rear swaybar/strut tower bar

Gekko · 08-21-2003, 12:37 AM

as my first mods im looking into rear swaybar and a rear tower bar. I was wondering if these are good mods for a daily driver and if so how will they alter the preformance of my car? and whats a good/affordable company to get the parts from?
are these mods easy to install? and whats a good size for the rear swaybar 20mm? or more?
need help!!!!

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Uncle Scotty · 08-21-2003, 01:06 AM

If you are on stock tires, you may want to buy better rubber first.
By firming up the rear end with the bars, you may induce quite a bit of snap oversteer and ruin your whole day.

ent2b · 08-21-2003, 10:50 AM

2 recent and good threads about these topics:

1

2

hunts · 08-21-2003, 11:55 AM

From my personal experience, yes.. good and simple mods for everyday driving!

I had an adjustable 18-20-22mm rear sway bar installed first. I originally had it set at 18, which was the "safest" setting - neutral. But when I got used to that, I bumped it up to 20 - a little bit of oversteer, which is what it's currently set at. I dare not set it at 22 yet since I have a Forester and not sure how well I can control it. The rear sway bar feels like it reduces body roll, but I think it actually helps me to complete my turns quicker. The brand I have is Whiteline (baby-blue in color), and it seems suspectible to rust if you have snowy areas that use salt on the road. From what I was told, the rust is only on the surface and should be nothing major.

The rear strut tower bar is sweet! My Forester felt so much stiffer, almost like driving a european car. Very secure in handling, but you might feel more of the roads irregularities, like bumps and potholes! I got this one from Whiteline also.

Other than that, my Forester is pretty much stock, except for the grounding mod, front strut bar, K&N air filter, and Ganzflow (which I usually put on during the weekends and take off on rainy days).

ent2b · 08-21-2003, 07:22 PM

rear strut bar in a forester? i guess you dont put your seats down very often?

satrya · 08-21-2003, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ent2b
rear strut bar in a forester? i guess you dont put your seats down very often?

Since most rear strut tower bars are made so that the bar itself can be easily removed without removing the 2 x 3 bolts on the strut top, it's not that hard to make more clearance when necessary. That being said, you'd still clear more space just folding the rear seats down without removing the bar. Of course, this is comparing my SG forester with rear strut tower bars to my GD impreza (sedan) with the small trunk pass-through door.

hunts · 08-21-2003, 08:49 PM

ent2b: yes, rear strut bar in a forester, and nope.. don't really put seats down very often unless I got something huge to lug around, which is rare. exactly what satrya said.. the rear strut bar is very easy to remove without touching the bolts on the strut tops - probably in about 1 minute. I was also lucky enough to install the rear/sides/and front cargo nets on my first generation Forester and with the rear strut bar installed. I'll need to take some pictures and post here one of these days!

Gekko · 08-21-2003, 11:37 PM

I live in Quebec (canada for those who are scratching their heads) so I'm in snow for about half the year+ so will salt have bad effects on a sway bar? and will the a new sway bar make it harder to drive in snow?

big_adventure · 08-22-2003, 02:43 AM

Simple answer with regards to snow - yes. Body roll is ~good in snow, because it throws the weight to the outside builds traction there. Your car would probably drive better in the snow with no ASB at all. But, you probably have lots of snow driving experience by now, so once you learn how it feels, it'll probably only be a mild effect on your driving. If you can find a bar that goes 18-20-22, set it to low (18) in winter, then, when it dries out, bump it to 22 and enjoy the available oversteer.

I don't know the size of the stock rear ASB in an Impreza, only WRXs, but 18 is probably not much larger than stock, if at all...

