Tat2Brat Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 trying to drop my xt a little lower, but first some background.5 lug swap done on my xt4 fwd. Has impreza everything with a reemed out EA82T control arm to fit EJ ball joint.things i didnt realize but now do:-FWD xt4 has the lowest strut subaru ever made (that I know of) so theres no replacement struts and this makes it harder to lower for various reasons.- impreza struts make it sit wayyy up high. I knew it was gonna make it sit higher but danggggg lowering springs arent gonna makeup the difference. i need shorter struts.-I'm not as smart as i think i am-I absolutely do not want coilovers unless they are super awesome ones and thats not in my budget.So hows about this? as you can see the plan so far would be to:-get strut inserts (such as koni yellows) for the original super short FWD ea82t struts-Prep original strut for cartridge insert-Custom fab an EJ bottom strut to steering knuckle mount for the ea82t strut housing-weld mount onto strut house 1/2 inch up from bottom (giving me half inch drop with losing any strut travel....Maybe? might be thinking about it wrong) still plenty room for the axle-snag some lowering springs from the local custom coil spring shop dropping it another 1 and a half inches MAXIMUM anything more would be bad for my strut inserts-throw my new custom strut assemblies on my XT!alsoi was thinking of setting the custom bottom strut mount holes at anangle, the top hole farther out than the bottom correcting for camber.Things I'm worried about- Bottom spring perch hitting top of the tire (I sorta quickly measured it today before work and i think it will be ok)- Everything else about this theoretical project/my non theoretical lifeI could just get a 4x4 XT or XT6 but i'd rather work with what i have(should of bought the 4x4 version to start with) oh well thats why its a project i supposeLet's hear your thoughts on thisthanks dudesstay sharp! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR_Loyale Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 trying to drop my xt a little lower, but first some background. 5 lug swap done on my xt4 fwd. Has impreza everything with a reemed out EA82T control arm to fit EJ ball joint. things i didnt realize but now do: -FWD xt4 has the lowest strut subaru ever made (that I know of) so theres no replacement struts and this makes it harder to lower for various reasons. - impreza struts make it sit wayyy up high. I knew it was gonna make it sit higher but danggggg lowering springs arent gonna make up the difference. i need shorter struts. -I'm not as smart as i think i am -I absolutely do not want coilovers unless they are super awesome ones and thats not in my budget. So hows about this?1018141450.jpg as you can see the plan so far would be to: -get strut inserts (such as koni yellows) for the original super short FWD ea82t struts -Prep original strut for cartridge insert -Custom fab an EJ bottom strut to steering knuckle mount for the ea82t strut housing -weld mount onto strut house 1/2 inch up from bottom (giving me half inch drop with losing any strut travel....Maybe? might be thinking about it wrong) still plenty room for the axle -snag some lowering springs from the local custom coil spring shop dropping it another 1 and a half inches MAXIMUM anything more would be bad for my strut inserts -throw my new custom strut assemblies on my XT! also i was thinking of setting the custom bottom strut mount holes at an angle, the top hole farther out than the bottom correcting for camber. Things I'm worried about - Bottom spring perch hitting top of the tire (I sorta quickly measured it today before work and i think it will be ok) - Everything else about this theoretical project/my non theoretical life I could just get a 4x4 XT or XT6 but i'd rather work with what i have (should of bought the 4x4 version to start with) oh well thats why its a project i suppose Let's hear your thoughts on this thanks dudes stay sharp! You may not be as smart as you think you are, but having realized this you are now wiser than you were before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 2wd XT6 strut? Those would be short enough to use lowering springs..... Or maybe WRX lowering strut? Problem I see with your plan is fittig the insert into the old EA82 shock....HOw you gonna open those up? And how you gonna secure the insert in the tube? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 WOW!!! RockAuto has the Front wheel drive XT6 struts for $14 bucks piece!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tat2Brat Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 Gloyale this is a FWD XT4 not a XT6 and even if they did have the struts I needed for my original equipment it would no longer apply since its now 5 lugged the bottom strut mount is different Volkswagen super beatle strut inserts have been fitted in EA81/EA82 OE struts put a gland nut on top where you cut it open and viola! it wont go anywhere, and Koni yellow race inserts are made to slide into old sealed struts look them up and see how they work if you care to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 XT6 knuckles are like Impreza Knuckles.. So......XT6 struts will bolt up I think maybe one hole slotted slightly. Or, like I said WRX lowering struts but they would be more than $14 a piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tat2Brat Posted October 20, 2014 Author Share Posted October 20, 2014 Thanks but I've done all the math and all those would make my XT still sit higher than it did originally unless i get coil springs that are 4 inches high effectively cutting the upward travel of even the shortest lowering strut down to unawesome numbers. The reason for that is the front wheel drive version of the xt4 sat lower than the xt6 FWD or 4WD. All those options you mentioned would work but for strut travel,price of future replacement struts (vw rabbit strut inserts are gonna cost half as much as almost any strut for a subaru application plus I have upgrade options of the insert, like bilsteins) , and having the added benefit of feeling like I accomplished something. I think I will try my way first. Possibly wasting tons of money and time. Appreciate your input though. That is what I asked for. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I just don't think fitting VW inserts and making your own bracketry on the bottom end of the strut is going to be as easy as you think. In fact......I will be surprised if you complete a fully functional set......that holds up for more than a years use. Not hating, just being realistic........if that was gonna be easy....people would have done it. The only "modified VW" struts I've ever seen on a subaru failed miserably (literally bent til they bound on the wheels) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyeights Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 ^^^ What he said. Try and think safety. If the left front strut fails on the freeway, game over... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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