The Unofficial "How to Lift your Impreza" Thread

[Comedic Gold]

I have an 11 WRX hatchback that I've been interested in lifting 2-3 inches. I'm a total noob when it comes to cars, and I baby my car, don't really have any mods on it other than upgrades speakers, headunit/amp, and radiator. So, sorry in advance if these questions have already been answered, I've read through the post but couldn't piece together the answers I am looking for. With that said, what I'm trying to figure out is what the best way to go about a lift is (2-3 inches). I don't want to lose much handling in the process and I'm not sure if that's a necessary sacrifice I'd have to make or not. I don't have any sway bars in my car yet, I've been trying to find some used ones to save a little bit of cash. I don't plan on taking it off-roading, I just want a really versatile car and I feel safer in a car that sits up a little higher. My tires are shot so I'm ordering some DW continental extreme contacts. I figured if the parts for the lift are in my budget I could have the tires and the lift done in one go, I'd have someone else do the work as I don't have a garage or car-savy friends.

 

Also, none of the pictures on this website show up for me! There's just a thumbnail. Is there any way around that? It would help me out reading some of these posts.

[Oldprinter1989]

In reading all this about lifting an Impreza. I have a 2011 OBS, I'm looking at getting 2011 Forester struts and springs prob get 16" Forester wheels with the General Grabber tires. What's confusing me is what I need for the rear wheel relocation. I've seen mention of 97-99 outback trailing arm mounts, will these mount up to my '11? Would a better option be to do subframe spacers? Are the trailing arm mounts attached to the subframe? They kinda appear to be. Other than puttin on camber bolts and some sorta swaybar endlinks, are ther any other parts I need to consider? Thanks.

[bratman18]

In reading all this about lifting an Impreza. I have a 2011 OBS, I'm looking at getting 2011 Forester struts and springs prob get 16" Forester wheels with the General Grabber tires. What's confusing me is what I need for the rear wheel relocation. I've seen mention of 97-99 outback trailing arm mounts, will these mount up to my '11? Would a better option be to do subframe spacers? Are the trailing arm mounts attached to the subframe? They kinda appear to be. Other than puttin on camber bolts and some sorta swaybar endlinks, are ther any other parts I need to consider? Thanks.

for your style,you're better off purchasing an entire lift kor from Andersondesign-fab.com. the forester struts are a bit too long to keep the axles happy on the newer ones. Either way, you'll need multi link spacers for the rear, which you can also find at that link.

[Falconman]

2 questions for those that have done the lift...looking at lifting my daily, 98 obs. Have 05 forester struts on the way(kyb) ,trailing arm brackets here with 05 forester springs(have the auto-adjust suspension springs, thats all the junkyard had and im *hoping* it will be better since i haul a lot/offroad a lot ,so we'll see how they work). 

 

I'm assuming somewhere between 2 and 4" of lift from this...and im looking at 27 or 28" tires(has 24.5 stock), does anyone know if that will be an issue with the automatic trans(4eat)? Or if the 05 strut/spring lift will be fine for a DD? i hear some people say its a 4" total lift, and others say 2-2.5, so im not sure what i will be looking at exactly.

 

Thanks in advance!

Edited June 4, 2018 by Falconman
Additional info

[Falconman]

Figured ill try to keep the thread alive a tad...gotten 1k on the odometer (1150 true miles) since my lift/tire swap.finally swapped back to stock tires, and my measurements saw the 05 struts lifted my 98 obs 1.25" in the front and 2.25" in the rear...seems odd that its different but i measured lots of places and it all comes out the same, 2" in the rear and 1" in the front. Going to the pick n pull tomorrow to get forester springs, hopefully will give me another inch(thats what she said), i think that will be fine for the rear cvs(3" total)and front(2" total). Will update when done

 

Also, side note, changing to 3" taller tires on 33psi only lifts it up .5"? 

[asoekamto]

Hi there... I am new to this site. Decided to join after reading it through a few times.

I wonder has anyone successfully lifted a 2012 Impreza ? I am thinking of buying a 2012 model  and lifting it by about 2.5 - 3 inches.  I plan to get this as opposed to XV because of the low mileage ( 30 k ) and somehow the 2012/2013  XV doesn't comes with push button start stop,  both are CVT.   Besides its about $2 k cheaper.

