Modified Baja/how deep can you drive in snow?

[jseabolt]

I was doing a search on Bajas and found this one for sale:

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/used-stis-f ... -susp.html

I love the lowered look and the wheels (except for the exposed axle nuts) and have been considering lowering mine and changing the rims for sometime.

I don't take mine off road. Well it does go off pavement like in my yard but I'm talking about about trails and such where you would need a 4X4 anyway.

My question is would it still go well in the snow if the snow was higher than the bumper? We don't get allot of snow here in East Tennessee but we did total about a foot back in Feburary. I did struggle a bit to get out of my driveway where the city had scraped the roads up higher than the bumper. Other than I had no problems driving around.

Just wondering how deep have you ever driven your Baja in the snow? At what point would it stall?

[Nitro350Z]

I've never had issues with mine being lowered, even in deep snow. It's got enough weight behind it that it'll just plow through. The only risk is if you lose momentum and get hung up on snow.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJXffler7_Q

[jseabolt]

How did you lower your Baja?

I thought about either buying some OEM springs from a Legacy GT wagon or 1.75" drop springs.

So far I haven't found any lowering springs for the Baja. I was told the Legacy sedans/wagons/Bajas springs were interchangable with the strutt assemblies but not the Outback or Impreza springs because they used different struts.

What I wondered was why does the Baja sit higher than the Legacy wagon? Lower springs or different spring perch locations on the struts. That way the car rides the same but just sits higher.

[Nitro350Z]

I had Whiteline lowering springs (now discontinued) matched with Tokico HTS adjustable dampers meant for the legacy/outback, but I sold those to a member here. Now I'm on Racecomp Enginnering Tarmac 1 coilovers ($$$$) and the ride is amazing, but it's costly. The Baja sits higher for all years than the Legacy wagon, the Baja also gets spacers for the rear subframe (03 has the smallest, 06 the largest) and the upper rear control arm is thicker as the years went on. The 03 Baja is the closest to the Legacy wagon, while later years got bumps in ride height.

For the front subframe, I believe it's 04+ that got spacers. To lower the car properly, you'd need to grab the RCA (roll center adjustment kit) from whiteline for the front, remove the front spacers, and you can flip the rear subframe/spacer arrangement to hug up the subframe to the body to fix some of the suspension geometry.

ie. going from this in the rear:



to this arrangement:



take particular note on where the spacers are positioned on the rear subframe. \

And this shows the difference between the rear upper control arms between an 03 and 05 Baja



03 is the thinner one.

[jseabolt]

Would these Legacy springs fit a Baja? Would they give me the 1.5" drop? Actually I'd like to go about 2". Or at least get it near what a Legacy GT wagon sits.

What I don't understand is I thought the GT wagon sat an inch lower than an standard Legacy to begin with. So why are they saying it fits both models but not a Baja?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1999-2004-Subar ... b1&vxp=mtr

[Nitro350Z]

Baja has a different upper spring perch for the front. You'd have to get the legacy uppper spring perches for a proper fit. They're cheap so it's not a big issue.

Depending on the year of your Baja, those springs are going to give you a 3"-4" drop over stock. The legacy regularly sits much lower, so it's going to be a dramatic drop.

[jseabolt]

I haven't measured exactly how much of a drop I want to go but probably no more than 2 to 2.5" So you think if I just removed the spacers this might do the trick? Are these spacers between the strutt assemblies and the body?

[alpha_numeric44]

I've got a lowered 03 baja.
KYB G2s and king springs.
5 speed manual with ej25.

Fenders are even with the top of the tire.

Every winter here in St. Louis I put the kids in the car and go hang some fat donuts in a parking lot after a good snow.

I've never gotten stuck where a good reverse and first swotch couldn't get me out.

I drive in snow deeper than my rocker panels all the time.

Front dam turns into a plow.

My skid plate helps me ski over banks.

Usually I have rain tires, but this year I bought a set of wheels with snow tires, and a separate set of summer rain tires.

The snow tires really bite in.

Don't worry about snow.. annhialate it!

Once it snows, your Subaru will shine... blowing the doors off of big 4x4 trucks. Hanging big drifting turns. Not caring about weather conditions, ever.

If you ever do get stuck.... put your floor mats under the tires and get unstuck.

I carry a set of tire chains that came with an outback I bought from a guy from Canada. They're required to have them there... They've never been used....