Trying to learn something (Subaru content)

[RomanTaylor]

Ok, So I've got my first car not long ago, it's 00' Subaru Legacy GT Limited. I am a car noob, and hoping to learn a lot about cars as I mod and fix it. The car is in acceptable condition: 170k on clock; CEL ON; minor dents and scratches.
I don't have whole bunch of money to mod it, so mods will come one by one in time.

Here is my to-do list:

Re-tint with 35%;
Fix CEL (replace catalytic converter);
Disable DRL and replace fog bulbs with yellow ones;
Drop & Spacers !


Need info on drop and spacers, I am sure I will be able to handle spacers installation but I will need help finding ones that will fit my car. Although I am total noob in suspension, so I have no idea if I am capable of doing drop myself. What do I need to drop my car? Can I do that myself?

Here is some pics from the day of purchase. I will make some better pictures later. Sorry for pics quality, I don't have a good camera yet.

http://s45.radikal.ru/i108/0907/39/cf1066faebd4.jpg
http://i062.radikal.ru/0907/a7/9a46b2288dd9.jpg
http://i034.radikal.ru/0907/d4/651c29a3b7f9.jpg

[E36Bimmer93]

I don't know much about the Subie market, but I'm pretty sure the basics are universal. As far as suspension, do you just want a little drop, or are you wanting to go fully slammed? If you just want a little drop a basic shock/strut and spring kit will do. If you want alot of adjustability then a coilover suspension would be best, or you can bag it. I'd say in your case you'd most likely want to have a shop do the work for you, but it's not very difficult. A lift makes the job alot easier, but I've taken my shocks and struts on and off in my garage with only jack stands so it's not essential. If you want to try and take it on yourself at least have a friend or someone that know what they're doing there to help you. There's a few Subie guys on here though, so they should be able to get more into the specifics of what's best for your car for you, but I think that kind of covers the basics

[RomanTaylor]

I don't know much about the Subie market, but I'm pretty sure the basics are universal. As far as suspension, do you just want a little drop, or are you wanting to go fully slammed? If you just want a little drop a basic shock/strut and spring kit will do. If you want alot of adjustability then a coilover suspension would be best, or you can bag it. I'd say in your case you'd most likely want to have a shop do the work for you, but it's not very difficult. A lift makes the job alot easier, but I've taken my shocks and struts on and off in my garage with only jack stands so it's not essential. If you want to try and take it on yourself at least have a friend or someone that know what they're doing there to help you. There's a few Subie guys on here though, so they should be able to get more into the specifics of what's best for your car for you, but I think that kind of covers the basics

I am looking for basic drop for now. I'd say 2-3 inch maybe? I'll measure it tomorrow so I know for sure. And full slamm will make no sense since I have OEM wheels and not going to replace them yet.

So can you guys suggest right spacers and basic drop kit?

[OSSHWA]

Drop kit? For future reference, refer to that as "coilovers".....unless your intending to put your ride on air.

Also, if your gonna slam it and add spacers, make sure you get some proper wheels as well, otherwise its not gonna look right.

[1985zcar]

^What he said. Legacy's can be really cool, hope yours turns out well.

[schroedin]

I love me a good clean Legacy. Good luck!

[RomanTaylor]

^What he said. Legacy's can be really cool, hope yours turns out well.

I agree, I think I like this car more OEM that fully slammed (never seen slammed one tho), so just light drop would be more appropriate.

Thinking about 10mm front; 15-20mm back and 2-3inch drop. Wheels will come later, maybe winter.

Coilovers is all I need to drop the car? What I should look out for if anything? From what I understand I will be able to adjust height, right? Is there any articles / info / DIY about drops and coilovers in general that I can read? And will I have to do any modification to install them or it's OEM mount?

