack point. If I have read properly the factory clearance at this point is 6.1 inches. So between tire and factory wagon strut/springs that is right about 3.5" of lift. The car sits high enough now that I can crawl under it without jacking it up. It is a bit tight though. I am also pretty sure I could drive over a cinder block if I had to.

I am not sure as to using your current springs. But I would really try to locate the 98-99 Outback wagon setup.

I recently killed my drivers cv but the boot was ripped way before the lift. I am also pretty sure the ATV path I went on didn't help either. I picked up a 98 Legacy OB wagon so I will be getting a bit more lift soon.

I hope it is okay to post anouther forum here but this post is a really good resource, https://www.dirally.com/forums/show...ial-quot-How-to-Lift-your-Impreza-quot-Thread
 
So Rabbid you are saying you went 3.5 inches of lift and didn't lower the drivetrain at all? And what of the new CV? Any problems?

Also, is there ANY concern I should have or be prepared for once I complete the entire project? Wobble at speed, need to lengthen steering shaft, etc.
 
A few more questions,

This is more for knowledge than necessity, but is the Outback spring longer than the Legacy Spring? Because if not, I will just use my old springs. If so, I will get Outback spring/struts.

Concerned with inner splash shield clearance. I recently found out that the 1st gen Outback is literally a lifted Legacy, and the OEM tire/rim combo is EXACTLY what I want, so that tells me that the tire rim combo I want will work, I just need to put on the lifted struts. Am I wrong?

Also, What effects does removing the inner splash shield have? Or should I be concerned with the fender and splash shield? As stated above, if the OEM 1st Outback setup works and it is just a rebadged Legacy, then fender clearance shouldn't be a problem, right?

Lastly, I am given to understand that an Outback strut/spring combo will give me around 2 inches of lift. Are the CV's still safe? What is the known maximum without lowering the drivetrain?

Apologies for the mass questions, just a concerned Subie owner who wants to keep his car for as long as possible
 
Yes Outbacks are a factory lifted Liberty/Legacy. It's lifted about 1.5". You can also use SG Forester struts to lift it a little more & with better tyre to spring perch clearance

Do you mean the wheel arch liner? It protects the wiring loom from flying rocks & sticks. Lots of people remove them but I wouldn't suggest it lol
 
I haven't done any thing but the spring/struts and bigger tyres. I have not had any issue due to the lift. I did blow my drivers side front cv but it had a really bad torn boot since I bought it in 2012. The lift probably helped kill it. I am about to part out a 98 wagon and put all the sub frame lift bits on it. I am also thinking about using Forester springs up front. The car sits abit higher in the rear and I really want it to be even.

Mine actually feels more like riding on the back of a bulldog, if that makes since. It handles way better now then it did stock sedan, at least to me. I've only had it offroad once so I can't really comment on that.
 
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