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Thread: Second Generation (95-99) Suspension Upgrades / Info

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    Second Generation (95-99) Suspension Upgrades / Info

    I'll take a few minutes and explain what does and does not work in the second generation Legacys (BD, BG, and BK chassis codes).

    OEM Subaru Strut / Spring Swaps :
    • 2002 - 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX
      Any WRX setup in these years wagon or sedan will fit any second gen Legacy. On some combinations, you may get whats called "*** sag" or a "saggy butt". This is cured by using 3/8 inch spacers. You can make your own, or there are a few places where you can order them online. I believe Paranoid Fabrications makes sets of them. I had a set that was made from a kitchen cutting board and they worked just fine.

      This setup will get you a little bit more of an agressive spring rate while not compromising ride quality. You will still experience some understeer and body roll if you're on stock sway bars. For a daily driver with occasional aggressive driving, this is an EXCELLENT upgrade. Especially if you never plan on competing with your car.

      You are able to use just the WRX spring on your current Legacy struts, but you will need WRX top hats as well. Even though this is not possible, its not recommended. You will wind up with a sub-par suspension setup.

      The one difference between the Legacy and WRX (and STI) suspension that you will notice is the way the brake lines clip to the strut. There are two ways to fix this. If you want to keep your current brake lines, you can zip tie them to the strut. If you want to do it the proper way, you can buy 02-07 WRX brake lines for all 4 wheels. This is an excellent time to upgrade to stainless steel brake lines.
    • 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
      The ONLY STI setup that will bolt right up is the 2004. In 2005 and up, Subaru changed them to 5x114 hubs, so the later struts do not fit. This is basically the same as the WRX suspension info.

      You are able to use the 05 - 07 STI springs with either your stock Legacy struts, or WRX struts though. STI springs on WRX struts usually isn't a bad upgrade.
    • Second Generation Subaru Forester
      The Forester suspension will lift up your car about an inch over stock 96-98 Outback ride height.
    • Second Generation Legacy
      Any 95-98 Legacy L, Legacy Brighton, Legacy GT-B, Legacy GT, Legacy Outback, etc will swap suspension with each other.

      Please keep in mind though that the Outback has 2 inch body spacers in it to keep the CV angles correct. If you're lowering your Outback, be sure to remove these. If you're lifting your non-Outback, be sure to add them. Along with the spacers, you have different sway bar brackets as well.
    Coilovers

    Your options for coilovers are virtually endless. Finding coilovers for 95-98 Legacys is going to be near impossible. To get MUCH more options, shop for a 02-07 WRX since those setups are a direct bolt on swap.

    Stay away from cheap coilovers. You get what you pay for. Personally, I wouldn't spend less than a grand on a set of coilovers...and even then I'm still picky on what I get. My last set was D2Racing and they carried a price tag of $2300...but they were amazing.



    Swaybars & Endlinks
    Anybody thats looking to make their Subaru handle better, this should be one of the first things on their list.

    To sum it up, swaybars help prevent body roll...and a bunch of other good suspension geometry stuff. I won't get into that in this article. I'll keep it simple for now.

    Here is a list of what will fit on your second generation Legacy (compliments of Jamal on SLi)

    Turbo Front
    Legacy
    91-94: 18mm
    GC WRX/STi: ?
    02-07 WRX wagon: 20mm
    Non-turbo Front
    Legacy
    90-94: 18mm (19mm air suspension?)
    95-99 2.2: 19mm
    96-99 2.5: 20mm
    Impreza
    93-01 L sedan: 18mm
    93-97 Wagon: 19mm
    93-96 LS: 19mm
    OBS: 19mm
    98-01 RS: 19mm
    02-07 RS/TS/i: 20mm
    Tribeca: 25mm
    Rear
    Legacy
    90-92 non-turbo sedan: 16mm
    90-92 non-turbo wagon: 17mm?
    92-94 L: n/a
    92-94 LS, LSi sedan: 16mm
    92-94 LS, LSi wagon: 17mm?
    94 Ti/GT/Mi: 17mm?
    91-94 turbo: 18mm
    95 (all): 15mm
    96-99 2.2: 15mm
    96-99 2.5: 16mm
    95-99 outback: 18mm
    Impreza and 00+ Legacy bars do not fit.
    Whiteline Aftermarket


