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Time for some suspension work 05 OBXT

6K views 36 replies 11 participants last post by  traildogck 
#1 ·
My 05 OBXT has 121k miles and its to the point where the rear struts are bouncy, the rear of the car likes to lift and roll over small bumps and overall the ride is very floaty and non-confidence inspiring. The front control arm bushings are shot as well.

Car is my DD. I drive on mostly two lane and divided highway with speeds ranging from 30mph to 70mph. I like to take the occasional dirt or seasonal road or find empty fields or trails as well. I don't typically haul a lot of weight as most of the time it's just me or me and one passenger, but I do carry a couple hundred pounds of gear in the trunk. I also frequently have items on the roof. I load kayaks on the roof and fill the back with camping gear as often as time allows. I hope to get a hitch and a small utility trailer to move around lawn/outdoor equipment in the future and maybe a small teardrop camper, but this likely won't be for a few years.

I am aware the 03-04 struts are stiffer and part of me is leaning towards getting them, but I don't have the funds to get stiffer springs at the moment and I don't want my dogs to get carsick riding with me. My last car was a 14 WRX with stock suspension and before that I had a lowered 06 Legacy with Konis that was honestly a bit too stiff for my liking.

I hope all this information helps!

I'm putting together a shopping list of components to replace and thought it would be a good idea to ask here to make sure that a) these are the correct parts b) there are not better parts for the same $ I should be looking at and c) I'm not forgetting anything.
 

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#2 ·
Doesn't sound like you need stiffer springs. I only recommend them when you're always hauling cargo or pulling a trailer every weekend.

Get new struts and inspect the bushings all around- you will likely find a few torn and stretched out, and that will probably lead you to replacing more than just a couple of bushings. @traildogck with more details...
 
#3 ·
To be honest, I want the springs more for a lift than anything else. Unfortunately grad school takes precedence though so I can't justify the extra cost right now.

What other bushings are likely to need to be fixed?

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#6 ·
I did my 05 OBXT suspension 2 years ago and it transformed the car into something I wanted to drive again. I did 04 KYB front and rear struts, rear camber adjusters, front camber adjustment bolts, wrx sti front arm rear bushings. 07 alignment specs with 200 lbs in cargo area, camber at negative 1.0 degrees front, negative 1.25 degrees rear. I wanted more negative camber but that was all I could get and have it even on both sides. Still, car is secure and stable, no tire wear issues at all.

It will be really stiff at first and soften slightly over the first 1k miles or so. Mine also appears to ride slightly higher than factory, but only slightly and I haven't measured it. We are happy with results. Before I fixed suspension I'd grab keys to my Brighton first as it rode and drove better.......HP not withstanding!

Side note also had to do turbo, oil cooler, remove pan and clean, turbo oil feed filter kit, decatted up pipe and down pipe. And you may laugh but I used an Ebay Chinese turbo center section which has now 10,000 miles on it with no issues so far. I run Rotella T6 synthetic with Motor Kote hyper lube additive.

I Wish you success with your upgrades!
 
#7 ·
Thanks for your feedback. I haven't ordered the parts yet and I keep going back and forth about the 04 vs 05 struts. Either way I would match the front and rear.

I've heard quite a few folks say the 04 struts are too stiff, but I wonder how many gave them time to break in before swapping for 05 struts or did the mismatch 05 front/04 rear that is popular.

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#11 ·
I've heard quite a few folks say the 04 struts are too stiff, but I wonder how many gave them time to break in before swapping for 05 struts or did the mismatch 05 front/04 rear that is popular.
I ran 04 rears for 5000 miles, with 05 fronts, both brand new. I hated the rear, took them off and put in 05. Im MUCH happier with the comfort. My car is a DD and runs empty 99% of the time.

I gave my 04 rears to phatvw, whose first page suspension thread promotes the mismatch. He removed his 05 rear, installed the 04 rear, and says he is happy. He also has rear Rallytek springs. But his front end is stock springs with 05 dampers. So he is your poster child for mismatched changes to the rear only.. look for his post about it.

