cheap way to lower BE sedan?

[TheGreatHoldini]

hi all, i have a 2004 35th anniversary legacy coupe and i want to lower it to reduce some of the body roll that occurs at faster cornering speeds, but i cant seem to find any cheap coilovers, can anyone recommend anything?

[Somac]

You can pick up JDM Bilstein struts pretty cheap.

If you're concerned about body roll, you should go for some sway bars like what Whiteline offers, too.

I would absolutely avoid any cheap coilovers. Racelands, Godspeeds, Megans, and even BC BRs are pretty bad, especially for a daily driver. Bilsteins paired with a good spring like H&Rs will outhandle pretty much every coilover under $1500.

[Reason]

Cut springs, or totally remove them. The ride wouldn't be ideal though... but if you want it proper, springs and struts are the way to go. :thumbright:

[Huffer]

You can pick up JDM Bilstein struts pretty cheap.

If you're concerned about body roll, you should go for some sway bars like what Whiteline offers, too.

I would absolutely avoid any cheap coilovers. Racelands, Godspeeds, Megans, and even BC BRs are pretty bad, especially for a daily driver. Bilsteins paired with a good spring like H&Rs will outhandle pretty much every coilover under $1500.

Bilstein struts won't lower the car any - the strut length/body is relatively the same as a stock strut. The lowering comes from the shorter spring.

Also to OP - if you want to control body roll, consider stiffer/thicker swaybars if you can't compromise ride height.

[TheGreatHoldini]

thank you guys for the recommendations. i think body roll may have been the wrong term for what im meaning, im more so talking about how the car seems to lean when cornering and im attributing that to the spring stiffness, i may be wrong though as im still quite new to all of this. would lowering springs be my best bet if i wanted to spend the least amount of money for getting the car lower?

[rkrenicki]

The lean would probably be better fixed by beefier swaybars than springs like Somac and Huffer said. Lowering springs tend to be softer, which ends up lowering the car, but will not help that lean at all before the car is sitting on the bump stops.

If you want lower, I would do either the H&R springs or JDM STI Pink springs for the BE chassis. But I would highly recommend throwing on a sway bar.

Since you have an 04 Legacy, you already have a 21mm front bar. The only OEM upgrade for you would be the 25mm bar from a Tribeca. It is no more than $82 at your Subaru dealer, plus the cost of bushings and possibly endlinks if yours are shot or cannot be removed without cutting them.

For rears, you have to go aftermarket. The Whiteline BSR12XZ (19-21mm adjustable) is a nice upgrade, but a little pricey. You might find some JDM BE/BH bars for cheaper on eBay.

[Reason]

Lowering at the very minimum would be springs, if you are going for looks. If you are looking for performance you will need good struts as well. I beefed up my rear sway bar, added a front strut brace and did solid aluminum front sway bar end links and I reduced more body roll than springs and strut combo.

[TheGreatHoldini]

thank you guys for the recommendations, im a broke college student so i think ill go with looks for the time being until i have some more disposable income

[Huffer]

thank you guys for the recommendations, im a broke college student so i think ill go with looks for the time being until i have some more disposable income

Broke college student? Get a swaybar. Cheap and will improve your handling without any other changes. "looking" the part instead of being the part? Hell no.

[dwayne]

You can pick up JDM Bilstein struts pretty cheap.

If you're concerned about body roll, you should go for some sway bars like what Whiteline offers, too.

I would absolutely avoid any cheap coilovers. Racelands, Godspeeds, Megans, and even BC BRs are pretty bad, especially for a daily driver. Bilsteins paired with a good spring like H&Rs will outhandle pretty much every coilover under $1500.

Looks like a pretty good suggestion to get Bilstein and H&R springs. We will be working on a Legacy Sedan right after the we finished installing the new tires and oe creations (http://4wheelonline.com/oe-creations.234224) wheels on the current truck project. The owner is on a budget.

[Jacobpockros]

The BE Sedan is the toughest car I’ve seen to get lowered “correctly” for cheap. In my opinion, the best options are JDM Tein S-Tech Springs, and Tanabe DF210 Springs, both with paranoid fabrications Saggy butt spacers in the rear to give it an even-looking ride height. I have the Tanabe springs for sale if you’re interested. H&R springs are a good choice too, but they make the car sit oddly since they were designed for a wagon, and they are definetly on the stiffer side. I’ve tested 4 lowering springs for this chassis, which is how I got these conclusions.

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