98 legacy outback lowering

[joseabbott34]

Hey so I was wondering what lowering springs would be compatible with my 98 legacy. A friend told me any 02-07 wrx ones would work. Anyone tried this or have any info??

Thank you.

[agjoyce]

h&r

[98legwag]

02-07 WRX springs and struts will work. I have 02 WRX wagon struts and springs on my wagon.

[Wiscon_Mark]

I don't believe you can just use WRX springs by themselves on your struts. You'd need a full assembly.

Also, do you have a Legacy wagon (BK) or an Outback (BG)? It's worth noting that Outback's aren't tall because of the springs, but actually the struts are taller. If you want to just throw springs on your stock struts, you'll have to go H&R.

[foohfooh]

the outback has extra tall struts. so simply swapping the springs (most people think) results in a less than stellar ride.

02 - 07 wrx impreza sedan/wagon's entire strut spring assemblys bolt right up to 96-99 legacy bk/bg cars. the imprezas came with a stiffer more performance oriented suspension. (I dropped about 3 inches on my outback, plus reduced body roll and a better spring response).

Howerver! there are dudes on this forum that simply changed springs. use the search option with some of the terms here. theres loads of threads discussing this very topic

[joseabbott34]

Ohh okay. So the full set is a must. But I saw 02-07 wrx lowering springs on eBay for something like 70$. Is this a "you get what you pay for" type thing or are springs springs? I appreciate the info from all of you.

[foohfooh]

your absolutely right! "you get what you pay for"

springs are a valuable part of a suspension setup. racing springs are designed to be stiff and give utmost performance in track setting (low to the ground) and are crazy expensive! but they would be TERRIBLE on the normal road. (a pothole would like break your back and the car would feel like it was offroading when driving over pebbles) IE they make different springs for different markets

However! with things like stance/slammed/hellaflush scraped crusaders. These guys are usually lowering their rides for things like the look or even competitive car shows/meets. the car just needs to make into the parking lot/car show, so things like harsh ride quality or even performance might be a secondary priority. you never know. heck people even cut their springs with hacksaws.

its up to you and what you want/can afford.

like the dude said check out "h&r" brand springs. I have heard they are middle of the road
other brands would be "swift", "tein" . they even started making coilovers for guys that wanted more affordable ways to lower/raise their cars IE raceland coilovers.

[86bratman]

If you want to just bring your outback down to normal legacy height you can just get new struts, and smaller tires. To go much lower than that it would be a good idea to remove all the body spacers. Which is quite an extensive procedure.

[joseabbott34]

I'm not trying to spend a whole lot of money as far as springs go. But I found some S-Techs. I know people have a negative review towards them. But do those require me to change struts or will they fit directly on my stock ones?

[Wiscon_Mark]

What are they made for? 02-07 Impreza?

[joseabbott34]

The description says Outback Tein S-Tech. But the compatibility says 05-09 legacy and outback GT 2.5.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Anything Legacy/Outback 00+ will not work for 95-99 in the rear, so no, you cannot use those.

Only GD Impreza (02-07) and SG Forester (03-08) suspension will work, and even then, I'm not sure you could directly use the springs on 95-99 Legacy struts.

Honestly, I'd look at buying some fully assembled used Impreza or WRX (02-07) struts/springs/tops. Easy installation if they're fully assembled and you know everything will mesh together spring/strut wise. You might have to rotate the rear tophat, but I think it will all bolt up. Thomistopeles is running a WRX suspension on his '97 Outback, IIRC.

[Thomistopheles]

Find a set of 02-07 WRX wagon takeoffs. Complete struts, springs, and hats. Add a 3/8" strut top spacer in the rear if it sags. You will most likely need camber bolts in the rear for your alignment, they run about $20-30.

I have 03 WRX sedan stuff on my car, a bit more complicated to make it work. I have WRX sedan springs in the front, swapped my Outback springs onto the rear since the WRX sedan springs would have been too soft and saggy. In the rear, WRX wagon struts will give you more camber adjustability than sedan struts and the spring rates are fine. With my eibach bolts maxed out, I can only get -0.8° in the rear. Just get WRX wagon parts and save yourself the time and headaches.

[foohfooh]

I have used 2004 wrx wagon struts/springs/hats on fronts AND rears.

+ 3/8" paranoid fabrication plastic strut spacers for the rear to prevent sag

i just waited to buy the longer camber bolts until i got an alignment.

this actually improves the handling of an outback dramatically for fast driving/cornering. vs just slapping some squishy springs on and compressing your stock struts until they mush

[fogls]

Does it matter if it is a sedan or wagon? I just picked up a 98 Legacy GT Limited sedan and want to drop it. Will the 02-07 Impreza suspension work on a sedan also?

[Wiscon_Mark]

Not really. The only difference is that the sedans have a different spring rate than the wagons, due to lower weight in the rear of the sedan. They all bolt up the same.

[Muse]

This is good to know, as I just got a set of WRX springs. Come to think of it I didn't ask if it were Sedan or Wagon springs... Uh-oh...

[Wiscon_Mark]

If you got sedan, think about maybe getting a set of spacers for the rear tops.

[joseabbott34]

Sorry about all the questions but does anyone know the part numbers for

Tein springs that will fit the 98 Outback wagon?

or H&Rs?