Gekko · 08-22-2003, 10:11 AM

Okay so which company has the best adjustable sway bar and for how much? what are some other manufacturers that have more affordable sway bars?
i know cobb has a sway bar and strut tower package is that good for the price?

hunts · 08-22-2003, 12:52 PM

Not sure what company has the best sway bar, but I can tell you that it seems like most folks would go for the Cusco brand, which is more expensive. Believe Cobb's bars are from Cusco as well. I picked Whiteline, because it was on sale.

sonicblue · 08-22-2003, 02:21 PM

Gekko-

I have the 17mm sway bar off my stock WRX wagon - I'm selling it very cheap and you can use it as a "starter" bar to see the effect. Your stock bar is 13mm, so this would be a nice little upgrade. If you decide you want stiffer for summer, you can get an adjustable for then and keep the 17mm for a stiffer winter ride. newayz....pm me for more details - my price wouldn't even dent your pocket much and I get a little more space in my garage and maybe a round of golf out of it......

sonicblue · 08-22-2003, 02:24 PM

Oh, and one more thing - I upgraded my rear sway with an MRT adjustable 20-24, currently on the middle setting. In conjunction with MRT alloy endlinks and Whiteline rear strut, I am VERY tight in the rear -

, I mean I'm very stiff,

, I mean, I like it

hunts · 08-22-2003, 11:18 PM

sonicblue: nice! that looks like a cusco. I'm afraid to set mine to 22. Have you ever have the rear slid out before, like when going hard through a corner or making a turn?

sonicblue · 08-27-2003, 12:18 PM

I can't say I've ever REALLY pushed it into a turn, but I've certainly had a little fun and never even felt like it was trying to get away from me in the back end. Now if I set it to 24....???

Ferg · 08-27-2003, 02:52 PM

I'm running a Cusco rear bar set to 22mm with Perrin solid droplinks as well as a Cusco carbon fiber rear bar with the V attachment. It definately stiffened up the rear of the car and improved the turn-in response. I also have a cusco front sway bar and the combination has proved very well balanced, just a hint of understeer at the corner exit. I'm not making enough power to break the Falken Azenis free yet.

Here's a pic of my strut bar setup.

cavymeister · 08-29-2003, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ferg
I'm running a Cusco rear bar set to 22mm with Perrin solid droplinks as well as a Cusco carbon fiber rear bar with the V attachment. It definately stiffened up the rear of the car and improved the turn-in response. I also have a cusco front sway bar and the combination has proved very well balanced, just a hint of understeer at the corner exit. I'm not making enough power to break the Falken Azenis free yet.

Here's a pic of my strut bar setup.

Did you run the car for any time with out the V brace? If so, was there a large difference between with the Rear strut bar and the rear strut bar with the V brace?

1modh · 11-29-2003, 04:34 PM

Please forgive a newbie question,

Specifically, what YEAR and MODEL (WRX?) stock Subaru rear swaybar would be a bolt in replacement on my '01 Forester?

From reading the above discussion, a 20mm bar sounds about right for my needs.

Would you suggest buying aftermarket (brands mentioned above)?
Will my stock (13mm bar) endlinks allow installation of a 20mm bar or will I need new links?

Thank you for sharing your expertise!

dan avoN7 · 11-29-2003, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ferg
I'm running a Cusco rear bar set to 22mm with Perrin solid droplinks as well as a Cusco carbon fiber rear bar with the V attachment. It definately stiffened up the rear of the car and improved the turn-in response. I also have a cusco front sway bar and the combination has proved very well balanced, just a hint of understeer at the corner exit. I'm not making enough power to break the Falken Azenis free yet.

what size is your cusco front sway bar? I just got a 22mm and am getting a ton of understeer with my rear sway set at 24mm. What tire pressures are you using in your car? All my suspension mods are identical to yours including the tires except i have perrin springs (i know they suck

) With tire pressure 32F 29R the car would feel like it wasn't understeering but the back end would hope around turns. Then with 34F and 31R i just get a bunch of understeer, front tire dont want to grip.

Mike Wevrick · 11-29-2003, 10:15 PM

I have a stock 17 mm sway bar off a 2003 WRX wagon for sale as well if anyone is interested.

1modh · 11-29-2003, 10:23 PM

Mike or Sonicblue-

I might be interested in the struts/springs from your WRX wagon to put on my '01 Forester.

Let me know..