I otoh, disagree with changing only the rear dampers and or springs, Im from the school of , make the changes to both front and rear.

see this post, it covers the same info:
http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/4372226-post10.html
 
#8 ·
From those with experience I think the general suggestion is to either stay with the '04 kyb set or with the '05 and not mix match. The '04's stiffness will settle and from the comparisons sit a smiggen lower than the '05 gen.

If you want adjustability BCBRs are lovely. With a custom softer spring you'll have tons of delight. Have them on mine and i'm only 1.5" below stock with a rake. Depending on the conditions of roads around you thats a different matter. I rarely take mine off roading anymore. But the spirited drives are delightful.

I also recommend ugrading your sways and endlinks - HUGE HUGE HUGE difference. Sounds like you know the way you want to go but I highly suggest reading before you do a mixmatch of KYB struts.
 
#12 ·
Question, I was just reading an older thread that said the Ralitech rear springs were designed to be used with OEM front springs and OEM struts. I'm not sure if I can swing the extra cost right now, but is this true that I could run just the ralitech rear springs without any imbalance or issues?

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#19 ·
is this true that I could run just the ralitech rear springs without any imbalance or issues?
The OP of the suspesion FAQ, phatvw, uses Rallitek rear springs. He had Gen3 dampers, did not like them on the rear, so he put my Gen 2 take offs (that I did not like with stock springs) on the rear and kept gen3 in front.

He says he likes gen2 rears with Rallitek rear springs better than gen3 rears with Rallitek springs, and he likes the gen3 dampers with stock springs on front.. iow, half assed, (hard tail, soft nose) but paired: stiffer springs with stiffer dampers and softer springs with softer dampers.

what is your target.. springs too, or dampers only?
 
#20 ·
Planning on keeping the front springs stock. I'd like to get Rallitek rear overload springs, but this will depend on actual price of the rest of the parts and if they go on sale for BF later this week. Right now I'm planning on getting them unless something else comes up.

Then either 05 struts all around or 04 struts all around. I'm not sure I want to do 04 rear and 05 front. I just need to research the additional parts I need to run 04 struts up front. I haven't had time as I've been swamped with school work.
 
#22 ·
So, why use two 341276 struts when there is also a 341275 listed for the 2000-04 Outback?

Or, why do the front struts have two parts numbers when the rears are the same? Sorry if I missed it in the thread...
 
#26 ·
Rule of shocks vs. struts:

If you can unbolt it from the suspension and the wheel will still track straight and true, it's a shock.

If you unbolt it and everything goes to ****, it's a strut.

The rears are coilover shocks. . . so yeah, it'll sink to the ground if you take it out but the wheel will still track straight.
 
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#27 ·
Qualifier: it will track as 'straight' as it did before. Not a strong point on the rear of these Outbacks.

I have 05 shocks and the rallitek lift springs and spacers. It's not bouncy at all but it is stiff. Just make sure your control/trailing arm and swaybar bushings are good.
 
#28 ·
Cusco Front SwayBar

Hey...anyone paying attention to this thread. I have a buddy from XRT with a 3.0...he bought this 23mm Cusco front sway bar...but it won't clear his Raptor headers and he's using one off a Tribeca. The XT can run a straight bar, like the Perrin and the WhiteLine. But H6 and H4 NA that have duel manifolds ... need humps/bends to clear the pipes.

He's offering a good deal, and he already painted the bright Cusco Blue to black

PM Me if anyone is interested.
 

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#30 ·
Hey...anyone paying attention to this thread. I have a buddy from XRT with a 3.0...he bought this 23mm Cusco front sway bar...but it won't clear his Raptor headers and he's using one off a Tribeca. The XT can run a straight bar, like the Perrin and the WhiteLine. But H6 and H4 NA that have duel manifolds ... need humps/bends to clear the pipes.

