Advise on increasing ride height?

[pup2]

Gusto ko sana iincrease ng konti (max 1 inch) yung ride height ng wagon ko para mas maganda ipang soft-road.

What would be the best way to do it? By best I mean mura lang, safe, at di mag-iiba ang ride. Thanks guys!

[Horsepower]

Pag mataas ang vehicle, especially if it's taller than it's wider, be careful on curves, prone sa rollover yan.

[alwayz_yummy]

mataas ang 1 inch! mga .5 lang ang pwede mo mailagay na spacer sa struts mo(wagon ka diba?) kung di mag papasadya ka ng bolts.

[pup2]

Di ko naman isa-sacrifice yung safety siyempre ano. That's why I asked their service personnel first. Anyhow, ang recommendation nila is to switch from mags/tires from 215/45/R17 to 215-235/55/R18.

Ang problema naubos ang stock nung malaking mags so now sa tires na lang ako puwede mag-recompute.

[OTEP]

How you lift will depend on the vehicle. Lift kits are available for most SUV's.

However, if you are driving a car or car based SUV's, there are no lift kits for such.

1" is tall already. On my former Pajero wala pang 1" ang suspension lift. The rest of the added height came from the bigger tires which could fit after the lift.

Yes, the vehicle will handle differently and will be more prone to a rollover. But I've never rolled my rig. Just know your and the vehicle's limits.

[pup2]

Yung balak ko kasi is a legacy wagon ... bale change tires from 215/45 to 225/45. Doing the math, that'll add .53 inches to the height and .39 inches to the width. Sounds safe enough right? Gaganda pa nga daw ang ride and I don't even have to change rims.

Do you think they're right that this won't affect the safety/ride guys? I figure kasi hindi nila isa-suggest yun kung delikado kasi may warranty yun eh.

[OTEP]

If you're splitting hairs, any form of lift will statistically increase your chances of a rollover.

However, you won't really instantly roll over after a lift. On Toyota Land Cruisers and Nissan Patrols, you can even get lifts of 6"++ and that's not even counting the additional height from the new tires.

Btw, there is a lifted version of the Legacy (the Outback). And even that is still lower than most car-based SUV's (e.g. the common CR-V).

[wildthing]

I'll go for increase in tire diameter...hirap ako sa mga 215/45 etc conversion...minsan I tried putting a 265/75/R16 on my stock 245/75/R16...to my surpise the 265 wheels was barely an inch taller and another inch wider than the 245...what a waste of effort to try the fit (cost me P1000 to change and rebalance my wheels back to the 245).

Anyway, it did satisfy my curriosity....that a 1 inch increase is USELESS kasi you hardly "feel" the height increase. I think a 2 or 3 inch increase is more noticeable. Further, I also learned that the 1 ince wider tire was mas pogi for the ride (dmax)...the stance was wider visually.

If I take in a wider tires I might need to re-do my fender flares and probably my ring and pinion need to be re-gear.

Bottomline, kung 0.5 to 1 inch lang ang gusto mong increase ... don't bother because it might just be a expense that you would hardly feel/appreciate.

[redorange]

If you're splitting hairs, any form of lift will statistically increase your chances of a rollover.

However, you won't really instantly roll over after a lift. On Toyota Land Cruisers and Nissan Patrols, you can even get lifts of 6"++ and that's not even counting the additional height from the new tires.

Btw, there is a lifted version of the Legacy (the Outback). And even that is still lower than most car-based SUV's (e.g. the common CR-V).

OT
The 2007 Legacy Outback with 8.4" actually has more ground clearance than the 2007 CRV 7.3". Surprisingly it has a higher ground clearance than the current models of the following SUV's: Explorer 8.2", Escape 8.1", RAV4 7.5", X-Trail 7.8", Santa Fe 8.1". It also isn't very much lower than Outlander 8.5" and Fortuner 8.66"(likely because of the rear diff being the lowest point).

BTT
An increase of one inch in tire diameter is normally equivalent to about 1/2" higher in ground clearance, so if you want a one inch you need two inches more in diameter for your tire. But as others have said one inch really won't matter when you are driving the car, because you lose part of the inch depending on tire pressure and suspension sag if you carry a load in the car.

[pup2]

Actually, hindi kasi siya legacy outback eh. It's a legacy wagon like in one of the threads here. Kaya lang several inches nga ang itinaas doon at nagpalit pa ng suspension -- something I will NOT do unless palitin na my suspension or if I really, really, need to go further off road.

I guess nate-temp ako nung propects of having an exec car-slash-cuv (probably like those guys in the thread who actually DID give in) pero naisip ko mas importante naman sa akin ang ride quality kesa off-road capability and besides may limited soft-roading ability na naman siya in the sense na 2 inches lang siya lower than the Forester at AWD pa.

Ito kasing Legacy wagon may Spec B na units abroad din kasi which are 10mm higher -- pero sabi niyo nga, halos hindi noticeable kaya I'll take that advice.

So I think I've decided to keep my stock setup na muna and just switch to a forester at the last second kung di ko mapigil (hehehe). I figure the Legacy can go soft-roading better than the Forester can give an exec car ride?

[redorange]

Actually, hindi kasi siya legacy outback eh. It's a legacy wagon like in one of the threads here. Kaya lang several inches nga ang itinaas doon at nagpalit pa ng suspension -- something I will NOT do unless palitin na my suspension or if I really, really, need to go further off road.

I guess nate-temp ako nung propects of having an exec car-slash-cuv (probably like those guys in the thread who actually DID give in) pero naisip ko mas importante naman sa akin ang ride quality kesa off-road capability and besides may limited soft-roading ability na naman siya in the sense na 2 inches lang siya lower than the Forester at AWD pa.