Where I live it's hard to find a junk yard that sells old parts ( 2010 and before ). AS Subaru is not   selling well over here I may end up needing to buy  swapped or new OEM parts. Any idea if 2010 - 2012 forester struts and all the other parts that were mentioned in  this forum fits 2012 Impreza ? I checked with the dealership, but they said forester strut or XV struts will not fit Impreza, without any further elaboration.

Appreciate any information provided.

Thanks.

[Stubaru3]

Hello all glad there is so much talk about this topic. So I have a 96 Impreza obs stock. I bought 1.5 in strut top spacers not thinking too much about a full huge lift. With only adding that much will I have to change endlinks and camber bolts and trailing arm brackets and the whole 9 yards? Also can I get away with tires just a bit bigger still using stock Impreza struts? Currently running without rear swaybar anyway. Just wondering if its worth it and necessary to find all these parts for only a 1.5 in lift. Thanks

[azerpmi85]

Looking to lift my stock '13 Hatchback for forest roads (already lost one muffler to road wear) but it sounds like the Forester strut-swap raises the drive train a bit too far out.

Would Forester KYBs with the lowered Kings still be too much? As far as parts go, would I use same-year Forester parts or previous gen?

Still reading up on sways/trailing arms, but all good advice/links are welcome.

Edited August 7, 2019 by azerpmi85

[FerGloyale]

Pretty sure you can just run forester struts/shocks.  

Definitely fine for front.  

Might be too much to keep good camber and wheel centered in the well in back.

If that's the case, grab the subframe spacers from Forester too?  at least for back. 

[ezapar]

On 8/7/2019 at 5:24 PM, FerGloyale said:

Pretty sure you can just run forester struts/shocks.  

Definitely fine for front.  

Might be too much to keep good camber and wheel centered in the well in back.

If that's the case, grab the subframe spacers from Forester too?  at least for back. 

Folks don't like that the tire sits forward.  But.  When it up travels, it goes right where it's supposed to.  In the middle of the wheel well.  I learned this from Jeep guys when adding adjustable trailing arms on my TJ.  Made perfect sense to me.

[wyrldtraveler]

My first post, please be gentle.

I'm doing long-deferred maintenance and repairs on a 2002 Impreza Wagon 2.5 TS.  The car was operated by someone who knows little about cars (but drives like he's still teaching the Offensive Driving and Escape Course at bodyguard school.  (Once drove 300 miles in 4.2 hours on roads that DOT would have closed following an earthquake.)  The car is located in Panama.  (As I write, I can look out the window and physically see the "End of the Internet" before the footpath enters the rainforest on the other side of the river.)  Parts are a challenge, especially as the 2.5L motor was not sold in Panama.

 

Limiting the current discussion only to suspension, I have read that a simple lift using Forester springs instead of OEM spec parts would give it a slight raise.  I'm not looking at anything special, but sometimes water levels get rather high (the car has been known to 'float' across some low-lying intersections in downpours) and it is showing some 'saggy butt' phenomenon.  Given that the suspension components are original from the factory in the US and it has 175K miles on the odometer, I am not surprised.

 

Forester parts are more plentiful (for above reasons.)  Before I pay for the parts (returns are not permitted in most stores) I want to make sure that I don't have to special order something from the States (in which case I will throw it into a suitcase next trip to save on air freight costs.)  One of the benefits of 'white privilege' is that one has the added bonus of having to pay a 'premium' on almost everything.

 

Trying to keep costs down on a car that will probably cost the equivalent in parts and lobor to fix as it is worth.  Please confirm that I can get away with just putting in Forester shocks or tell me that it is a bad idea (and what else I would need).  The info on the board has been wonderful, but I am concerned about manufacturers changing things over the years and the parts that once worked being no longer available (or not acting the same way).  Bless you all.

Edited September 29, 2019 by wyrldtraveler
add photos

[Mibars]

Regarding Forester rear struts: If shocks in those struts are still good, I mean the dampening is OK, and the only issue is that self leveling part is bad and it sags butt the cheapest solution is to change to longer and stiffer springs keeping old shocks in the rear. That's the common fix in Poland instead of replacing self-leveling shocks that cost fortune.

