AdventureSubaru Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 I've been browsing for a few weeks and can't quite get my info straight. Seems there are plenty of options for lifting an Impreza by strut and spring set ups, but not sure where they all stand. (pun intended?) As I'm reading this you can use 96-99 Outback strut/spring 98-02 Forester Strut/spring 96-99 Outback strut/98-02 Forester Spring 03-08 Forester Strut/spring What I'm looking for is how they rank as to which ones give which ride height. I'm fairly sure the 03-08 Forester set up is understood to give the most lift. The other three are a little hazy. Can someone give these an order or ranking system? Or perhaps if you have/know a lifted Impreza, let me know the suspension used and how much lift it gave. I'm sitting on a set of 99 Forester Struts and springs but have fairly easy access to Outback stuff too and and trying to get this figured out before I lift the car. Also - wouldn't hurt to know associated tire sizes with each lift. But that can always wait... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blk99obs Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Ok well I haven't done my "lift" just yet but I'm just about to break into it tonight, have some 99 fozzy struts/springs going into my 99 imp. One thing I discovered is that the stock Fozzy steel wheels are an upgrade because they use a +48 offset where the imp ones use +55 so they give you a bit wider stance and allow you to clear bigger tires. Its effectively like putting on wheel spacers. I need new tires anyway and my imp stockers are pretty ugly all rusted out so... I put my fozzy wheels on and romped around a bit on the stock 205/70/15s that comes on them and they filled out the wheel wells much better. I couldn't get them to scrub though they were pretty close, and I wouldn't use any taller of a tire at stock height... but yea the car rode much nicer for romping around the property through ruts and what not. Anyway if you have access to some of the wheels/good tires or are going to replace your tires soon anyway, I certainly recommend them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Fronts 96-2004 outback front struts/springs (not H6 unless you are adding weight like winch and armour) Rears 96-99 Outback strut/with Forrester springs and IIRC an Imp tophat. (may need washer added, can't use FOR or OB tops, different bolt hole spacing.) or... 04+ Forrester Struts and Springs, imp tophat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 So the Outback struts, with Forester springs provide the most lift? Would this even work on a Forester? Fronts 96-2004 outback front struts/springs (not H6 unless you are adding weight like winch and armour) Rears 96-99 Outback strut/with Forrester springs and IIRC an Imp tophat. (may need washer added, can't use FOR or OB tops, different bolt hole spacing.) or... 04+ Forrester Struts and Springs, imp tophat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sifu Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I put on a 98 FORESTER spring and strut set onto my 97 OBS with 215 70 15. You can see the pictures I've posted. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=127203 I got 3 inches or so. I've also read that 2nd gen Forester gives bigger lift. If you'd like more lift I'd be sure to consider the following before starting the work so you can save time and money: 1 Add top hat spacers 2 Add some of the body lift components from outback or buy a body lift kit from a place like SJR. Because SJR is too expensive for me, there is info in the FAQ and a post I recently started about fabbing your own: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=127730 Note that any type of strut swap alone won't mess the geometry up enough to worry, but with that and more lift (like from top hat spacers) you should consider correcting the geometry with step 2. Plus you get more lift along the way. This is my next undertaking. Still looking for details on how to. I don't know, but from what I've read, if the forester struts you are looking to swap are any less than good condition, don't bother putting them on. Go straight for the Forester spring/new outback strut. I wish I would've done this, because I'd like more lift, and now it means going back to pull/replace the struts and add top hat spacers. From my understanding, these things should give a really good lift, and maintain manageable geometry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impoutback 97 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 98 outback struts 98 outback bodylift Forrester springs 1" tophat spacers 215/75r15 wildcats Earned 11.5" rear diff clearance:drunk: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureSubaru Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Fronts 96-2004 outback front struts/springs (not H6 unless you are adding weight like winch and armour) Rears 96-99 Outback strut/with Forrester springs and IIRC an Imp tophat. (may need washer added, can't use FOR or OB tops, different bolt hole spacing.) or... 04+ Forrester Struts and Springs, imp tophat. If I'm reading this correctly, better to not put the Forester springs on the front stuts? Were the springs higher in the outbacks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blk99obs Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 I'm running 99 fozzy spring/strut assemblies all the way around. My only issue with it as of right now is that I have roughly an inch of rear end bias, so front needs raised more... thinking about grabbing 03 fozzy assemblies and trying those in the front and see if I level out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sifu Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 you know.. my vehicle with same/similar set up does that a bit also. I don't think it's really worrisome for the car, and it kind of looks cool, actually. I've yet to put in a new camber set. Did you shop around a lot for the best price of your new bolts? If so, can you post a link to where you got them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureSubaru Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Bought a set of 96 outback front struts/springs and a set of 03 forester rear struts/springs. Thinking the combo would give me a much better lift than the 99 forester set I had first. Compared them in the garage and was surprised. The front outback struts/springs are the same height as the 99 forester. And the 03 forester rear strut looks a tad shorter than the 99. Am I missing something? Are the springs squishier on the outback or 99 forester to account for the 03+ giving better height? I'm gaining a pile of struts in the garage and trying to decide which 4 are going under my impreza. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureSubaru Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 Left to right - 99 Forester front, 96 Outback front, 99 Forester Rear, 03 Forester rear. Looking at these, it seems the actual height of these when uncompressed is the same. Spring difference - Front - The Forester has got a larger spring compared to the outback. Rear - the 03 Forester seems to have a slightly smaller diameter spring than the 99 Forester. As of now, I'm planning on using the 99 Forester set up front, and the 03 Forester set in the rear. Plus I made a set of 3/8 top spacers all the way around. Any advantage to swapping the Forester springs to the outback strut? Looks the same but i'm new to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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