some details on lifting a Gen 2

anthonyk99 · Post by **anthonyk99** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 12:06 am

hey, i've been checking out some of the mods people have done & getting a few ideas, & trying to work out a few more details for lifting a Gen 2. I'm leaning towards a pretty basic lift, sort of along the lines of an outback, so maybe 2 to 3" and then being able to fit 16" wheels instead of the current 14" ones.

seems like a few people on this site have done something similar. firstly, is it possible to just grab some parts off an old outback and basically get that result? or is it better getting a special 'lift kit' (i don't know much about this stuff).

so.. the basic things that need to be done- longer struts, springs / shocks. is that about it or is there a lot more to it? with a 2 or 3" lifted chassis what size wheels are going to fit in a gen 2 liberty wheel well? are there many other caveats that need to be looked at, eg making the speedo all wrong or something like that (?).

any suggestions are much appreciated. basically i'm looking for any low(ish) cost / relatively low effort approaches to make the liberty a bit better at handling dodgy conditions. not full-on offroad etc but i do come across some pretty ordinary roads pretty often and a bit more clearance and bigger wheels would make a difference.

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 1:47 am

Gen 2 Liberty has 15" Rims? are you sure its 14" rims?

All you need is Outback Struts and you can use your Liberty Springs (They're the same as Outback standard springs) and if you want extra 1" lift you will need to go for King raised springs, if you go to factory's outback's tyres if you have 15" rims, go for 205/70 15" and the overall lift will be close around 2" If you change the tyres over then the speedo will read slower then you will need speedo convertor. I am not looking back to standard liberty's height, loved outback's height and considering lifting 1 more inch already..
Cheers
AP

SUBYDAZZ · Post by **SUBYDAZZ** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 10:13 am

You can put 16s on it anyway, it won't give you extra clearance if you stay the stock tyre diameter though

Without lifting the body (blocks) or just a suspension lift (springs) then you can get a little extra by putting a larger wheel/tyre combo on. You are only limited here by the clearance your suspension has over the tyre and any rubbing that may occur. If you have air suspension you are very limited in that respect.

Just to clarify, by GEN2 you mean Liberty with build date after the Series 1 & 2 GEN1s from June 1994 but before the model change in 1998 (?).

anthonyk99 · Post by **anthonyk99** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 11:08 am

yep its got 14" wheels at the moment, 185/70R14. its a 6/1994 liberty, so thats the 6/94-98 model, i should have a pic here somewhere

it doesn't have air suspension, i'm pretty sure thats just the Gen1 models (pre 6/94). so maybe there's a bit of room for bigger tyres as is but probably not much. so you can use the standard outback struts with longer king springs?

i've seen a few outbacks with 215 tyres/wheels, are wider ones going to fit as well or would that take more modifications?

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 12:06 pm

anthonyk99 wrote:yep its got 14" wheels at the moment, 185/70R14. its a 6/1994 liberty, so thats the 6/94-98 model, i should have a pic here somewhere

it doesn't have air suspension, i'm pretty sure thats just the Gen1 models (pre 6/94). so maybe there's a bit of room for bigger tyres as is but probably not much. so you can use the standard outback struts with longer king springs?

i've seen a few outbacks with 215 tyres/wheels, are wider ones going to fit as well or would that take more modifications?

Mate,
Upload a picture of your Liberty, a lot of people do get confused on Gen1 & Gen2 Liberty in 1994, if you show a pic of your Liberty then we will be able to tell you if its Gen 1 or 2.

Yes it will fit Outback struts on your Liberty, you might need to install rear Outback trailing arms on yours, I didn't install on mine because mine is 1996 model and its possible that it already had them fitted. They're slightly longer than Liberty's Outback arms.

The struts are interchangeable from Outback to Gen 1 & 2 Liberties so you're looking from 1996-1998 Outback struts and coils.

Cheers
AP

INEEDABEER · Post by **INEEDABEER** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 2:14 pm

The Gen 2 outback chassis is different to Libertys to allow for the extra clearance from what i understand so a strut change wouldn't make a lot of difference.

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 7:10 pm

chassis is exactly the same Gav. you are effectively driving around in a Gen2 lib with outback struts / crossmembers / brackets and a pretty grey body kit

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 9:06 pm

INEEDABEER wrote:The Gen 2 outback chassis is different to Libertys to allow for the extra clearance from what i understand so a strut change wouldn't make a lot of difference.

I think I would disagree with this, its completely the same between Liberty and Outback, only differences is the suspensions. I lined up next to an Outback with same size tyres and rims, and it was same height. Next time if I have an camera on my hand, i will take a pic.
Cheers
AP

anthonyk99 · Post by **anthonyk99** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:41 pm

this is the only pic i've got on hand-

its gen 2, no question. ok so i need to get longer struts from an outback, there's some on a nearby wreckers i can grab, but what other parts need to be changed to fit as well? which of the following would be the same or need to be changed?