He's offering a good deal, and he already painted the bright Cusco Blue to black

PM Me if anyone is interested.
If it was a good deal on a rear bar I might be interested, but the car is already so unbalanced from the factory it isn't funny. I ran a JDM 20mm RSB on my old 06 Legacy sedan with the stock front bar and was perfect IMHO. My 14 WRX was much more balanced from the factory, but a rear bar from an STi again was perfect. I guess that's another reason the rear Rallitek springs are appealing to me.
 
#29 ·
Just placed an order for parts!

KYB front and rear 04 Struts
KYB & Moog strut mounts
Mevotek aluminum front control arms
Doorman rear forward lateral links
Moog front and rear sway bar endlinks

And then I already have new sway bar bushings for both front and rear and new dustboots/bump stops waiting to be installed.

I'm still on the fence about the rear overload springs. I really like the idea of firming up the rear, which is crazy sloppy from the factory and even worse with 123k on original components. I also like the idea of better load handling. The last month, I haven't been loaded with tons of weight, but I had all my regular tools, emergency supplies and camp chair and table and a spare set of winter tires I was trying to sell and you could definitely feel the extra weight from normal. I don't feel like my car squats too much unless I really load it up though.

Anyway, I don't think I missed anything. I'm getting all of this installed along with a Timkins wheel bearing as my driver side rear has really begun to howl down the road!
 
#31 ·
What you may find, you may...it depends...is that the front may need a larger bar to balance the rear. The only suspension I have run with matched bars and matched settings is the coilovers.

Ever since I put the Kings and 04 KYBs in back...The car prefers to have a larger front bar...unless packed and weighted...

But I have no vested interest in the Cusco...just trying to help a buddy who isn't a member here. Share the Cusco love.
 
#32 ·
20% off Rallitek sale swayed me to give the rear overload springs a go. Once everything arrives I'll have everything installed. I'm short on time and to be honest, I don't want to deal with ball joints or wheel bearings if I can help it so I'm just having my mechanic do the install when I bring it in for a bad wheel bearing.
 
#33 ·
Got everything installed today and such an improvement! Car looks like it sits taller now, but is probably just that the rear isn't saggy anymore. Nice and firm all around. I only had a chance for a brief drive so I'll see how it is over the next few days, but so far I'm very happy with the setup.
 
#35 ·
Honestly, I spent minimal time with each so take this with a grain of salt. I'm in the middle of the last week of the semester (2nd to last semester of grad school) so I've been stupid busy and have not have the time to do any detailed analysis.

The Mevotech control arms looked tood, the bushings appeared to be better than stock, especially the rear bushings which were solid and not open like the OEM ones. I was surprised by how light they were, but did not compare weights. Overall impression is positive.

I never cracked either box of the doorman forward lateral links. I suspect they will be more than adequate, but may not be as high quality as OEM. Granted, they were like $45 a side, so I opted for them purely on a price/performance metric.

I put about 40 miles on my OBXT just driving home from the shop today. I noticed small bumps are a bit rougher than previous, but isn't that the entire point? LOL anyway, I went through two different small patches of rough terrain. One was fresh, ungraded gravel that was not spread evenly and it was very rough yesterday when I dropped my car off. Today, the gravel was spread a bit more evenly, but there was a big difference in handling. With the new suspension my car was much more controlled and did not oscillate like it did the day before. The second patch was a very rough, paved parking lot I pulled in to. There were many DEEP pot holes and the suspension again handled them admirably. The rear is noticeably stiffer than OEM and on one bump some of the items shifted, which probably would not have happened before, but the entire car would have been rocking back and forth so I'd definitely take the current setup over the worn out suspension.

Alright, back to working on this paper. I've got two papers and a presentation left in the semester. I have an appointment on Wednesday to get an alignment and by then I should have around 250 miles on the suspension so any settling the it does should happen by then. I'll likely have close to 500 miles on it by end of the week and can provide some more updates then. I'll also be done with the semester by then as well.
 
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