I'm writing this mainly aimed at anyone interested in modifying their liberty in a similar way or for a similar purpose. You can see my original thread some time ago herethat contains lots of good advice from many helpful folk that will fill you in on background and hopefully answer some of your questions... I will continue amending this post as comments and corrections come from other members. As I am no expert and this is the only car I have modded, I am entirely self taught and learnt from here and shop manuals, the input from experienced members will help ensure accuracy of the info. Hopefully this first post will contain most of what you need, but read the whole thing anyway. It is mostly inspired from my own car, and I have included corrections and comments from others to really cover what implications and options exist if you want to go down this path. Please contribute to the thread if you have some help to offer!
My set up is:
3" lift (3" strut tops, 2" body spacers, steering extension)
'96 outback struts
Raised King Springs
'97 outback trailing arm mounts
16" outback alloys (16" steel foz spare)
Standard AWD dual range transmission with standard 3.9 front diff and 3.9 rear diff
215/70/16 BF Goodrich AT tires
Alloy bull bar with driving lights
So some general observations and opinions...
1. Liberty's have terrible approach and departure angles (i.e the angle of slope you can approach (or depart) without hitting) because they have a looong front and and fat wagon arse. This will always be the limiting factor in offroad conditions, especially unlifted.
2. These cars are not intended to have oversize wheels. I am running 16" rims (outback, but there is no real difference between foz and outback rims AFAIK) with BFGoodrich AT tyres, 215/70/16. Because of this set up:
[INDENT]
- The speedo is out by -15%. The 1992 model has a mechanical speedo - you can get mechanical correctors which cost around $200. I don't have the cash for it at the moment, so instead i used a formula and made up a conversion table that sits on my dash (see later posts on this page)
- I get massive scrub on the front gear box cross member (and a little on the chassis rails) at full lock.
- The 'drive' of the car has been drastically changed due to the change in effective gearing (your wheels are essential a gear too) brought about by the larger and heavier tires. The standard AWD low range is now undergeared and this is noticable on offroad tough hill climbs at low speed, and your normal (high range) will feel different, especially in the mountains. I have to say I'm enjoying the 2.5k rpm at 100km/h on the highway, and shifting into 4th up some hills on the highway felt very strange....
- Your lib will not have the 'zippy' feeling that it used to with the standard set up. While they're no race car, the only way you'll get that feeling back is by changing diff ratios. The standard in 1st gen liberties fitted AWD dual range boxes are 3.9 for both front and rear diffs. Upping to 4.11 or 4.44 diffs will compensate for the larger tires and reportedly bring rpms in each gear closer to standard. The 1.8L liberties came with 4.11 front and rear diffs.
- The spare wheel will no longer fit in the spare wheel well, nor will the existing jack be tall enough to change your spare.
- I plan to put the L series low range and ej 4.11 or 4.44 diffs in to account for the loss of advantage, I will edit here once that is done. According to my subaru shop manual, the 1.8L liberties came fitted with the 1.59 low range. The 2.0 and 2.2 are 1.196, turbo's didn't come with low range.
The BFG AT's are absolutely fantastic. I came from bald road tires, so anything was going to be better, but I've been blown away by how good they actually are. Great when aired down, at 36 psi not too noisy on the road and still great traction on dirt.
3. Raised Springs and outback struts:
The raised king springs are super when the vehicle has weight in it. I went for them as I spend a lot of time camping and towing, often with four passengers. Cornering is fantastic, especially at speed. I've pushed it pretty damn quick on some alpine dirt roads that were mint but with big pot holes that need serious dodging at speed. There was little banking, and what was there was controlled and predictable, even if it still hit the holes. When unloaded, the back end in particular tends to bounce on speed humps and rattle on dirt roads. I guess you could say that without weight there isn't enough preload on the springs and you loose a bit of performance. If you are not regularly loading your lib then I would recommend against the raised springs.
The raised springs are not taller. They are stiffer than standard, and this means that when loaded the car does not sink as low onto its suspension, thus raising the vehicle.
It is only through using taller struts and tires that you increase under car clearance. The raised springs assist in this, and also further increases the CV angles.
Outback struts have been great. They are wider than the pneumatic suspension and you will have to do some bashing of the wheel well to make them turn freely. You can use either gen 2 or 3 outback struts for the front, but only gen 2 for the rear due to different constructions. Having seen both, I would recommend gen 1 as they look beefier. I have been told forester struts can be used, but do not yet know which series' are suitable.
3" Lift Kit:
In conjunction with the outback struts, raised springs, and 3" strut tops you end up with one pretty damn tall assembly. This increases the angles on the CV joints (my lib came with the tri-pot type typically found in post 1994 models) and general opinion is that this will increase wear. I've just replaced all four front CV boots and inspected all joints. Now just have to wait and see.
If you are not looking for mega clearance or you want your lib to look less beasty, 2" strut tops would suffice and also, presumably, bring less wear onto the CV's than the 3" as there is one inch less height on the struts, thus 1 inch worth's less change in angle at the cv's. The whole assembly would still be a great option for off roading.
The spacers are simple to install and no-nonsense, I purchased mine from Dave (SubiWanKanobe on here) and was impressed with material and build quality. I suggest ordering it a long time before you a ready to install, as Dave is a busy man.
There is offset built into the strut lift blocks that help remove the excess camber caused by having a taller strut assembly. Without the lift, it is said that there is sufficient camber adjustment in the tie rods to accommodate the taller outback/forester struts.
These spacers will increase the body clearance but not affect your drive train's clearance. The strut tops are the exception as they push the wheel down and thus raise the entire vehicle up from the pivot on the control arm.
The distance the gear box has moved from the body has changed the shifting feel, and it is often awkward getting into second. Any suggestions as to solutions?
General thoughts and recommendations:
Going for this set up takes time to find the parts (unless your willing to buy new) and will significantly change your ride, especially if you're coming from the pneumatic set up.
Removing the struts will mean disconnecting the brake lines so you need to be able to bleed breaks. The brake lines are threaded through a small bracket which holds them onto the strut: you can cut a slit into this bracket and fold back to remove lines without disconnecting the brakes if you are willing to cut the bracket. However if you do it the long way you get nice fresh brake fluid and if you purchased new struts you retain warranty...
You will also need a wheel alignment afterward. I recommend Bridgestone in Frankston (on the nepean highway) if you are in melbourne, they did a great job.
It makes for a great car that will definitely get you places you couldn't before, and handle much much better on dirt/wet roads.
Instead of 16" rims, finding tires for the 14" rims may be a cheaper option. Also, if you can get 15" rims and offroad tires then this may eliminate the problems I've had with scrub.
I whole heartedly recommend these modifications, but strongly state that you will have a very different vehicle to what you started with, in looks and especially in drive and handling.
Anyone in melbourne who wants to do this and needs help with install I will be happy to help.
Thank you to members VincentVega, AlpineRaven and AndrewT for their contributions so far
Cheers,
Owen.
. Lifted, bars, exhausts... View 
