DSM-2-WRX

Personally, I would have purchased a turbo Forester with manual transmission or a turbo Outback Wagon with manual if they made one, but that's not an option. Good on the OP for trying something new and making his car what he wants/needs it to be. Some people find it silly to buy a LGT and then throw a fortune in suspension/brake/wheel upgrades to make it track worthy, when they can just buy a track worthy sports car off the showroom floor, but to each his own. For my needs I just want stock ride height, but with stiffer springs to sharpen up the handling, prevent bottoming out, and to support the rear end better when hauling bikes or towing a small trailer. I won't be doing a Outback suspension swap myself. I have a couple other ideas in mind but I'm still researching. BTW, the car looks a lot better with those 17" wheels and tires.

Very cool project! Thanks for taking the time to post all the details and photos. What kind of bike rack have you been using? I'm a mountain biker too. There are times when I definitely would like a little more ground clearance, such as when driving down fire roads to trail heads. Stiffer springs would also be welcome for when loaded up with cargo/bikes, or when towing (I also occasionally tow 1-2 dual sports/dirt bikes on an open trailer). That's an interesting idea. I would really like to know the specs of the Outback springs, such as free length and spring rate. Having an extra coil doesn't really mean much. You can have a spring with more coils that could actually result in a lower ride height when installed in the same strut, if the spring rate is lower (the spring could sag more, despite having more preload because it is longer). In fact, if the cross-sectional diameter of the spring coil is the same, the spring with more coils will actually have a lower spring rate. However, if the spring DOES have a significantly higher rate, and it is longer, it could potentially cause the stock strut to constantly "top out", which would cause a rough ride and accelerate strut wear. I'm strongly considering just buying a set of King raising springs. They are supposed to be 20-30% stiffer than stock, and raise the ride height about an inch. Sounds like what I'm looking for. However, I'm not sure how well the stock strut will dampen the stiffer springs, and the springs are not cheap. I wish we had more people on the forum who have actually raised their suspensions so I wouldn't have to feel like a guinea pig.