- control arms (front, rear f & r)
- stabiliser bar
- steering tie rods
- rear trailing arms
- knuckles

anything else?

sorry i've never done any mods like this before. i get the impression if the strut is extended the wheel will end up slightly further inside the edge of the chassis, as everything is rotated downwards (eg around the control arm attachment point). is this a problem? anyway am interested in hearing first hand info from people who have done something similar.

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 1:41 pm

mate have a read of this
showthread.php?t=6739

The red car has:

KYB 97/98 outback struts
King Springs outback springs
a 2" lift kit
97/98 outback trailing arm mounts

16" GT forester alloys with 215/65R16 Pirelli STR's

Its an awesome setup, and I have to say handles WAY better than my Gen1

outback / forester rims are a wider offset which is a good thing on a lifted car

anthonyk99 · Post by **anthonyk99** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 4:10 pm

mate have a read of this
showthread.php?t=6739

The red car has:

KYB 97/98 outback struts
King Springs outback springs
a 2" lift kit
97/98 outback trailing arm mounts

ooohhhh... nice

so you needed to replace the trailing arms? will take a look at them. i checked out the front control arms and they seem to be the same size as on the liberty, so seems like the front is just a matter of replacing the struts, at least for an outback style lift.

what does the lift kit change? i saw a whole lot of rectangular blocks in the pic, what are they fitting on? ie is it more than just making the strut/spring/shocks taller?

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 4:17 pm

you need to change the TRAILING ARM BRACKETS not the arms themselves.

you dont have to do it, but it will help locate your rear wheels in the center of the arch.

have a look in the technical section of http://www.subaclub.com for info on what a lift kit is.

anthonyk99 · Post by **anthonyk99** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 5:33 pm

vincentvega wrote:you need to change the TRAILING ARM BRACKETS not the arms themselves.

you dont have to do it, but it will help locate your rear wheels in the center of the arch.

ok thx

vincentvega wrote: have a look in the technical section of http://www.subaclub.com for info on what a lift kit is.

i had a look but still couldn't find any details about where lift kits fit on a liberty, ie what the blocks are lifting.

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 5:38 pm

every point that the running gear bolts to the body gets a block. So the car body is lifted 2" above the running gear

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 6:13 pm

With outback trailing arms - I think it depends on what year Liberty it is... I dont think I needed Outback Trailing arms brackets don't I? My Liberty is Sept 1996

Photos below of my Liberty before Lift -

Photos of my Liberty with Outback Suspensions with 195/60 15" Tyres

Photos of my Liberty with Outback Suspensions with 205/70 15" Tyres

Next thing is that I will get raised springs for it when I have available funds... so hard to pay off the house and things to pay for...
Cheers
AP

anthonyk99 · Post by **anthonyk99** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:57 am

thanks AP, looks very much like what i'm planning to do, so you did it without replacing any of the trailing arms or trailing arm brackets?

do you get any rubbing with 205/70/15 wheels/tyres?

i need to get new wheels, at the moment am tempted to get 16" wheels but tyres that would make about the same overall size as 205/70/15.

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 10:07 am

anthonyk99 wrote:thanks AP, looks very much like what i'm planning to do, so you did it without replacing any of the trailing arms or trailing arm brackets?

do you get any rubbing with 205/70/15 wheels/tyres?

i need to get new wheels, at the moment am tempted to get 16" wheels but tyres that would make about the same overall size as 205/70/15.

Yeah I did it without replacing outback trailing arms - seems to be no problems, no rubbing at all with 205/70/15" tyres/wheels and plenty of space between struts-tyres (and it doesn't have any spacers etc), Ride seems to be smoother and feels better than previous tyres and I like the height as it is now, now I hate getting in "low" cars like my fiancé's Camry.

Cheers
AP

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 10:09 am

Easiest to Harderst to fit -

The fronts were harder to fit the struts in than rears, I find the rears easier to install the struts due they're longer than standard... here is the pic of the struts (Both are front ones).

Cheers
AP

anthonyk99 · Post by **anthonyk99** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 11:10 am

i was going to grab some outback struts from a wreckers, there's 2 sets there, any tips on recognising the condition of them? i can't push down on the cars or anything because they're stacked up, so can only really check out the condition on their own. was just going to keep them as a unit instead of taking the springs off, am interested if anyone has suggestions about recognising the condition they're in or which ones to grab. i'm assuming 240 for a set of 4 is a reasonable price.

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:05 pm

anthonyk99 wrote:i was going to grab some outback struts from a wreckers, there's 2 sets there, any tips on recognising the condition of them? i can't push down on the cars or anything because they're stacked up, so can only really check out the condition on their own. was just going to keep them as a unit instead of taking the springs off, am interested if anyone has suggestions about recognising the condition they're in or which ones to grab. i'm assuming 240 for a set of 4 is a reasonable price.

For 2nd hand? or new?
Cheers
AP