Can i just change my springs?

[Hurley]

If i want to lift my sube, couldnt i just put heavier duty and thicker springs in place of the stock springs? I notice that when i jack it up that there is a fair amount of clearence between the wheel well and the tire. Why dont people just do that?

[Andyjo]

If i want to lift my sube, couldnt i just put heavier duty and thicker springs in place of the stock springs? I notice that when i jack it up that there is a fair amount of clearence between the wheel well and the tire. Why dont people just do that?

 

They do.

i see that you roll with a 92' loyale there.. i think there's some options... i just don't remember....

you'll lose some supension travel if you just throw in larger springs.. but.. it happens.

[MSSLGECKO]

Have you searched? The only thing I've seen board members do/mention is using stiffer RX springs (in front ?) to gain ~1", IIRC. Mostly it's just body lifting for the old EA8-1 & -2's.

 

I'm not sure about yours or other EA82 models, but EA81 Subes have adjustable struts. Some EA82 models came with a typically failing air suspension which lifted the auto up ~1" when engaged.

[4x4_Welder]

That's not a good way to gain lift, because half of off-road ability is the downtravel or droop of the suspension. Any time you have a tire off the ground, you are severly limited in traction. I see lots of guys around here with chevys and Toyotas with the torsion bars cranked up, but those trucks rarely hit the trails. If you do see them on the trails, they're the guy stuck in the easy part at the entrance to the trail with a front tire off the ground.

On my hatch, at stock height, the drop off of a speed bump will extend the front suspension to max, you can feel the struts hit the limit.

So, I wouldn't go that route. If you're going to do it, do it right.

[Hurley]

That's not a good way to gain lift, because half of off-road ability is the downtravel or droop of the suspension. Any time you have a tire off the ground, you are severly limited in traction. I see lots of guys around here with chevys and Toyotas with the torsion bars cranked up, but those trucks rarely hit the trails. If you do see them on the trails, they're the guy stuck in the easy part at the entrance to the trail with a front tire off the ground.

On my hatch, at stock height, the drop off of a speed bump will extend the front suspension to max, you can feel the struts hit the limit.

So, I wouldn't go that route. If you're going to do it, do it right.

 

 

yeah but the right way is kinda hard when you are in high school and cona barley afford gas and insurence. man i need to get a job and get my business up and running.

 

thanks though

[Andyjo]

if money's an issue, i wouldn't lift your roo'... because with a lifted roo' you usually end up breaking more stuff.... i know from experience :-\

[Hurley]

i also saw these, what does anybody think about them?

 

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Product/tf-Browse/s-10101/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2005877/p-2005877/N-111+10201+600003419/c-10101

[Qman]

First, those are for honda's. Second, there is not a front camber/caster adjustment for your vehicle. Without this you will have very bad camber angles with a spring lift. This will wear out tires and other suspension parts. As already noted the suspension lift will cause issues with breakage and travel and is not recommended on older Subaru's.

 

NOTE,

 

If you can afford those then wait a little longer and buy a legitimit lift.

[subie94]

First, those are for honda's. Second, there is not a front camber/caster adjustment for your vehicle. Without this you will have very bad camber angles with a spring lift. This will wear out tires and other suspension parts. As already noted the suspension lift will cause issues with breakage and travel and is not recommended on older Subaru's.

 

NOTE,

 

If you can afford those then wait a little longer and buy a legitimit lift.

 

i'd have to agree with Qman..

normally coil over kits allow you to go from stock height and drop it acouple inches..not usually raising it.

 

i'd just wait and get a proper lift for your loyale..(i'm still waiting to do my lift)

[TheSubaruJunkie]

Installing stiffer springs will screw up your front camber. It will also put more stress on your CV joints. And it will only lift the front of the car... you still need to work on the rear.

 

A lift kit is cheap. Compare the price of a PK lift to the price of any lift for a ford/chevy/toyota. Save some penny's, sell some blood and place an order for the real deal. No need to half rump roast it and mess up more things down the line.

 

-Brian

[subie94]

http://www.ozified.com/pricing1.htm

 

if you can pick up a part time job and put some aside each payday..you'll be liting properly in no time.

[sayn3ver]

yea, wait for the money. Subarus are cheap as it is to lift...compared to full size pick ups(jeeps are pretty cheap tho..for the most part).

