bd/bg suspension vs. be/bh

[strat81]

any major differences between the two?

i'm heading to the junkyard tomorrow and i think i remember seeing a bh outback last time i was there... i have the springs/struts/top mounts off a 96-99 outback but one strut is bent... i'm thinking of grabbing one of the bh struts to use but want to make sure it's compatible.

[badbasser98]

yes, as to what the differences are... I will leave that to someone that knows more than I do. :wink:

[shazapple]

Well, the BE/BH weighs a lot more than the BD/BG for one.

[strat81]

are the struts the same? that's really all i need to know.

[gator gt]

No. Stay away. rears are totally different monsters. Take your OEM strut and divide it in half. And the spring is kind of mimics a coilover spring (except its not adjustable)...its tight to the damper body. Kind of reminds me of the stereotypical 'Monroe' shock for trucks. But tiny.

I tried finding a picture to show the difference, but to no avail.

GGT

[Wiscon_Mark]

Multilink, won't work. That's a no-go, Spence.

[belladonna]

what about the front?

[Huffer]

The fronts will be similar, maybe even bolt in. I know the strut tops are the same.

[strat81]

i have the bg rears... they are fine... i have the bg fronts too... one of the fronts is bent... looks like i'll just have to compare/test part fitment out in the junkyard tomorrow.

i'll let you guys know how i make out.

[MitchGT]

Stock rear assembly from a BE:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/02/DSCN1082-1.jpg

GR-2/H&R front assembly from a BE:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/02/DSCN1086-1.jpg

Hope this helps, I didn't take a lot of pics during my suspension swap.

[gator gt]

Stock rear assembly from a BE:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/02/DSCN1082-1.jpg

GR-2/H&R front assembly from a BE:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/02/DSCN1086-1.jpg

Hope this helps, I didn't take a lot of pics during my suspension swap.

I'd like to take more pics when I mod...I just forget to. :roll:

Thanks for the pics mitch.

what are you looking to do strat?

GGT

[belladonna]

he's going to have two suspension setups. the outback setup for winter and the slammed look for summer.
although once he found out that the brake lines go through the struts he was thinking what pain in the butt it would be to change each season :lol:

[MitchGT]

Changing suspension setups 2x a year is going to be a pain. If this is something you're set on then I'd definately reccomend getting two sets of everything (struts, springs, perches, strut mounts, dust sleeves). This way you could leave both sets off springs mounted year-round and avoid the fun of spring compressing twice a year.

[Huffer]

he's going to have two suspension setups. the outback setup for winter and the slammed look for summer.
although once he found out that the brake lines go through the struts he was thinking what pain in the butt it would be to change each season :lol:

How about going with some Ground Control coilovers, KYB AGX struts, Eibach springs? You already have Impreza tophats and fitments, so you could run that setup.

Buy a lifetime alignment from Firestone and get the car aligned whenever the height is adjusted.

Brake lines - you can just dremel out the brakeline tabs and just use zipties.

[strat81]

i picked up the full assembly today. (i had 3 full assemblies already and actually came across a second bg outback)

so it's just be a matter of swapping the spring/strut assemblies. right now though, i'll prob just keep it lifted and eventually put the $$ down for some whitelines and gr2's.

huffer... it won't pass inspection like that (the struts that are on it now were that way and they had to do something with them... i haven't checked yet to see exactly what was done)

[gator gt]

i picked up the full assembly today. (i had 3 full assemblies already and actually came across a second bg outback)

so it's just be a matter of swapping the spring/strut assemblies. right now though, i'll prob just keep it lifted and eventually put the $$ down for some whitelines and gr2's.

huffer... it won't pass inspection like that (the struts that are on it now were that way and they had to do something with them... i haven't checked yet to see exactly what was done)


What won't pass inspection? Zipties? In all seriousness, you don't need to dremel the tabs OFF....although I don't think that Huffer was implying that.

I did the same thing on my struts when I changed mine out. I dremeled enough out of the side of the tab to slide the hose portion of the brake line (not metal braket of the line) out of the tab. When doing this on installed struts with unopened brake lines, pull the brake hose back through the tab so as to have the actual hose in the hole. This will give you room for the cutoff wheel to cut a small access chunk out of the tab. Yes, watch your speed and blade so as to not cut the brake hose itself.

And, while I was planning on using a ziptie to hold the hose IN the opened tab....putting the OEM spring clip back in, held the hose well enough to look like nothing has been done. So I never ended up using zipties and have had no problems keeping them in the 'open' tabs since. Its been that way for at least 10k miles. No, I don't track the car....so its on normal roads with potholes and pavement changes.