Expect 5cm lift with Forester shocks struts which may stress your CV joints and you may get zero or even slightly negative camber. 
The simplest, cost effective solution is to put a spacer between your current struts and body. You can even find ones that offset your suspension so that you keep the camber correct.

Edited September 30, 2019 by Mibars

[wyrldtraveler]

On 9/27/2019 at 5:52 AM, Mibars said:

Regarding Forester rear struts: If shocks are still good, I mean the dampening is OK, and the only issue is that self leveling part is bad and it sags butt the cheapest solution is to change to longer and stiffer springs in the rear. That's the common fix in Poland instead of replacing self-leveling shocks that cost fortune.

Expect 5cm lift with Forester shocks which may stress your CV joints and you may get zero or even slightly negative camber. 
The simplest, cost effective solution is to put a spacer between your current struts and body. You can even find ones that offset your suspension so that you keep the camber correct.

Dziekuje, Mibars.  I am confused if you are discussing shocks or struts.  Most of the advice in the forum revolves around adding spacers or replacing springs.

[scalman]

just with forester struts and top hats it should be ok on CV joints, would look something like that

thats with 215/60R16 wheels

then you can go even more if want and put sruts spacers, or harder springs like kings to get it even more. 

you can take camber bolts too as they might be needed to put that camber into right position. oem bolts might be not enough anymore.

 

 

Edited September 29, 2019 by scalman

[wyrldtraveler]

On 9/29/2019 at 1:05 PM, scalman said:

just with forester struts and top hats it should be ok on CV joints,

you can take camber bolts too as they might be needed to put that camber into right position. oem bolts might be not enough anymore.

That's plenty of lift.  I don't want to install retractable ladders.  Camber bolts would be Forester spec, or something different (suggestions welcome)???

Edited February 2, 2020 by wyrldtraveler
removed photo copied from earlier post to clean up page

[scalman]

not sure those are universal camber bolts for all subarus around that year i guess. they can be some different looking but they all do same thing

 

[Cytotek]

Hey guys! I need some help

TL:DR

I've been watching and reading for a while, and I've already lifted

Current setup

05 Impreza RS

Forester struts with King WRX Lifted Rally springs (purchased second hand setup)

I did not need to use the outback TA brackets to center my wheel

 

My question is, If I buy 2 inch strut lift spacers, will I need to drop the subframes or will I still be okay, Given that I did not need the TA brackets, I'm imagining I should be okay. I was told by the person I bought my SG strut setup from that the lifted WRX springs are equivalent to SG lowering springs, so technically I'm not at the usual Forester strut swap height

 

Thank you in advance!

[scalman]

i think forester struts all ready lifted you about 2 inches, so its not good to do more just on struts, so yes more then 2-3'' lift then you do on subframe and other parts , and still real diff lift stays on 2'' . do you really need more ? 

[Sundancekidd]

Hello subie community! I’m new to this and need some help. I have a 09 wrx and saw a guy on nasioc post his lifted 09 wrx up for sale. In the description he said he used 2012 forester struts. I tried contacting him about the lift but no reply. So I just decided to just dive in and see if it would work. Haha not the brightest decision. I got the front passenger strut in But had to pry the control arm down a ways for it to line up. Also unbolted my sway bar to allow for more drop but my concern is the cv has a bit of an angle to it. Did the same on the driver side and with all my night I couldn’t get the bolt holes to line up.  Worried that it’s not correct or I need to do something else for it to be right. Has anyone else lifted an 09+ this way? Just need a bit of input. Thank you for any help on the subject. 

Edited February 2, 2020 by Sundancekidd

[bratman18]

On 2/1/2020 at 10:52 PM, Sundancekidd said:

Hello subie community! I’m new to this and need some help. I have a 09 wrx and saw a guy on nasioc post his lifted 09 wrx up for sale. In the description he said he used 2012 forester struts. I tried contacting him about the lift but no reply. So I just decided to just dive in and see if it would work. Haha not the brightest decision. I got the front passenger strut in But had to pry the control arm down a ways for it to line up. Also unbolted my sway bar to allow for more drop but my concern is the cv has a bit of an angle to it. Did the same on the driver side and with all my night I couldn’t get the bolt holes to line up.  Worried that it’s not correct or I need to do something else for it to be right. Has anyone else lifted an 09+ this way? Just need a bit of input. Thank you for any help on the subject. 

