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Forester Springs in a WRX Strut

14K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  TTrey 
#1 ·
Is it possible to put forester springs in my WRX struts? I have seen foresters use WRX springs but didn't know if it was able to happen the other way.

Thinking I want to lift for the winter an lower for the summer.
 
#2 ·
The standard way to do it would be to put wrx springs in a Forester strut. The spring mount on fozzy struts is higher up. However the effect will differ depending on your year.

I have an 08 wrx, so it lines up with the 09-11 Forester suspension (for direct bolt on)... with the strut swap I only got maybe .75-1" of lift.

I ended up putting wrx struts back on and instead I machined some spacers (1" in front, 1.5" in the back). Worked great!

I'm still not satisfied, the difference is very noticeable and there's more clearance (about 1.5+ all around) but I think I will go with forester springs and struts for even more.

I did not run into any issues with the swap in terms of clearance, everything bolted right back up. Also, spacers will cost much less and will be easier to install than struts or springs (especially if you make your own, you can do that with basic tools such as a drill and at the very least a jigsaw). I can send you my templates if you want.

By the way do a google search for "The unnoficial how to lift your impreza" thread.
 
#4 · (Edited)
forester suspension bolts right in to your GD chassis. pretty sure u want SG models (03-08)

dont mess with the suspension you have and just get complete used forester stuff for a few hundred bucks. that way u can bolt your wrx stuff back in no hassle in the spring and not worry about swapping springs.
 
#5 ·
Awesome thanks for the verification guys. Yeah swapping springs isn't too much of a hassle. I replaced all 4 in about 45. Its actually quite easy.

Since I am dropped an 1in in the front an 1.5 in the back I should see about a 3 inch lift from where i'm at. Plus adding my snow tires I should be up another inch from there.

I guess over the next few weeks I will see what I can find. A complete set-up would be nice.
 
#7 ·
i know I should have last time but when I put my new springs in I never went an did an alignment. That was 2 years ago and I am still on the same summer an winter tires :)

She drove straight and steering wheel was pointed in the right direction. Dumb luck I guess haha

But I will be definitely getting her aligned this next time for sure.

Again thanks for verifying the info!
 
#8 ·
I guess it goes to show how terrible alignments have to be for there really to be a problem when roughly eyeballing it gets you that close. Still, I think one of the best things I did on my old STi was get a real race quality alignment done. The steering was more precise and the car held a line much cleaner.
 
#9 ·
I did mark the bolts before removal so I think that helped. But when you drop the car the geometry changes so it should have been done. It was one of those things I would get to and never did.

But this time will be different. :)
 
#10 ·
Yes definitely. Because of the lift the camber difference will wear out the tires. I *think* I can see a little bevel on the outside on the rears from just around 300 miles driving (I live far from work and still working on the lift, I'll be getting aligned as soon as it's done). On the front I turned the camber bolts to compensate but my rear camber bolts I ordered were the wrong size.

I'll be picking up my forester struts+springs in a few hours. We'll see how it goes!

Post pix! Would love to see your year lifted and how it looks. I'll post mine when I'm done as well.
 
#11 ·
Gents, I'm reviving this thread hoping someone will answer my thoughts based on the OP. I have a Forester spring aftermarket and I would like to put it on a wrx struts. Will this fit or I may ran into problems like the springs is not fully decompressing? Thanks a lot!
 
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