Cliff Notes:
1. Dremel just enough of the side of the tab (of the installed strut) to get hose out. Mimic the size on the new struts BEFORE installing them.
2. Put OEM spring clip onto new strut assem just like it came off the old set. Just make sure to put a little more 'spring' into the clip by bending it just a touch more.

Hope thats not too confusing.

GGT

[ivwarrior]

Wouldn't it be easier to buy an Outback for the winter? Then, you have all winter to mod the Legacy ;)

[Wiscon_Mark]

Wouldn't it be easier to buy an Outback for the winter? Then, you have all winter to mod the Legacy ;)

THIS car is his winter car :lol:

He has a Cavi for his modding car...I know, I know, Chevy, but its really nice, he's made up for any lacking in that car with his very tasteful modding :)

[strat81]

gator gt... when i had the car inspected a month ago, the brake lines were zip tied in. the shop (which is a pretty reputable local subaru shop i might add) told me that the lines were zip tied in and that it needed to be fixed in order to pass... i'm not sure if they just put the stock spring clips in or what they did (i haven't actually looked at them yet) but this is what they told me.

mark... no lacking in the cavalier to begin with... it runs circles around my wagon :P

[Wiscon_Mark]

mark... no lacking in the cavalier to begin with... it runs circles around my wagon :P

um, what I meant, was that no car is perfectly rounded and you've improved on any shortcomings there may be. I'm not comparing speed or anything like that, just general things, like suspension, and seats.

I've driven a cavi (stock) and I like my suspension a lot better, as well as seats. Stock seats are way too soft IMO.

Your car, is of course, much faster than mine, I wasn't disputing that at all.

[gator gt]

gator gt... when i had the car inspected a month ago, the brake lines were zip tied in. the shop (which is a pretty reputable local subaru shop i might add) told me that the lines were zip tied in and that it needed to be fixed in order to pass... i'm not sure if they just put the stock spring clips in or what they did (i haven't actually looked at them yet) but this is what they told me.

mark... no lacking in the cavalier to begin with... it runs circles around my wagon :P

Oh, no doubt that zipties holding brakelines to struts wouldn't pass...it looks (and is) shoddy.

I didn't realize that this procedure was already done on your car.

But, for the swap of struts without cracking open the brake lines, one doesn't need to use zipties if the dremeling of the tabs on the strut is done with intelligence and finesse.

GGT

[strat81]

gotcha... i'll have to take a look at it...

right now though, i'm not TOO concerned with it as i don't plan on using the current setup on the car again... i'm gonna eventually drop the $$ for whitelines/gr2's. also, the brake fluid needs flushed on the wagon so i'll probably just try to do that when i swap over the suspension setups. 8)

[gator gt]

The WL/GR2 is a nice setup...you'll like it.

GGT

[Brockley]

ok, so i see in post 2 that BE should fit a bg/bk...


what if i ordered a set of TEIN HA coils for the BE?

(mine is a 97 Wagon)

would these fit direct? need to know ASAP...

[Reason]

ok, so i see in post 2 that BE should fit a bg/bk...


what if i ordered a set of TEIN HA coils for the BE?

(mine is a 97 Wagon)

would these fit direct? need to know ASAP...

BE will NOT fit a bg/bk

[Brockley]

that sucks... TEIN has them on special for 605 SHIPPED right now... NEW


http://www.tein.com/online_shop/special.html


someone get these now... im mad... lol

[Wiscon_Mark]

ok, so i see in post 2 that BE should fit a bg/bk...

You didn't read the question in post #1 then. It was asking if they were different, to which BB98 responded "yes"

The fronts are very similar, if not the same, but the rear multilink suspension on the BE is totally different than the BG/BK/BD setup. If you've ever looked in the trunk of a BH, you'd notice that the strut towers barely rise above the floor level, while your BK's strut towers go all the way up to the windows. Completely different setup.

[Brockley]

Gotcha, see that now... but has anyone actually tried to fit any coils from one?

Just sayin, it they bolt up, and you adj. the lowering to the max, could it atleast fit, or would it not? (if it actually fits, could be a was to raise the rear for Rally-x) lol

Fronts should Bolt in perfect. I put a Cusco Front Strut bar in from an 02 on my 97... direct fit..

[Huffer]

Gotcha, see that now... but has anyone actually tried to fit any coils from one?

THE REARS DONT FIT. ITS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SUSPENSION SYSTEM.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Reread my last post. The rear struts are about HALF the length of the BD/BK/BG struts...no amount of lowering will work.

Not to mention that the whole system in the rear is vastly different from the macpherson strut system.

[rougeben83]

Yeah the BE rear suspension is no where near like the early Legacies. The fronts though...possible, as I have RS components on the front end of my BE at the moment.

The bigger questions is whether BL parts will fit BE's as they have a very similar rear suspension setup. The bolt pattern of the strut tops are different though.