    Turbo front
    BSF18 - 20mm
    BSF18X - 22mm
    BSF20Z - 22mm adjustable (22-21)
    BSF20X - 24mm
    BSF20XZ - 24mm adjustable (24-23)
    BSF20XXZ - 27mm adjustable (27-26)
    Non-turbo front
    BSF19 - 20mm
    BSF19X - 22mm
    BSF19XZ - 22mm adjustable
    rear 90-91
    BSR17 - 18mm
    BSR17X - 20mm
    BSR17XZ - 20mm adjustable
    rear 92-99
    BSR19 - 18mm
    BSR19X - 20mm
    BSR19XZ - 20mm adjustable
    BSR19XXZ- 22mm adjustable
    Other Aftermarket
    Rallitek - 22mm non-turbo front bar
    Addco - 1" F, 7/8" R
    others?

  2. Top Of Page | #2
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    Good list! As far as coilovers, I completely disagree that finding them for the Gen2 is impossible. There are plenty of companies that offer them. I've also used D2's and they're still holding up great. I currently have BC Racing coilovers on my wagon and they're also doing great. Each set cost roughly $1,000.00 USD so they aren't the most expensive, by far. However, they seem to perform fantastically. I'll definitely let you know what problems I run into in the future though...

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    And I have zero problems with my $450 Raceland coilovers! I just wish the rear springs were a little stiffer spring rate (450 in the front and 200 or so in the rear, would be better if the rear was like 400 since the wagons are heavier).

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    You'd be surprised about the wagons weight.. It's not much heavier than my GT sedan. The OB's came with an 18 mm rear sway bar and a stock rear spring rate of 190 lb/in not because of any extra curb weight, but because of the amount of wight that could/would be put into the rear, and so that it would be able to handle that extra weight.

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    Any of ya'll heard any reviews on the H&R coilovers for an 02' WRX? Looking at getting a set from a local guy for relatively cheap (700)
    Haters gon' hate

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kenny View Post
    You'd be surprised about the wagons weight.. It's not much heavier than my GT sedan. The OB's came with an 18 mm rear sway bar and a stock rear spring rate of 190 lb/in not because of any extra curb weight, but because of the amount of wight that could/would be put into the rear, and so that it would be able to handle that extra weight.
    I knew they were close. The raceland rears are about 200lb/in spring and thats ok if you have 5 inches of room to bounce around lol

  7. Top Of Page | #7
    Kenny's Avatar

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    Honestly, I would get new springs with a spring rate of 400 to 450 lbs/in. The reason they're only 200 lb/in because they're made for the WRX's which actually have a stock springs rate between 117 lbs/in and 144 lbs/in depending on year and if it's a sedan or hatchback. You're fine running 200's on your car. You will have better response over stock because of the coils being tighter and the dampening levels being higher, but there's much more potential in there.

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    Thats what Im planning on doing!

  9. Top Of Page | #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by John View Post
    • 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
      The ONLY STI setup that will bolt right up is the 2004. In 2005 and up, Subaru changed them to 5x114 hubs, so the later struts do not fit. This is basically the same as the WRX suspension info.

      You are able to use the 05 - 07 STI springs with either your stock Legacy struts, or WRX struts though. STI springs on WRX struts usually isn't a bad upgrade.


    i got a set of 06 sti struts with lowering springs, i told the guy i just wanted the springs but he didnt want to split them, so gave me the whole shabang, tophats and all for a couple hundred. the rears bolted right on, but were too short for me to use without a bit of work. i havent tried the fronts. my question is, what does the hub changing have to do with strut fitment?

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