Forester Lifting and Suspension Opinions

SuBaRiNo · Post by **SuBaRiNo** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 12:29 pm

I am the proud owner of a new 01 GT Forester and plan to lift it a bit and modify it for light offroading and touring.

I realise there is no right or wrong answers to this which is why im asking for opinions and perhaps an explanation.

My Question is.... what lift/spring/suspension combo should i work for?

I don't appear to have the self leveling rear shocks. And i am aware with a forester you can simply just fit raised springs or just strut blocks in.

Im interested in any opinions or what you have done... but it MUST be legal and it MUST in no way make any parts un-reliable.

Off the top of my head im thinking a 2 inch lift all round with raised king springs... not sure what effect this could have on the camber... Or this in conjunction with a camber adjustable strut top which i think are available for these.

Or perhaps just a 2 inch kit all round would be suffient to install the largest posible tyres on a forester without scrubbing and keep the confort of the factory springs?

Ideas? Suggestions?

Dave

sven '2' · Post by **sven '2'** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 1:51 pm

dave

suggest you talk to steve at rising sun

He has lifted a few Foresters - including a mean green 2000ish GT, & knows the 'off the plan' combinations of shockers and springs

congrats on the purchase

sven

Outback bloke · Post by **Outback bloke** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:14 pm

I think you are on the money with a 2" body lift and raised springs. It is the exact combo we have in our '04 Outback. Ride is still good and it is all legal. We traveled 9000klms this year and the whole trip was very comfortable.

There is a person in our club that has an 06 Forester with a 2" strut lift. He has had no problems with CV joints or camber as yet.

ian059 · Post by **ian059** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:10 pm

I agree with the 2" strut lift which I have on my daughters '99 Limited. I question whether raised king Springs will give extra lift if installed as well as the strut lift, but you could always use heavy duty standard lift Kings to help if you want to tow a trailer etc. 2" is enough for light offroading so don't waste your money on larger tyres. They won't fit in your spare wheel well and will affect your speedo & odometer readings (which is illegal).

If you must spend the extra money, get some Yokohama A/T-S with the standard 60 series. These are great tyres with excellent loose gravel grip and very high puncture resistance and strong side walls.

That's enough ramble.
Decide for yourself.

SuBaRiNo · Post by **SuBaRiNo** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 4:51 pm

Outback Bloke... so you have the complete 2 inch lift or only the strut tops with raised springs?

Thanks for the feedback so far... would be good to hear a few more opinions is anyone has any.

Dave

Outback bloke · Post by **Outback bloke** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 7:42 pm

I have a complete kit. I thought about the strut lift only but decided the whole kit is a better idea.

SuBaRiNo · Post by **SuBaRiNo** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 8:51 pm

Yeah thats what im leaning towards... just a little worried about any other problems i might have from droping everything.... maybe something with the Turbo stuff or Automatic transmission. Or Brake line problems... i want to cover all bases before i do anything... the car is an absolute dream to drive at the moment and if i do anything that changes that the misses will shoot me.

Dave

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 11:36 pm

Dave... I'm thinking that if you want to keep it legal, it would be best to ask the Lic. Dept Technical Section in Welshpool what your allowed to do? unless your already 100% sure what can be done to your model Forester

But I think that what you have mentioned about a 2inch Body Lift and a good set of Tyres (this would depend on what the car is going to be used mostly for, on or off road) and your good to go...

I like this picture of a Forester...

http://www.subaxtreme.com.au/images/lar ... GyBar3.jpg

Clean but purposeful

BlackMale · Post by **BlackMale** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:51 am

Subarino, Congrats on the new ride its sounds sweet. Dito the 2” body lift and decent (and as you know from my experiences it will pass the pits/insurance/blar blar blar.

Enjoy.

Subafury · Post by **Subafury** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 5:55 pm

mm that is a nice looking foz. can we see pics of yours yet dave?
of course to keep it legal a 2" is the way to go. and body lift too id say. then again, SKT's looks pretty mean with 3" lift and big tyres...but that crosses the legal line.

SuBaRiNo · Post by **SuBaRiNo** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 6:23 pm

I belive SKT has a 2 inch lift not 3 inch.

Pics will be coming up when i have some decent ones.

Dave

SuBaRiNo · Post by **SuBaRiNo** » Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:57 pm

After some playing about with the car jacks and some more thinking i might go for a 2 inch strut top lift and standard height King Springs. This would actually give me more front ground clearance than i have in the hatch.

Has anyone gain any height from simply installing factory height king springs??

Dave

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Wed Nov 05, 2008 11:26 pm

SuBaRiNo wrote:Has anyone gain any height from simply installing factory height king springs??

I've found that new springs will give a slight difference in height after you first fit them but then after a couple of months they seem to settle back down to normal height. I get more extra noticeable height gain after changing from standard oil shocks to new gas models. If found that if the car has done over 100,000kms then the new shocks make a huge difference. I like to use KYB shocks and King Springs when ever I can.