08-21-2003, 12:37 AM	#1
Gekko Scooby Newbie Member#: 36697 Join Date: May 2003 Chapter/Region: E. Canada Location: Montreal Vehicle: 2003 Impreza 2.5 TS	rear swaybar/strut tower bar as my first mods im looking into rear swaybar and a rear tower bar. I was wondering if these are good mods for a daily driver and if so how will they alter the preformance of my car? and whats a good/affordable company to get the parts from? are these mods easy to install? and whats a good size for the rear swaybar 20mm? or more? need help!!!! * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

11-29-2003, 04:34 PM	#18
1modh Scooby Newbie Member#: 38805 Join Date: Jun 2003 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: St Louis Vehicle: 2007 BUILT STi urban Silver?	Please forgive a newbie question, Specifically, what YEAR and MODEL (WRX?) stock Subaru rear swaybar would be a bolt in replacement on my '01 Forester? From reading the above discussion, a 20mm bar sounds about right for my needs. Would you suggest buying aftermarket (brands mentioned above)? Will my stock (13mm bar) endlinks allow installation of a 20mm bar or will I need new links? Thank you for sharing your expertise! Last edited by 1modh; 11-29-2003 at 04:49 PM.

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08-21-2003, 01:06 AM	#2
Uncle Scotty NASIOC Supporter Member#: 16200 Join Date: Mar 2002 Vehicle: OK Houston we have an Uncle	If you are on stock tires, you may want to buy better rubber first. By firming up the rear end with the bars, you may induce quite a bit of snap oversteer and ruin your whole day.

08-21-2003, 10:50 AM	#3
ent2b Scooby Newbie Member#: 36293 Join Date: May 2003 Location: St. Louis, State of Misery Vehicle: 03 OBS PS	2 recent and good threads about these topics: 1 2

08-21-2003, 11:55 AM	#4
hunts Scooby Newbie Member#: 32198 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Morris County, NJ Vehicle: MY13 Impreza Limited 5-door hatchback	From my personal experience, yes.. good and simple mods for everyday driving! I had an adjustable 18-20-22mm rear sway bar installed first. I originally had it set at 18, which was the "safest" setting - neutral. But when I got used to that, I bumped it up to 20 - a little bit of oversteer, which is what it's currently set at. I dare not set it at 22 yet since I have a Forester and not sure how well I can control it. The rear sway bar feels like it reduces body roll, but I think it actually helps me to complete my turns quicker. The brand I have is Whiteline (baby-blue in color), and it seems suspectible to rust if you have snowy areas that use salt on the road. From what I was told, the rust is only on the surface and should be nothing major. The rear strut tower bar is sweet! My Forester felt so much stiffer, almost like driving a european car. Very secure in handling, but you might feel more of the roads irregularities, like bumps and potholes! I got this one from Whiteline also. Other than that, my Forester is pretty much stock, except for the grounding mod, front strut bar, K&N air filter, and Ganzflow (which I usually put on during the weekends and take off on rainy days).

08-21-2003, 07:22 PM	#5
ent2b Scooby Newbie Member#: 36293 Join Date: May 2003 Location: St. Louis, State of Misery Vehicle: 03 OBS PS	rear strut bar in a forester? i guess you dont put your seats down very often?

08-21-2003, 08:49 PM	#7
hunts Scooby Newbie Member#: 32198 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Morris County, NJ Vehicle: MY13 Impreza Limited 5-door hatchback	ent2b: yes, rear strut bar in a forester, and nope.. don't really put seats down very often unless I got something huge to lug around, which is rare. exactly what satrya said.. the rear strut bar is very easy to remove without touching the bolts on the strut tops - probably in about 1 minute. I was also lucky enough to install the rear/sides/and front cargo nets on my first generation Forester and with the rear strut bar installed. I'll need to take some pictures and post here one of these days!

08-21-2003, 11:37 PM	#8
Gekko Scooby Newbie Member#: 36697 Join Date: May 2003 Chapter/Region: E. Canada Location: Montreal Vehicle: 2003 Impreza 2.5 TS	I live in Quebec (canada for those who are scratching their heads) so I'm in snow for about half the year+ so will salt have bad effects on a sway bar? and will the a new sway bar make it harder to drive in snow?

08-22-2003, 02:43 AM	#9
big_adventure Scooby Specialist Member#: 40501 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Paris, FR Vehicle: 2005 Decathalon 21sp One WheelSeanPower	Simple answer with regards to snow - yes. Body roll is ~good in snow, because it throws the weight to the outside builds traction there. Your car would probably drive better in the snow with no ASB at all. But, you probably have lots of snow driving experience by now, so once you learn how it feels, it'll probably only be a mild effect on your driving. If you can find a bar that goes 18-20-22, set it to low (18) in winter, then, when it dries out, bump it to 22 and enjoy the available oversteer. I don't know the size of the stock rear ASB in an Impreza, only WRXs, but 18 is probably not much larger than stock, if at all...

