I Have A 02 Wrx Wagon, Its A Blast But It Doesnt Have The Ground Clearance I Want. Was Thinking Of Putting A Lift On It And Some Bigger Dirt Tires. Any Suggestions Or Experience Someone Would Like To Share.
I don't know how much of a lift you're looking for, but an extreme lift on a WRX would cost a ton of money: think tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of dollars for a full rally setup with a complete custom suspension.
First of all, you can't fit too tall of a tire on it because of the rather tight clearance between the top of the tire and the bottom of the [whatever suspension component is directly above it that I don't know the name of]. You need to stick to around a 25" total diameter wheel/tire combo so that your suspension components can function as they were intended by the factory. Tire width becomes another issue: your fenders (especially because you have an 02-07 wagon) do not allow you to run an extremely wide tire without rolling, cutting, or otherwise modifying them. If you don't have aftermarket brake calipers/rotors, you might be able to run a 16" or maybe 15" wheel with a tire that has a little more meat if you want more cushioning on bumpy surfaces (providing you have the right width and offset), but you should still stick to the ~25" total diameter.
Now, regarding your lift I don't know if anybody has installed a set of coilovers and run them on the highest setting possible, but that might be your safest bet. I was always under the impression that a set of coilovers would be equivalent to the stock height at full extension OR lower, but not higher. I could be wrong - and if I am, you might be able to get a few extra mm of height out of that setup. I'm completely guessing here, but that might work for you. If anybody else knows, please feel free to chime in, but that's all I can think of right now.
On another board, they were talking about using stock Forester suspension on their WRX's. I will look later to find the link of that thread. I did steal some pictures when I was on there.
Forrester suspension bolts right up to the wagon. Gives you room for about a 26" tire. A lot of people use snow tires. Only thing low profile you can really fit.
General makes a 205/75R15 tire that works decently. About the only real offroad tire you can fit but it's 27" so it'll take some fender work as well.
Depending on the year Forester, yes they fit and give a 1 inch lift you may even be able to do a swap with someone who wants to lower a forester, Keep your front shocks though... they are perfect for the forrester springs, but you may want to put some forester shocks in the rear, or not, the impreza ones would do it too, I have some Rally tyres I want to get rid of, they are Dunlops, 205/65R15, They would fit fine but I only have Subaru wheels which are 15x6... and these things need 6.5 to 7"
Ken, thanks for sharing those pics. Gives a good comparison of stock and lifted. I think that the subtle solutions would be the way to go for most. Doesnt look like a bad price either. You going to do the install yourself or not? If so good luck with it man.
[/QUOTE]Now, regarding your lift I don't know if anybody has installed a set of coilovers and run them on the highest setting possible, but that might be your safest bet. I was always under the impression that a set of coilovers would be equivalent to the stock height at full extension OR lower, but not higher. I could be wrong - and if I am, you might be able to get a few extra mm of height out of that setup. I'm completely guessing here, but that might work for you. If anybody else knows, please feel free to chime in, but that's all I can think of right now.[/QUOTE]
I installed a set of Megan Racing 32-way valve coilovers on my 03 WRX Sedan. I was able to adjust them to ride 2" higher than stock, and lower than necessary. +1" has been nice with these Canadian winters.
Wear a mouth guard when removing knuckle bolts. I nearly broke my teeth when the first knuckle bolt broke free. Also does not hurt (if they are rusty) to wrap a rag soaked in release-all over night.
Youve got a few options. Your best bet is to get the springs and struts from an 03-08 Forester. The Fozzy XT will be stiffer and I think the JDM STi springs are the stiffest but Im not 100% on that. Then youll need Outback or Forester trailing arm brackets, rear swaybar brackets and STi FRONT endlinks to run in the rear. Some people used to complain about how some CV axles, like generic brand replacements, would leak because of the now steeper angle. Nowadays I think that myth has been bsted but keep an eye out for that. Once you try to get more than 3" or lift then youre going to need to lower the transmission crossmember and I think another subframe or crossmember as well. Oh and you might need rear camber bolts but some people get away with not needing them at all. Lastly with this setup the tallest tire youll be able to run is going to be 27.5" tall. Geolanders and Grabber AT2's are the most popular choices. I hope this clears some stuff up for you. You really need to read up on this over at DI Rally(Dirty Impreza forums) because those guys know this stuff front and back. Thats how I leanred how to do this.
how did your lift come out with the subtle solutions lift kit?
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