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Suspension Swap


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I am thinking of swapping out my stock suspension with an 03 WRX. From what I've read from different forums, the parts should fit. Any tips on what I should do here? Do all the parts fit directly or will I need to use like my top hats or what not?

 

I just called a local dismantler and I can get the whole strut and spring assembly for $75 each. Is this a reasonable price or should I look elsewhere?

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Thats deffinally a reasonable price, (struts alone are like 100 new for decent ones). Getting the whole assembly will be best as you should be able to bolt it on. If they don't then your gonna need to use your Legacy Tophats/strut mounts, which will require you to get/rent a spring compressor. You may also want to look into putting new camber bolts in the rear so there is more adjustment, because you will need an alignment afterwards. This may actually raise your car a bit... I've heard of this combo raising the Impreza. This install can be done easily with hand tools. Do not over tighten the 3 strut mount nuts, as they tend to break easily. You may also want to have a buddy on hand to help push things in line/together. I've heard disconnecting the endlinks on sway bars can make such an install easier. GL
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You may want to try NASIOC classifieds. You can get complete sets for around $200, from the original owner who know the mileage and history of the parts.

Certainly a good idea to get the complete sets, then you have everything you need right there.

 

Here is a great thread as well: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=974624

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yup what they said we can fit 02-03 wrx struts and 04 sti struts pretty much anything from those years will bolt right one with little to no modification. I use to run megan racing coils that were meant for the 02-03 wrx but now im on wrx kyb's and ebachi pro springs im not omg low but ok
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  • 4 weeks later...
I am looking for a considerable drop out of struts and springs. Is there any strut travel numbers from other subaru's that are compatible? I'm looking for about 3" drop, and i'm afraid that going with the wrx/sti struts wont net me enough travel to cover a 3" lower stance, plus shock compression.
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I'll work on something over the winter, and we will be low, and aggressive come summer. Does legacyGT allow writeups from non senior members? I'm sure no AVID subaru owner wants to de-functionalize their car, but I might be able to describe how to correct suspension geometry at different ride heights.
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^^I'd be interested in that. Getting coilovers for the summer. Going for 3 inches as well :). Rolled fenders, and huge tire stretch (probably 8-8.5 inchers with 205 rubber). Save the comments ( I assume mostly negative) for when I, and I guess we, actually have pics.
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I understand that the subaru is a performance based platform, and that most owners would shake their head at the fact of taking away from the performance aspect of things, but suspension and camber settings are easy to swap out for winter duty, and I love an aggressive looking car. I'm in the research phase right now, but I'll keep you all updated.
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I come from the drifting community :) I can take a bit of razzing. Ordered some wheels yesterday. Cheap as hell, but decent sizing. 17x8 +25

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn128/sonicmotor/zilvia/xxr522gld.jpg

 

A buddy of mine has a set of D2 (knockoff) at 17x8.5 +20.. But I feel that this sizing would be a bit too aggressive on the subie. I might try them on for size when the snow goes away.

 

http://www.grip-performance.com/catalog/images/ROTA_d2.jpg

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o0o0o those are nice, I been looking at new wheels for verry long time as everytime i cant make a decsion I just buy tires for my stockies....FACEPALM YES.....i been wantin to run a agressive fitment I seen pictures of lgts with some flush wheels and it looks really good! I wouldn't mind seeing that writeup ether!
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Who said anything about 20's?

 

The motor in the car has 240k on it, with a slight rebuild about 90k ago.. I kinda cant wait for it to bite the dust, because a friend picked up a couple of these (pictured below). I'm not new to weird engine swaps, but 250hp/250tq at about 25mpg sounds decent, and these motors are super easy to wire up into any chassis. This will all happen after the drift car is finished of course.

 

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/zz12/kylekrebs/missile/DSCN7911.jpg

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Back on the topic of suspension swaps.. I'm gonna hit up the local parts store this week, and have them unbox me a couple different struts, and take measurements.

 

Before I do that work, has anyone else ever documented compatible strut lengths? Like a post mentioned above, of someone using 03-04 STI struts, on lowering springs.. Are those struts actually shorter, or were they used for better valving?

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You can only get so much travel out of these struts. WRX struts are stiffer than Legacy struts, but they aren't any shorter. Basically, right up until around 04, the struts were virtually all the same housings, because they all used practically similar suspension setups.

 

You will just ride the bump stops if you want to go as low as you are looking, so look into Ground Control coilover sleeves. You just remove the damper portion and use the housings of the struts, and insert these sleeves into the holes . This will more than likely be your best bet to get any sort of use out of this vehicle. Obviously you are just looking for show over functionality, so it may work for you.

Another thing to be aware of in going this low, is a wider aftermarket wheel/tire will more than likely rub the bottom spring perch.

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You can only get so much travel out of these struts. WRX struts are stiffer than Legacy struts, but they aren't any shorter. Basically, right up until around 04, the struts were virtually all the same housings, because they all used practically similar suspension setups.

 

You will just ride the bump stops if you want to go as low as you are looking, so look into Ground Control coilover sleeves. You just remove the damper portion and use the housings of the struts, and insert these sleeves into the holes . This will more than likely be your best bet to get any sort of use out of this vehicle. Obviously you are just looking for show over functionality, so it may work for you.

Another thing to be aware of in going this low, is a wider aftermarket wheel/tire will more than likely rub the bottom spring perch.

 

Great input. I completely forgot about the spring perches, as all of my lowered cars are on coils. I'm not to keen on the GC setup, and wanted to keep some comfortability (hence trying to stay with a factory combo)

 

As far as the perches go, I will actually have 3mm more inner clearance, with the wheels that I picked up, but I havent figured out final diameter between stock, and the new setup.. This will factor when I go to purchase tires.

 

Thanks for the reminder!

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  • 1 month later...
I come from the drifting community :) I can take a bit of razzing. Ordered some wheels yesterday. Cheap as hell, but decent sizing. 17x8 +25

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn128/sonicmotor/zilvia/xxr522gld.jpg

 

A buddy of mine has a set of D2 (knockoff) at 17x8.5 +20.. But I feel that this sizing would be a bit too aggressive on the subie. I might try them on for size when the snow goes away.

 

http://www.grip-performance.com/catalog/images/ROTA_d2.jpg

 

Let me know how that et25 fits. I wanted to run et30 and was told it was way to aggressive for our cars...

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