KYB341276 Excel-G Gas Strut

I'm 99% sure I was sent Legacy spec struts rather than Legacy Outback spec struts. Nearly everything is the same, but the distance from the lower mounting bolt to the lower spring perch is shorter on the Legacy's by about the same distance my 2004 Leg Outback is sitting low. I even tried blaming old tired factory springs, new ones didn't change anything.On the plus side, 2 years and about 35k miles later they're still going strong so despite everything being new and *not* worn out I'm going to have to put some saggy butt spacers in it to fix the problem. Would buy again if I get a Legacy that needs struts but will go with something else if one of my Legacy Outbacks needs struts.

Adding to the chorus here, but these are just a fantastic upgrade to the 2005-2009 Outback. I just removed a set of (admittedly worn) KYB struts from my 05 Outback 3.0R and replaced them with these 03-04 spec units, and the difference is night and day. The rear end of my car went from wallowing and vague to firm and planted in just over an hour's work. For the DIY guys- once you've loosened the two upper nuts (inside the car under the carpet just behind the rear seats) and removed the nut from the strut's lower bolt, use the car's scissor jack and a wooden block inside the wheel well to push down on the control arm/spindle just about 1/2 inch or so. This will relieve the load on the lower bolt enough to remove it easily. The strut will then drop out very easily into your hand. These KYBs have a 6mm hex (allen head) on the end of the rod. Once you've safely compressed the spring, you can use a hex driver on a ratchet or impact gun to turn the rod while holding the nut with a wrench. Couldn't be much easier. Might as well do your sway bar links and bushings while you're in the neighborhood.

Like a lot of other reviewers here, I bought these for my 2005 Subaru Outback. These definitely have a higher dampening rate than the stock shocks. While these are much firmer than the stockers, I would not characterized the ride as harsh, just very controlled and no-nonsense.One thing to note, these are about a half-inch shorter than the stock 2005 shocks. Don't worry, not a problem at all. From what I can tell, the range of suspension travel is well within the tolerance of the shock, so no need to worry about the shock topping out.Also, because these shock a tad shorter, make sure when you are tightening down the 17mm nut that you are indeed torquing down against the backing nut on end of the shock's piston. If you don't have the spring compressed enough, you may think you've torqued down the nut enough but it won't be fully installed. This will manifest itself as a rattle or knocking sound from the rear of the car while going over bumps. Don't let this happen!

This fit perfectly on my 2005 subaru outback. Some people say it is a little shorter, but it is barely shorter than stock you can't even tell. The car now drives like it should. Very easy to install especially if you have an impact wrench. I used the old springs/bolts and they fit perfectly on this new strut. I suggest going down to oreilly auto parts where you can rent free spring compressors to get the springs onto the strut.However I am writing this review the day after I put them on so I cannot attest to their longevity.

This was an exact OEM replacement for the rear shock on my 2000 Subaru Outback. The factory original KYB shocks that I pulled off had almost 200k miles on them, and had lost a lot of their dampening ability. These new ones made a noticeable difference in the ride, and I'm very pleased with them. I am always happy when I can find and install a perfect match for the factory original part on my cars.Note that the unit does not include anything but the bare shock and the top nut. I transferred my original springs, and bought new KYB boots. My boots were trashed during extraction, as they're a rather tight fit. I also replaced the upper shock mounts, which I thought was just a good idea after 200k miles.

I took others advice to install 2004 era struts on my 2005-2009 outback, but the spring seat is about 1/4" smaller in diameter and I was not comfortable with the idea of the springs barely holding to the edge of the seat. Moreover the distance from seat to topnut was about an inch shorter than OE, meaning the springs would be overly compressed and reduce the sag distance. Amazon is allowing me to return the unused items--which is generous and a main reason I shop here first for car parts. Kudos there. KYB makes nice stuff.

Upgraded my previous shocks (also KYB's but old...I pushed one of the old pistons in and it didn't even come back out!) along with my rear stabilizer bar links in my '01 Subaru Outback and now there's significantly less body roll when turning. Hope these last a while.Getting the bottom hole aligned with the frame opening to put the bolt back in was a challenge to do it alone. I had a buddy help me out with not too much grunting and repeatedly attempting to align it correctly.

(picture is of the old Vs. New)Before replacement the car would hop uncontrollably all over the road, I felt like I was driving in a death trap. Even started to slide out on circular on/off ramps.After replacement, the car is completely predictable and stable on turns as well as over railroad tracks now. Feels like a new car. Very high quality product, I've been a big fan of KYB products for a long time. These don't disappoint or fall short of expectations! Highly recommend! 👍👌