08-22-2003, 10:11 AM	#10
Gekko Scooby Newbie Member#: 36697 Join Date: May 2003 Chapter/Region: E. Canada Location: Montreal Vehicle: 2003 Impreza 2.5 TS	Okay so which company has the best adjustable sway bar and for how much? what are some other manufacturers that have more affordable sway bars? i know cobb has a sway bar and strut tower package is that good for the price?

08-22-2003, 12:52 PM	#11
hunts Scooby Newbie Member#: 32198 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Morris County, NJ Vehicle: MY13 Impreza Limited 5-door hatchback	Not sure what company has the best sway bar, but I can tell you that it seems like most folks would go for the Cusco brand, which is more expensive. Believe Cobb's bars are from Cusco as well. I picked Whiteline, because it was on sale.

08-22-2003, 02:21 PM	#12
sonicblue Scooby Specialist Member#: 25227 Join Date: Sep 2002 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Oh st I ain't from Brooklyn! Vehicle:** 2006 Kodo Homage Dark Titanium	Gekko- I have the 17mm sway bar off my stock WRX wagon - I'm selling it very cheap and you can use it as a "starter" bar to see the effect. Your stock bar is 13mm, so this would be a nice little upgrade. If you decide you want stiffer for summer, you can get an adjustable for then and keep the 17mm for a stiffer winter ride. newayz....pm me for more details - my price wouldn't even dent your pocket much and I get a little more space in my garage and maybe a round of golf out of it......

08-22-2003, 02:24 PM	#13
sonicblue Scooby Specialist Member#: 25227 Join Date: Sep 2002 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Oh st I ain't from Brooklyn! Vehicle:** 2006 Kodo Homage Dark Titanium	Oh, and one more thing - I upgraded my rear sway with an MRT adjustable 20-24, currently on the middle setting. In conjunction with MRT alloy endlinks and Whiteline rear strut, I am VERY tight in the rear - , I mean I'm very stiff, , I mean, I like it

08-22-2003, 11:18 PM	#14
hunts Scooby Newbie Member#: 32198 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Morris County, NJ Vehicle: MY13 Impreza Limited 5-door hatchback	sonicblue: nice! that looks like a cusco. I'm afraid to set mine to 22. Have you ever have the rear slid out before, like when going hard through a corner or making a turn?

08-27-2003, 12:18 PM	#15
sonicblue Scooby Specialist Member#: 25227 Join Date: Sep 2002 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Oh st I ain't from Brooklyn! Vehicle:** 2006 Kodo Homage Dark Titanium	I can't say I've ever REALLY pushed it into a turn, but I've certainly had a little fun and never even felt like it was trying to get away from me in the back end. Now if I set it to 24....???

08-27-2003, 02:52 PM	#16
Ferg "Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!" Moderator Member#: 14145 Join Date: Jan 2002 Chapter/Region: NWIC Location: Top Scoob HQ Vehicle: '02 WRX Cars? Stupid!	I'm running a Cusco rear bar set to 22mm with Perrin solid droplinks as well as a Cusco carbon fiber rear bar with the V attachment. It definately stiffened up the rear of the car and improved the turn-in response. I also have a cusco front sway bar and the combination has proved very well balanced, just a hint of understeer at the corner exit. I'm not making enough power to break the Falken Azenis free yet. Here's a pic of my strut bar setup.

11-29-2003, 10:15 PM	#20
Mike Wevrick RIP 1/19/64 - 7/23/11 Scooby Guru Member#: 24654 Join Date: Sep 2002 Chapter/Region: NESIC Location: saraseager.com Vehicle: 1957 Taggart Comet atlasshruggedpart1.com	I have a stock 17 mm sway bar off a 2003 WRX wagon for sale as well if anyone is interested.

11-29-2003, 10:23 PM	#21
1modh Scooby Newbie Member#: 38805 Join Date: Jun 2003 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: St Louis Vehicle: 2007 BUILT STi urban Silver?	Mike or Sonicblue- I might be interested in the struts/springs from your WRX wagon to put on my '01 Forester. Let me know..