Swift Sport Lowering Springs on a 2008 Subaru Forester Sports XT

For all of us drivers trapped somewhere between 'boy racer' and 'everyday joe,' it can be difficult to decide how to upgrade your stock suspension. Upgrading the look and feel of the drive without sacrificing ride quality can be a tricky task. I, for one, was done with blown struts, wheel clearance issues, annoying pops and klunks, and jarring ride characteristics, but I still wanted a mild drop on the Forster to improve driver feel, and of course, aesthetics. I was not willing to upgrade my struts, so the goal was to find a spring that didn't place detrimental loads on the stock struts.

For me, the perfect spring was Swift Sport Springs. Advertised as a spring engineered to be used with stock struts, and still offering a mild drop, they wholly satisfied my criteria.

The images below show the before and after measurements.

Stock ride height:

After Swift Spring install (weeks later to allow for any spring settling):

Stock front wheel gap: 4" Stock rear wheel gap: 3"

After Swift install, front wheel gap: 2" After Swift install, rear wheel gap: 2"

Overall, the springs have been great. They barely settled (no noticeable change in ride height as time passed) and there is no "saggy butt." The new ride height is perfect for everyday driving. No issues with clearance and wheel rub, even with a full car. Stock struts are going strong after nearly two years on these springs.

This was an essential mod as part of my quest for a subtly modified daily driver.