Can you lift a subaru impreza

More gas per mile means less miles per gallon. Less miles per gallon means less miles per tank. More gas means more money—and that can be a little bit of a bummer sometimes.

Some people have even said they suffered no loss in fuel efficiency. It is probable a lifted car will not run as efficiently as it did in stock form, but how much less efficient it will become will depend on your car, what wheel and tire set up you run, driving style and what suspension components you choose. Also, remember that an increase in tire size will throw your odometer and speedometer off. This is a really common question.

It varies widely, depending on what type of tires you use, what kind of gear you carry, how you drive, and if you add any engine modifications.

However, most owners who install a lift with no additional changes find that it reduces mileage by maybe 1 MPG. The biggest change to your gas mileage will likely come from putting heavy, non-aerodynamic gear on a roof rack. Items such as storage containers, rooftop tents, winches, off road bumpers, and full-size spare tires will create a large amount of drag. Winches, heavy off-road bumpers, and Bigger, heavier tires will also bring down your economy slightly.

A fully loaded Subaru with a lift kit and bigger tires may see a drop of anywhere from MPG depending on driving style and speeds. All in all, lifting a Subaru is a great way to get some affordable, effective and reliable off road capability out of a car. Nothing is more exciting than seeing your little four-cylinder, AWD grocery-getter transform into a savage, trail-smashing machine.

You will feel deeply empowered. Instead, get your hands dirty, think creatively to figure things out, be proud of your hard work and go for it. Considering A Subaru Lift Kit? Check These Out:. Many Subaru drivers have found that they can fit a 29 inch tire on their car without cutting fenders or sacrificing too much low end.

Lifted Subaru Vs. Subaru drivers are typically drawn to the versatility and efficiency of the Outback, Forester, Impreza, and Legacy. The symmetrical all wheel drive and factory ground. Privacy Policy. Everything seems petty straight forward and I get how it has to be done, am looking for a few more answers.

Are all generation of forester struts need an extra bolt hold drilled or are the top hats the same? Also when doing the lift what other variation of subaru parts can you use?

Such as grabbing trailing arms from a legacy instead of a legacy outback? Making sure that I have all the info I need before I start this. You don't need the actual trailing arms, just the bracket they mount to. And they will not be the same on any or newer. It has to come from a outback. I've been doing lots of reading on several forums and cannot seem to find the answer to my particular question. I'm picking up a '98 Legacy non outback that's in need of struts. This will be my DD cruiser but will occationally see a dirt road or two and take me snowboarding during the winters on the rare AZ pow days up north.

Ive got a gnarly '95 Wrangler for anything that requires more than what my soob can handle. You should clear those tires. I had 28s on my impreza with forester suspension. Cleared If not, a set of wheel spacers will give extra room. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy! Already have an account? Sign in here.

Off Road Search In. Sign in to follow this Followers Recommended Posts. Kostamojen Posted April 13, edited.

NOTE: This thread will remain incomplete pending more information by other members. Struts: The basic principle behind Impreza lifting is that as it turns out, Forester struts are aprox. Forester struts come in various varieties, and there are aftermarket options too.

Forester XT struts are stiffer than the non-turbo varieties. Rear top hats are an issue for Imprezas Imprezas match up with Foresters There are two options: 1 Install your stock Impreza rear top hats onto the Forester struts. Rear spring comparison: Tires: Taller tires can also provide more lift to your vehicle.

Photo of larger diameter tires: Trailing Arm Brackets - When performing a lift, the rear trailing arms start to pull the rear tires closer towards the front of the rear fender wells, as well as causing issues with suspension geometry. Photo of Outback vs. Forester trailing arm mounts: Swaybars: When performing a lift, Swaybars become an issue because you are increasing the distance between the swaybar and where the suspension rests at.

Other "required" parts: Rear Camber bolts - These are important because without them, you can't properly align the rear suspension when lifted. Body Lift, IE body spacers: possibly required depending on the amount of lift you are doing Outbacks and Foresters over the years have used spacers between their subframes and chassis in order to lower the drivetrain to correct for CV angles.

This can also be accomplished via custom work of course, which some people have done. Optional parts: Adjustable rear lateral links - These can help with the rear alignment, along with lock bolts, for off-roading purposes. NOTE: More to be added soon Edited April 14, by Kostamojen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites. Posted April 13, Posted April 14, edited.

Posted April 16, Posted April 19, Posted May 4, Thanks again for any information, Greg. Posted May 5, Posted May 9, Hey so I have embarked on my journey to lift my impreza. What I used and how it's going: 03 forester struts and springs: Swapped out the top hats for the rear. It was a bit of a long day and only got longer And after I thought it was all said and done finishing tightening up everything, I hit my brake line gong to my wheel cylinder with my wrench and then see fluid seeping out..

Thanks, Greg. Posted May 10, My Scoob is back on the road! Total time was about 7 hours Things I would suggest to prepare for: 1 The hard line running from the wheel cylinder 2 Wheel cylinders mine due to bleeder screw being seized 3 Brake hose running in between hard line from wheel cylinder and proportioning valve Flare nut was seized on left side This is all from a car that has lived its whole life in south western pa where the salt is unforgiving.

But so be it I got her up and running and sitting so pretty! I need to take a couple of pics to post up in the next couple of days. ThwopKing 0. Posted September 14, Awesome thread.. Posted December 2, Posted December 17, Posted January 25, Posted March 6, Posted April 12, NorthCoast Posted June 23, Posted August 26, My spelling sucks so bare with me.

Having narrower springs this also means there is no spring perch to limit your tyre size like there is on the factory struts. Your lift size comes down to your intentions with the car. So here is a guide for lift size and application:. I daily my car and do light off-roading — 1 inch lift kit. Here a 1 inch lift kit is best as they are a basic, budget conscious kit to improve your ride height.

I daily my car but frequently off road — 1. You want to keep good handling characteristics and keep the car reliable. Here is where the smaller lift kits shine. I want to tackle more difficult tracks without subframe drops — 2. Now we are starting to get more serious, and you want to tackle those trails that are a little more difficult.

This is where the 2. This means that your Subaru now has better diff clearance then most standard 4wds! Combined with the 2. I want to push my Subaru to its limits — 4 inch lift and beyond!

So you want to have the most capable Subaru out there and you want to keep up with the big boys on the toughest trails. This is where the big lifts come into play. Now as I mentioned before 2. The things to keep in mind is that your now at the serious end and subframe drops combined with big strut-top spacers are going to get expensive.

On top of this, depending on where you live, your local authorities may not appreciate the lift and you may end up in a little trouble. In Australia for example, we cannot have a vehicle lifted above 50mm or 2 inches some states allow total of 75mm lift and need to have this larger lift approved by a registered engineer to use on public roads, so this is something to consider.

After this you will need to add subframe spacers to increase your ride height, so you will be increasing the height of the body but no longer increasing driveline clearance. There are multiple ways to keep factory alignment when lifting a Subaru. If you buy good quality strut top spacers they should have camber and caster offsets built into them, so when you take your subie in for an alignment, the shop will be able to set the alignment back to factory specifications.

One thing to note with every lift kit is that camber and caster offset strut tops are only available for the front, so you. Subaru from factory have no adjustable camber bolts in the rear suspension so by adding them you should be able to correct the alignment. The caster in the rear is corrected by the trailing arm spacers which should be supplied in any lift kit.