 

Its not worth doing something half assed...do it right the first time.It'll be worth it, trust me.

[Andyjo]

yea, wait for the money. Subarus are cheap as it is to lift...compared to full size pick ups(jeeps are pretty cheap tho..for the most part).

 

Its not worth doing something half assed...do it right the first time.It'll be worth it, trust me.

 

So you don't end up with airbags in the face?

did you end up fixing that? (sorry it's offtopic...)

that's the reason i chopped off those hooks :-\

[sayn3ver]

Oouch. I suppose i deserve that.

 

Yes...sorta. Waitin on my allied lift kit to come in before I do the tranny swap to get her back on the road. I bought a parts OBS off someone on this board and it had two good airbags:D and a 5spd.

Anyone need wagon parts?

 

Oh, and i dont plan on hooking the new bags up, just running them to pass inspection/cosmetic.

 

Basically, moral of the story...dont be me.

[subie94]

I bought a parts OBS off someone on this board and it had two good airbags:D and a 5spd.

Anyone need wagon parts?.

 

Hmmm,wrong wagon for the parts i need..(need stuff from a legacy outback)

[torxxx]

Well, I'm gonna be the one guy that says go for stiffer springs. I'm runnin 89 Honda accord 5 speed W/O AC front springs in the rear with my AA lift. I did change out the 4 inch strut spacer to a 3 inch spacer and still retained a higher lift that without the accord springs.

 

I love the way the rear suspension handles. The rear tires stay on the ground, all the time. With VLSD I have no problem ever with traction in the rear.

 

As soon as I find a spring suitable for the front, I plan on taking off an inch on the front strut spacers and adding 1.5 inches in springs. The way I see it, If I can keep all 4 tires on the ground, articulation doesnt mean crap.

[Numbchux]

The way I see it, If I can keep all 4 tires on the ground, articulation doesnt mean crap.

 

what?! I'm sorry, I know you're not an idiot, but you're obviously talking about something COMPLETELY different!! if you don't have articulation/travel, you don't have all 4 tires on the ground....

 

 

but yes, to reiterate/rephrase what's been already said. replacing just the springs is a suspension lift, just like it would be on a pickup or jeep. problem is, with an independant suspension setup, a straight-up suspension lift complicates things. ESPECIALLY on old subarus that weren't designed with trail-riding in mind. 2 things: 1) because in order to get the car to ride higher, you would need stiffer springs, and the car would be running closer to the struts' full extension all the time, you lose suspension travel (to get technical, an independant suspenion design cannot have articulation, hence the name independant suspension, NOT dependant....it's just travel, but just a technicality, and good to know), and in a car where true lockers are not available, and the drivetrain isn't really strong enough to handle it anyway (specifically diff stubs), this is crucial. and 2) the geometry of the suspension and drivetrain gets all thrown out of whack. specifically the CV axles, and alignment. also the tie-rods end up running at an angle, which screws up their functionality too.

 

those adjustable coilover spring sets (ignoring for a second that they're not available for our subarus), are SUBSTANTIALLY stiffer than the factory springs. I have a set much like those on my loyale right now (NOT an offroader) and they could only lift the car by about an inch or so, but won't allow the car to compress more than an inch or so downward either.

 

 

long story short. if you want the cheapest, looks-only lift, the best option is just like in the pickup/jeep world....body lift. and a body lift only makes room for bigger tires, which cost money, and will rob your gas mileage, and put more strain on things. if you can barely afford your stock EA82 subaru. DO NOT lift it!

 

was that helpful?

[ezapar]

 

was that helpful?

 

Very helpful. And very on the mark about travel and traction. Articulation is everything. Wheels on the ground = traction.

 

 

I love the way the rear suspension handles. The rear tires stay on the ground, all the time. With VLSD I have no problem ever with traction in the rear.

 

As soon as I find a spring suitable for the front, I plan on taking off an inch on the front strut spacers and adding 1.5 inches in springs. The way I see it, If I can keep all 4 tires on the ground, articulation doesnt mean crap.

I'd like to see you imitate the above picture with your spring lift and your VLSD. BTW, VLSDs are garbage when it comes to offroad. Well, if off roading involves anything but absolutely flat terrain like you're used to.

 

 

But like Chux said. If you don't have any money, you have no business asking these questions anyways. But your question is answered, this thread is done.