D2 Racing RS Coilover (http://www.raceinspired.com/ps-8751-20-d2-racing-rs-coilover-damper-kit-subaru-legacy-2000-2004.aspx)
Tein Type FLEX Coilover (http://www.ilovebodykits.com/product/53373/Tein_Type_FLEX_Coilover-_2000-2004_Subaru_Legacy_BE5_BH5.html)
Ksport Kontrol Pro Coilover (https://www.raceinspired.com/p-15121-ksport-kontrol-pro-coilover-damper-kit-subaru-legacy-b4-2000-2004.aspx)

[E36Bimmer93]

I agree, I think I like this car more OEM that fully slammed (never seen slammed one tho), so just light drop would be more appropriate.

Thinking about 10mm front; 15-20mm back and 2-3inch drop. Wheels will come later, maybe winter.

Coilovers is all I need to drop the car? What I should look out for if anything? From what I understand I will be able to adjust height, right? Is there any articles / info / DIY about drops and coilovers in general that I can read? And will I have to do any modification to install them or it's OEM mount?

D2 Racing RS Coilover (http://www.raceinspired.com/ps-8751-20-d2-racing-rs-coilover-damper-kit-subaru-legacy-2000-2004.aspx)
Tein Type FLEX Coilover (http://www.ilovebodykits.com/product/53373/Tein_Type_FLEX_Coilover-_2000-2004_Subaru_Legacy_BE5_BH5.html)
Ksport Kontrol Pro Coilover (https://www.raceinspired.com/p-15121-ksport-kontrol-pro-coilover-damper-kit-subaru-legacy-b4-2000-2004.aspx)

Yep, coilovers are all you need, granted with what you want to do it may be overkill, but it leaves the option of being able to slam it later if you decide to. Coilovers will allow you to adjust the ride height, dampening(softness or stifness of the ride), and front camber and caster if they come with the plates(or you buy them seperately). If you get a kit specifically designed for your car then it should all bolt up at OEM locations

[RomanTaylor]

Ok, I decided on wheels as well, but I don't know specifications, so I can't tell what will fit. How do I shop for wheels and tires? tirerack.com seems to have wheels / tires search by car, but is there guarantee they will fit with out modifications? Can you guys give me some basic info on how to read specifications? Also, is tire load rating matters? If you get tires that are made for less load will that affect safety and ride comfort?

I am trying to get wheels & tires, spacers and coilovers for 2k. Open for used ones to save some buck. If I could find right used wheels and tires it would be perfect. Looking at 18'' and maybe 17''.

[SofaKingCG2]

I dont think you can get what you're looking for, for 2 grand. Just my wheels and tires all said and done came out to $1700, and my suspension was another grand. Also Tire Rack gives you wheels that fit properly on your car, which means if you wanna go flush or poke the offsets wont be right. Which brings on the next thing. If you want lips on your wheels and you're buying new wheels you probably wont need spacers since you can push your wheels out with offset alone. Hope that helped alittle bit.

[bataangpinoy]

of all the coilovers u listed, i'd go with the tein coilovers. d2 and ksport are not the greatest......

i would do coilovers first.when your rims come into the picture you dont have to dish out money again for coilovers to replace the basic spring/shock combo.

do it once and do it right!

[SofaKingCG2]

^^^^^^^^^^^^

+1

I have function & form type II coilovers. love them to death.

[Achilles]

I agree, I think I like this car more OEM that fully slammed (never seen slammed one tho), so just light drop would be more appropriate.

... 2-3inch drop....

2-3 inches is more than a light drop. Most spring / shock kits won't do this. You'll definitly need a coilover kit of some sort.

[RomanTaylor]

Is there any other way to drop a car cheaper? I picked up a car for $5500 it needs body work done and new catalytic converter. Spoiler, rear bumper, roof, hood needs to be repainted because of chips and front bumper has crack on the bottom so new bumper most likely. I am going to mess with all this body work for now because I might not keep this car for more than a year. Maybe will get a job at my friend shop so I have access to cheap parts and labor than BMW is the car to come by next.
So budget drop and used wheels & tires would be just about right for this car.
Any suggestions?

Offset is how wide wheels are? My wheels are 16X7 5-100. From what I understand my offset is 7. Would 7.5 be a problem? Maybe even go for more?

