Are Lifts Worth the Risk?

The_Gump

The_Gump

Forum Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2021
Messages
14
Location
Canberra
Car Year
2008
Car Model
Forester
Transmission
Manual
Hi đź‘‹
I have been curious about lifting my SH Forester (2" was my preference in mind)

Then my mechanic gave quite the scathing review of lifts on Subarus the other day. He commented on his experience fitting lifts, fixing problems, and customers' poor driving experience after - "more hassle than they are worth" were his words.

He talked about car geometry, ruining coil extension downwards, and generally creating a rougher ride. His opinion appeared to be that spacer lifts are only good for aesthetics, not 4wding. Someone may be able to better explain to me the mechanical complexities of what he was talking about... to be honest, I do not fully understand it myself.

The question is, "are spacer lifts on Subarus worth the money?" and "Do they come with a risk of ruining your vehicle?" Are they really helpful out on the tracks in terms of clearance? Or are they indeed just for the look.

P.s. I bought a SubaXtreme sump guard recently. It is awesome. Thanks to those on the forum who are involved with the company!
 
The_Gump said:
"are spacer lifts on Subarus worth the money?" and "Do they come with a risk of ruining your vehicle?"
Click to expand...
Yes and No ;) Lift kits are very useful for off-road driving and I could not have taken my Foz and had the fantastic experiences on some of our iconic destinations without a lift e.g. Simpson Desert, the Old Telegraph Track Cape York, Fraser Island, Morton Island; and how about the Spanish Steps in the Blue Mountains?

BTW what vehicle does your mechanic drive?

The_Gump said:
Thanks to those on the forum who are involved with the company!
Click to expand...
No one here is "involved" with the company; like you we are just customers ;)
 
Yes they worth it...2" or 5cm is perfectly safe for all axles and such...i dont see any negatives in there...bearings are fine...axles are fine of they oem parts not some cheap stuff ..dont use those...
Tested everything from 5cm to 8cm just on struts which is too much yes .still im curious person so i tested ... So 5cm is just ok . Still that front bumper will be a problem still..
And then not just lift spacers but wheel spacers as well....25mm on mine...if dont use them rear tire would just rub spring....at least on outbacks...so im testing like even more ...its 25mm on wheels too...poor bearings....i think oem ones are just fine...or better ones...works too
 
@The_Gump my 1968 Landcruiser would do all sorts of things my Forester won't - tow a 2 tonne tandem horse float almost anywhere, for example.

However, even my 1993 Impreza would do things my Landcruiser would not. My 2006 Forester is far more capable off road than my Impreza ...

Let's not even think about performance on any road or track.
 
What risks? I haven`t found any problems with my 40 mm SubaXtreme lift yet in 300000kms. Higher lifts perhaps but 40 mm is sufficient for my requirements.
As my avatar shows Subarus also double as Toyota recovery vehicles....Under some conditions.....
En route to Cape York in, about, 2008 I volunteered to pull a mate`s Disco out of sand. Highly offending the driver. Don`t know why............
 
The_Gump said:
Kevin, have you had any experience with coil-over lift kits?

Toyota Landcruiser

News to me! Great stuff nonetheless.
Click to expand...
I have a good experience with coil-overs but its not really a kit as I had to test and combine different elements to make it work....and its not cheap but worth the effort !
 
Unlike Land Cruisers, Subaru's actually gain clearance under the diff when you fit lift spacers. This is because subarus have independent suspension. So I would say lift spacers in a Land Cruiser, or any solid axle 4wd are purely cosmetic, but on Subaru's and other independent suspension cars are very beneficial. The ride is exactly the same if you use spacers, as you are using the same springs and shocks. I am sure there will be some combination of lifted springs and shocks that will give a harsher ride. But the good thing about spacers is the ride stays the same. Being taller you will get slightly more body roll in the corners, but most people don't seem to pick the difference. And still way better handling then a stock LC.

If you lift over 2" you can run into CV issues, but sticking to 2" is fine.

I ran spacers for years, before going to Hotbits Coilovers like jf1sf5. The coilovers are a huge improvement as give more suspension travel, but quite expensive and not a kit.
 
"Being taller you will get slightly more body roll in the corners"
True indeed but not very pronounced. Even in my case, lifted 40mm, with no front sway bar, since about 2007 or so when it broke and was never replaced, body roll is not bad at all. Car feels always stable when cornering. I confess I enjoy driving around corners. Not hard enough to screech tyres but I have been known to push it at times.
 
ateday said:
True indeed but not very pronounced. ..Car feels always stable when cornering. I confess I enjoy driving around corners. Not hard enough to screech tyres but I have been known to push it at times.
Click to expand...
Drove mine like I stole it. Compared to a large 4wd, the body roll is insignificant, even when the tyres are screeching (put crap on the roof and raised the center of gravity, now that's another story.
 
The SH is already about 20mm higher than the SG in the middle. However, it also has a nearly 100mm longer wheelbase, so the ramp over angles are similar.

Contact @NachaLuva regarding what's appropriate for your vehicle. His lift kits are excellent.

Bear in mind that all Foresters are exquisitely sensitive to correct wheel alignment. My SG was within spec all round when I bought it, but all the wheels were pointing in different directions. Handled like a canal barge ... A trip to a decent wheel alignment place immediately remedied that. I won't say it now handles as well as my Impreza did, but pretty close to it.

Symptoms are pulling in one direction when rolling to a stop on a very flat road with the brakes lightly applied, and strange handling. Had everything realigned after fitting heavy duty progressive rear springs when the self levelling suspension died at around 110,000 kms. The car still handles like a dream, in fact better, if anything.

I don't have any lift at all, but would only lift by 25mm if I did.

I was more concerned about hitting wildlife, and eventually scored a s/h SubaXtreme roo bar. Its 35 kg weight in front of the front axle line actually improved the handling, plus is useful for mounting a light bar and UHF antenna.
 
I had a 2001 forester auto Lifted with 40mm SLO kit, Just that little bit of extra height made it much better on the beach! I still have SG, SG facelift and SH. The SG-FL and SH both have SLO 50mm Kits. I Think that the SLO kits are the best value for money here in Australia. No problems with cv's. I don't see how you get a rougher ride when using the standard springs. Don't just think about it DO IT. You MUST get proper wheel alignment after fitting. I don't have any issues with the lifts.
 
cheers thanks Kevin, Been lurking for some time
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top