It's really too much lift to be reliable on the newer models. To lift that, it would be best to get an actual lift kit. I recommend andersondesignfab.com

[Dirt4d2]

I have an '07 Impreza Outback Sport with new OEM struts and KING Springs all around. Made for maybe an inch to 1.5" lift max. I am thinking of doing the Forester strut swap but have been reading about possible lower struts mount issues with wheel clearance. I want to keep using my OEM 16" wheels. **Maybe** put minimal wheel spacers down there as well. I am planning on mounting taller tires eventually, but not crazy tall. These wheels are not WRX or STi rims. Stock 16" wheels as in the photo. (Not of my actual vehicle.) Thank you for any input on this wheel clearance question. 

 

[Destroindustries]

I recently purchased a 2007 2.5i sedan from my sister and was looking to lift it a bit. 

It looks like it's mostly stock except for the 17" aftermarket rims with low profile tires and front and back GReddy strut bars.

Doing a little bit of research and I was looking at lifting it using Street Rays 3" billet lift kit spacers, Street Rays 2" rear trailing arm spacers, and adding camber bolts. I also plan on sticking with the stock impreza struts for now.

I know I'll have to get a alignment once everything is all installed. Is there anything else I need for lifting this? Should I change out the swaybar brackets and endlinks?

[WhatsASaab]

Have a 05 Saab 9-2x Linear, powered by a TIRED EJ253, non turbo SOHC, and a worn out 5sp manual (211k miles on all original powertrain). Bought it lifted on stock tires, previous owner told me it was on forester shocks, no clue what springs or anything. Tires are 215/70/16 and fit with the skirts removed and some mild frame-bashing on the rear. I'd like to move the rear tires rearward if I make custom control arms for it. Don't have a more recent pic than the first but I have the front and rear fenders fully chopped, like you can see in the second pic (I have since welded the rear quarters back together). It's my daily, but I do have some concerns. 1st is that I have quite a bit of positive camber in the front end (almost zero in the rear, maybe slightly positive). 2nd is that the springs are compressed even when suspension is at full droop. Ball joints maxed out? Not sure. I tried installing camber bolts and the hub/strut sprung outwards and I had to install a spring compressor and push the hub/strut back together with my legs and have another person put the bolt in. 

Future plans: I'd like to get a fiberglass STI style widebody kid for the car, along with lower offset wheels and possibly wider/taller tires. I'd also like to do a STI hub conversion to get 5x114.3 wheels, much more options for that in 15s (oh yeah and get 15" wheels). In the immediate future I plan on swapping to an  EZ30 with either an STI 6sp trans or import one of the dual range 4wd 5sp manuals from Japan/Australia. My shifter is suuuuper sloppy (moves like 5" left and right in any gear) so I think I'd need to pull the trans anyway, might as well upgrade everything while I'm in there.

One final question I have: Will an Outback subframe bolt into the Impreza unibody? I know people swap Outback subframes onto Legacy sedans to convert them to Outback sedans.  Never got a clear answer if this works in an Impreza. I think that would solve some of my suspension issue as it would mount the control arm lower which would make it more level at ride height.

Oh yeah and it was once a Vermont car so it's decently rusty and was pretty beat up so I don't feel too bad about chopping up a "rare" car

Edited July 28, 2020 by WhatsASaab
added context

[Notacrosstrek]

2013 Subaru impreza 285/75 r17 Subaru forester suspension 2" coil spacers front 2" subframe rear xv front subframe spacers porche desert rally high angle cv axles with modified drive flanges xv heavy duty control arms theres more just can't think of it atm but its fun and sits about same height as stock jeep Cherokee

[Wrxsti90]

So ive read through the article, and only saw the extended steering joint mentioned once.

I plan on droping the subframe for the lift on my 04 wrx wagon, i know 03-08 forester steering joints work to extend it. Though are there any other types of steering joints that i could use that i do not have to modify?

Im assuming its going with how much i raise it.

Ill be on SJR lift kit, with stock forester struts for now.

The steering joint is all im uncertain with and how the most concerns about.

Thank you in advance!