My Bilstein OBXT setup

A few months ago, I finally settled on the suspension I wanted to run. I had a set of coilovers, but they were too aggressive for my wife and it wasn't practical to have the car that low. The stock suspension is terribly underdamped and the car bounces and wallows all over the place. My goal was a slightly more firm ride, without any harshness. Stock LGT wagon ride would have been great, but would have still suffered the same underdamped problem. The logical option was to mimic the Spec-B setup and go Biilstein HD's with springs designed for them. I went back and fourth about what to do, and I have finally finished compiling all of my parts.

My suspension will consist of the following:

Bilstein HD front and rear struts

Subaru JDM Spec-B Rev-C wagon springs

FBP/Hotchkis 25mm/22mm sway bars with brackets and KB endlinks

The one thing that concerns me is that no one else seems to be running these springs, so I'm not sure what to expect for ride height.

I'm going to draw up and then cut myself some 1/2" HDPE saggy butt spacers just in case it sits too low.

I'm undecided on whether or not to cut the front bump stops in the struts, or to just leave them alone.

My goal is to have stock LGT wagon wheel gap with my outback sized tires. I think that'll look just right.

I'm hoping to do the install on Feb. 5th, and I'll be sure to post pics when I'm done.

First, I need to scan the stock top hats so I can make my own spacers. I might make a set of 1/4" and 1/2" spacers for the front and rear and then just sell the ones I don't use. I need to check how much clearance there is under the hood for longer bolts. I'll get some that are 3/4" longer, just in case.

In the future, I'll probably remove all of the body spacers. I haven't really looked into what that entails, though.

I do. All Bilstein's need them. Shouldn't be any problem.

I assembled the front struts earlier in the week. The rear struts will get assembled as soon as the washers show up. Then I'll be ready to bolt in.

I'll start off with no saggy-butt spacers and then determine how many/thickness I'll need. I don't mind doing two alignments.

I do. All Bilstein's need them. Shouldn't be any problem.

 

I assembled the front struts earlier in the week. The rear struts will get assembled as soon as the washers show up. Then I'll be ready to bolt in.

 

I'll start off with no saggy-butt spacers and then determine how many/thickness I'll need. I don't mind doing two alignments.

I would highly recommend starting with 1/4 if you plan on that approach. I can't imagine anyone happy with NO butt spacers. I went 3/8ths. Still didnt' like it so I'm putting lower fronts on and leaving the rear alone.

Still think I should start with a spacer?

That seems odd. Spec-B's don't need spacers. Why would you need spacers if you unbolted the suspension from a Spec-B and bolted it into an LGT?

My springs are designed for bilsteins though...

so are mine (pinks) and I ended up with them. the saggy butt look is stock from the factory. search for anyone who has put on a jdm takeoff suspension on a wagon and you'll see.

this is exactly what my car looked like with HDs/pinks:

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/omgwtfbbq-feeler-pgts-wagon-complete-26-500-44794.html?t=44794

I know PGT used Pinks, but I don't remember which bilsteins he used (and it really doesn't matter). I ended up putting the 1/2" spacers in and it now looks better. If you end up doing the spacers you will need the longer studs even for the 1/2 spacers. and be careful to tap the new studs into the same groves or they will turn when you tighten it up.

Hmm, good info Rexter, thanks!

Since I don't have any spacers, I'm going to do the install as-is. Then I'll measure, order or make the spacers I want, and install them.

I'm actually shooting for stock LGT wagon ride height, maybe a LITTLE taller so it doesn't look funny with my Outback sized tires.

http://onlinecarworld.com/stock/used-subaru-legacy-20gt-specb-209216.html

That's what my suspension is, effectively, taken from.

Got a set of 3/8" no-scuttle-butt spacers and I'm ready to go tomorrow.

Ill post some pics!

They'll keep the back up a bit, which is good.

If they are low, ill just make my own spacers. I haven't entirely ruled out the possibility of running up to 1" spacers to get the ride height exactly where I want.

I will also get to finally fix the whiteline kca399 kit in the rear.

Wish me luck!

Hmm, good info Rexter, thanks!

 

Since I don't have any spacers, I'm going to do the install as-is. Then I'll measure, order or make the spacers I want, and install them.

 

I'm actually shooting for stock LGT wagon ride height, maybe a LITTLE taller so it doesn't look funny with my Outback sized tires.

 

http://onlinecarworld.com/stock/used-subaru-legacy-20gt-specb-209216.html

 

That's what my suspension is, effectively, taken from.

That Spec B wagon makes me feel all warm and tingly

Bilsteins are in!

I'm glad I ignored the 1/4" saggy spacer idea, and went straight for the 3/8". The whole car is a little low for my tastes, but it rides EXACTLY like I want. It feels stock, but so much more planted. I'm not THRILLED with my alignment (-2.0º rear camber, -0.3º front), but I didn't feel like spending that much time doing the alignment. I might redo it when it gets a little warmer out.

I'll try to snag some pictures on Monday.

All I can say is that this is, so far, an ideal setup. It's BUTTER smooth. WAY smoother than stock was. Not harsh at all, just perfect all around.

I think, at some point, I would like to remove all of the "Outback" spacers and have a full Outback -> Legacy Wagon conversion. It'll truly be the Legacy GT Wagon that Subaru never built. Complete with OEM wide-body.

I think a true wide-body would be one where the wide wheel arches actually provide more width for wider tires. Our plastic sticky-outie bits don't.

This is why I like coilovers that keep the car a bit higher than Legacy height.