[RomanTaylor]

I am glad I didn't do anything to the car yet, because it has some major problems... Possible I will exchange the car to something else, maybe even German. I thought Japanese cars are cheap to maintain. Not in this case..

[grippymonkey]

^ hahaha... good luck... I would do more research on cars in General. You have to know what to pick and what years to pick. Japanese cars are probably still the most reliable out there. Switching to german may be a whole nother world of problems if you choose badly again.

You don't have much knowledge of cars from what I can tell. You started a build thread with no real build in mind, and a mods list that has 4 things on it. You don't know the basics of lowering your car and wheel offsets which are pretty much the basics of modding any car. This is no ****... just an observation. The most important thing when buying an old (170K is OLD even if its a 2000 model) car is taking care of maintenance things first, and making sure your car is up to par for even beginning to mod. There is loads of stuff you can do to your Legacy. The entire drivetrain and engine from my 04 STI would drop right into your Legacy. I would start with worth while mods, and if you can't afford to do a size wheel that will do your car justice up front then save a while longer so you'll be ultimately satisfied. The same goes for suspension. You could spend 400-600 on springs and shocks that wouldn't drop your car much, and you would probably want something different pretty soon... or you could save a little more for a little while longer and get some Megan coilovers or similar which are actually a really good bang for buck on subaru's. There is no real hurry in modding your car. If you are trying to get something done fast chances are yourself or anyone else will probably not recognize your car, but it's the worthwhile builds that you will be happy with and other people might be too.


this is a factory model 2000 Legacy in Japan.

http://www.japanautodirect.com/stock/1783.jpg

[RomanTaylor]

^ hahaha... good luck... I would do more research on cars in General. You have to know what to pick and what years to pick. Japanese cars are probably still the most reliable out there. Switching to german may be a whole nother world of problems if you choose badly again.

You don't have much knowledge of cars from what I can tell. You started a build thread with no real build in mind, and a mods list that has 4 things on it. You don't know the basics of lowering your car and wheel offsets which are pretty much the basics of modding any car. This is no ****... just an observation. The most important thing when buying an old (170K is OLD even if its a 2000 model) car is taking care of maintenance things first, and making sure your car is up to par for even beginning to mod. There is loads of stuff you can do to your Legacy. The entire drivetrain and engine from my 04 STI would drop right into your Legacy. I would start with worth while mods, and if you can't afford to do a size wheel that will do your car justice up front then save a while longer so you'll be ultimately satisfied. The same goes for suspension. You could spend 400-600 on springs and shocks that wouldn't drop your car much, and you would probably want something different pretty soon... or you could save a little more for a little while longer and get some Megan coilovers or similar which are actually a really good bang for buck on subaru's. There is no real hurry in modding your car. If you are trying to get something done fast chances are yourself or anyone else will probably not recognize your car, but it's the worthwhile builds that you will be happy with and other people might be too.



I am doing my research, and talking to people. By now I've got pretty good idea on how to drop a car and other small mods. Trying to self educate myself on cars in general by reading whole bunch. I am still a noob though, so whatever comes to my mind will has to get approved by other people that know more than me, which is why you see this thread here. I am not looking into engine swap or anything of that nature for now. That would be to big of a deal for me with my knowledge. For now I'd like to stick with basic maintenance and visual mods.

Now, as far as my poor car choice goes. Every experience is a good experience in my book. I was in the hurry to get a car, but I've learned my lesson really well. I trusted a dealer that lied to me. They knew exactly what was wrong but I was being a noob trusted their mechanic that check out the car and said it was good. (I know it was lame) I asked them about known subaru problems such as headgasket, and "they did an inspection" and said that "car has no leaks". As it turns out head gasket has external leak, it's leaking oil and coolant and there are whole bunch of other known Subaru problems that can put you on the side of the road. The good part about it, is that I called them up and seems like they are willing to work with me. Not sure what they are going to do about it, but most likely they will just make me pick another car and sell mine to some other noob like me hoping he will not find out its problems soon enough to blame them. :shifty This time I will get the car inspected in independent shop and will look a lot closer at all little things (leak in my legacy was obvious if you look close enough).