[Hellboy333]

i just replaced my worn out shocks on my wagon in the rear. Now it sits lower than the front. Wheel well gap in the front is about 5 inches and the rear is about 3. Any suggestions on how to fix this i like how high the front sits. thanks

 

[canubaru]

sounds like you got the wrong struts.

what year, model, engine, trans, miles?

what struts did you buy? where ?

 

[Hellboy333]

2000 subaru outback 2.5 auto about 210000 miles

 

[tibug]

2000 subaru outback 2.5 auto about 210000 miles

Good start, but what struts did you buy? Make and Model Number.

 

[cardoc]

Really. What make and number did you use? Its research, honest.

If you got a 2" drop with the strut swap, you didn't change the springs, had no issue with the mount, then that could account for a 2.5" drop on my VDC. All I would need beyond your part numbers is to keep calculating what I would need to match on the front for the 2.5 - 2.75" drop there, get my camber and toe bars from Whiteline for the rear, change the front ball joints and tie rods along with camber plates for the front.

(Yeah, different subject. But HB brought it up. )

 

[idosubaru]

You don't mention what model you're talking about or what struts you bought?

I wonder as well if you got the right struts.

Or possibly your springs are warn out. I replaced my struts at 200,000 miles, folk said no need to replace springs, and the rear sagged really bad with adults in the back seat...like it was rubbing it was so low, we had to move gear to the other side for it not to rub (probably just rubbing cladding or something simple). anyway - i replaced the springs.

Baja rear springs give you a bit of a lift....like 1" or something, quite a few threads about it.

 

[cardoc]

Replacing the springs on a high mileage Soobie or any other vehicle also helps with ride control and handling. You'll be surprised at how different a car handles with new springs. Especially when you are used to the worn ones.

Again, got part numbers?

 

[frogsthatmoo]

Sounds like he just bought Legacy struts on accident or they gave him Legacy struts. Those are supposed to be about a 1.5" drop over the Outback struts. There was a thread on here that showed the difference.

 

[susiemk]

Sounds like he just bought Legacy struts on accident or they gave him Legacy struts. Those are supposed to be about a 1.5" drop over the Outback struts. There was a thread on here that showed the difference.

+1
I think he got legacy struts -? 00-04 or 05-09...

I put '04 Outback struts on my old '00 Legacy Brighton Wagon before selling it & it is really "lifted" - even without the lift blocks it looks like it sits higher than an Outback.

 

[canubaru]

i don't think he's coming back.

i'm getting ready to put new 01 outback struts on my 00 lego wagon with 85k miles.

should i use the springs from the 01 outback w/ 125k miles or the 00 lego springs with 85k miles??

how much lift difference is there between the two.

thanks.
(if hellboy isn;t going to use this thread i may as well.)

 

[cardoc]

The springs are a little different in respect to load capacity and actual spring rate. From what I've gathered reading various post about lifting and lowering the springs didn't make much difference in height. It only varied in softer/stiffer ride.

I'm still looking into it. I'm steering towards coil overs and getting the various suspension parts to correct camber and simplify toe settings. So far Whiteline has the better design.

 

[canubaru]

that's what i was thinking, but there isn't a substantial weight difference between the lego wagon and the outback.
300 lbs at most, that's getting close to 10% but nothing major.

kind of like having your in laws in the back seat.

 

[Saint J VT]

When I replaced my struts several months ago, I held the new ones up against the old ones and found the new ones to be about 1.5" short. Come to find out, the new ones I was about to install were for a Legacy.

The auto store took them back and had to order the proper ones, which took about three days.

 

[frogsthatmoo]

It's because the spring perches on the Legacy struts are lower than on the outback. That's where the lift / drop comes from. The spring literally sits in a different spots on the two different struts. I'll find the thread where this was shown.



Lowering Outback with Struts

^ I found the thread w/ pictures. Hope this helps.