Sway bar time for my Leggy

[vision.dynamix]

My goal this summer is to get new links all around, at least a rear sway, and either CoilOvers or at least new struts on my BE.

Right now Im going to do the Links and rear sway bar first.

Whiteline 22mm out back? What links? And where should I get them?

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[sadsack]

I'm sold on Whiteline swaybars & links.

Hit their site for the proper part #'s.

Front endlinks IIRC are KCL30 (alloy).

If I were you, I'd order direct from the US Whiteline distributor - Globalperformanceparts.

I have an '03 BH (wagon) - there was a rear suspension redesign after 2002, and the WL sways didn't fit. After 4 swaybars shipped directly from WL in Australia, they got it right. I believe I am the only owner of a WL rear swaybar that fits a post 2002 BH chassis.

Throughout it all, both WL and GPP were AWESOME. Both of these companies went the extra mile to make sure that the job was done. I personally will never order WL from any other merchant; this is my way of making up for the hundreds of dollars of losses that each probably incurred to do the right thing.

As far as handling improvements:

I got the heavy duty bars (NOT the race - WL doesn't make them for the BE/BH). They are MUCH stiffer than stock, but for me, this was a very good thing. I regularly haul 200+ lbs of gear to gigs, and under full load, the BH wallowed like a pig though the twisties. After I finally got the SB/Endlinks to fit properly, it was a night and day difference.

The only bad thing about the beefy sways, is that they will accelerate the eventual failure of your stock struts/shocks. I recommend, when the time comes (60K miles), getting a set of Bilsteins to counter the increased lateral stresses caused by the upgraded sways. It's probably a good idea to upgrade springs at the same time, since stiffer springs will spare your struts/shocks most of the increased lateral movement stresses induced by the sways.

Interestingly, I found the Group-N Tranny mount to be very beneficial from a handling perspective. That being said, NVH was considerably increased from the stock mount.

You might, if you've been a diligent lurker, have come across threads discussing "throttle-on understeer" and "throttle-off oversteer." Only when I installed the upgraded tranny mount was I able to understand, and take advantage, of these threads. If you can stand increased NVH, the tranny mount, coupled with sways & good front endlinks (rears, unless they are plastic, are fine as is) are the first, best handling bang-for-the-buck that you can do IMHO.

[rougeben83]

ditch the trannymount, get the group N engine mounts if you have to chose. Bigger bang for the buck.

You *can* use the standard rearendlinks with upgraded bars. It's a heim-jointed steel piece straight from the factory.

Get kartboy N/A impreza endlinks for the front (BE has 21mm front swaybar already), it will fit. You can upgrade to an IPD 22mm front swaybar from an RS as well...same thing.

IPD makes a cheaper rear swaybar, but me and a couple of other guys have had clunking where the swaybar occasionally taps the transverse link - longer endlinks (like the adjustable kind from WL) seems to cure the problem

WL and Cusco both make rear bars for the BE; AFAIK, there's no fitment problem like the IPD rsb. I don't know what BH rear suspension redesign there was (to my knowledge it was the same for all 5 years the BE/BH lines were made, sadsack may have been shipped the current gen Legacy swaybar or Baja rsb which is somewhat close in suspension design, or even an older gen or even a WRX swaybar), but all BE rear suspensions are the same. Just make sure you get the right part number.