Ito kasing Legacy wagon may Spec B na units abroad din kasi which are 10mm higher -- pero sabi niyo nga, halos hindi noticeable kaya I'll take that advice.

So I think I've decided to keep my stock setup na muna and just switch to a forester at the last second kung di ko mapigil (hehehe). I figure the Legacy can go soft-roading better than the Forester can give an exec car ride?

I'd have to disagree with your last statement. My cousin owns a Forester and it rides just as well as the Legacy with the exception of the GT which has a sportier ride. The Forester really rides more like a car than a true truck based SUV, it's essentially a station wagon that's been jacked up to give it ground clearance. But if you really want more clearance then get the Outback since it has more ground clearance by .3" over the Forester.

[pup2]

I'd have to disagree with your last statement. My cousin owns a Forester and it rides just as well as the Legacy with the exception of the GT which has a sportier ride. The Forester really rides more like a car than a true truck based SUV, it's essentially a station wagon that's been jacked up to give it ground clearance. But if you really want more clearance then get the Outback since it has more ground clearance by .3" over the Forester.

Just wanted to ask if you've ridden in a legacy na. Important kasi siya sa decision ko, tsaka medyo doubtful ako kasi cuv 'yung isa at exec naman yung isa. Kung comparable to compact car pa baka medyo mas realistic.

When I tried to ride the forester pa, medyo masikip siya in terms of width (leg room naman sa likod). OTH the legacy had none of those shortcomings when I rode them.

[redorange]

Just wanted to ask if you've ridden in a legacy na. Important kasi siya sa decision ko, tsaka medyo doubtful ako kasi cuv 'yung isa at exec naman yung isa. Kung comparable to compact car pa baka medyo mas realistic.

When I tried to ride the forester pa, medyo masikip siya in terms of width (leg room naman sa likod). OTH the legacy had none of those shortcomings when I rode them.

Yes I have ridden in the car along with the Impreza. The ride of Forester isn't harsh or truck like compared to a car, but the Legacy may have a softer ride because of it's longer wheelbase. As far as the Legacy being an exec ride that may be subjective as I consider a exec ride more of the 5 series type cars. Surprisingly you feel the Legacy is bigger inside but the Forester actually has .6 cubic ft bigger cabin volume because of better headroom. The Legacy is the wider of the two but the legroom in the rear is just .2 of inch difference.

As I tell people when they want to buy an SUV of any type, don't expect it to ride like a car(although the Forester comes the closes to a car ride) and don't expect it to have the fuel consumption of a Civic. If you don't do those things then you won't be disappointed with your vehicle.

[pup2]

Yes I have ridden in the car along with the Impreza. The ride of Forester isn't harsh or truck like compared to a car, but the Legacy may have a softer ride because of it's longer wheelbase. As far as the Legacy being an exec ride that may be subjective as I consider a exec ride more of the 5 series type cars. Surprisingly you feel the Legacy is bigger inside but the Forester actually has .6 cubic ft bigger cabin volume because of better headroom. The Legacy is the wider of the two but the legroom in the rear is just .2 of inch difference.

As I tell people when they want to buy an SUV of any type, don't expect it to ride like a car(although the Forester comes the closes to a car ride) and don't expect it to have the fuel consumption of a Civic. If you don't do those things then you won't be disappointed with your vehicle.

Ah. Ok. Now I know why I felt the Forester to be kinda small. Ang headroom kasi ang maluwag eh average pinoy height lang naman kami. OTH, difference in width made a difference coz we're wide. hehe.I don't expect either of them to be as fuel-efficient as the civic -- but I surely want the ride to be better than a civic's (not the same). If that is the ultimate aim, then, how would you compare the Forester's ride to a compact like the civic's assuming you've ridden in one?The reason I'm so intense on Forester vs. Legacy is because I'm worried the Legacy might be too slow for me. OTH, the Forester has an on-going financing promo but it DOES feel cramped (to us short, wide people).

[OTEP]

OT
The 2007 Legacy Outback with 8.4" actually has more ground clearance than the 2007 CRV 7.3". Surprisingly it has a higher ground clearance than the current models of the following SUV's: Explorer 8.2", Escape 8.1", RAV4 7.5", X-Trail 7.8", Santa Fe 8.1". It also isn't very much lower than Outlander 8.5" and Fortuner 8.66"(likely because of the rear diff being the lowest point).

Sorry. I meant overall height. Not measured ground clearance or COG. Thanks for clearing that up.

[redorange]

Ah. Ok. Now I know why I felt the Forester to be kinda small. Ang headroom kasi ang maluwag eh average pinoy height lang naman kami. OTH, difference in width made a difference coz we're wide. hehe.I don't expect either of them to be as fuel-efficient as the civic -- but I surely want the ride to be better than a civic's (not the same). If that is the ultimate aim, then, how would you compare the Forester's ride to a compact like the civic's assuming you've ridden in one?The reason I'm so intense on Forester vs. Legacy is because I'm worried the Legacy might be too slow for me. OTH, the Forester has an on-going financing promo but it DOES feel cramped (to us short, wide people).

If you need the width more than the height then get the Legacy since it will fit your needs better. As I've said the Forester is far from being truck in ride(trust me I drive a truck with leaf springs out back), I haven't ridden the new Civic so I can't compare. The Legacy does have a V6 and a version with the same engine as the Forester so it shouldn't be slow. If you don't need the extra space of the wagon get the GT sedan for a sportier feel.

[pup2]

No, no. My civic is circa 2002, not 2007.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm going to the store day after tomorrow to finalize. I guess it's 75% Legacy wagon (coz I need the space for stuff). If I feel a need to re-consider the forester, maybe I'll ask for a short test drive just to check the ride out.