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Old 04-18-2013, 03:33 AM   #1
dromond56
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Default Idiot question on a rear sway bar for 2013 Impreza 2.0i Base

I am hoping some more experienced folks could lend me some advice.

I have a 2013 Impreza 5 spd hatch base model. I really like the car, and use it for daily commuting as well as driving up mountain passes for skiing. I spend a lot of time with 3-4 people in the car, loaded with ski gear, and with a roof box loaded with more gear. The car gets a bit wobbly feeling left-to-right over 65mph, in high winds, and especially in corners all loaded up with people.

Through researching past threads on the subject, it became apparent that my car has no rear sway bar to speak of. I have no experience with adding or changing sway bars (or auto suspension parts of any kind) but it would seem to explain the wobble factor.

It looks like a lot of folks go for a 19mm sway bar over the stock one. Will this make the car ride very rough over over ruts and bumps? The thicker bar may make sense since a lot of time I have weight on the roof of the car and 3-4 passengers. Installation looks pretty straightforward.

My main question is: since my car has no rear sway bar, what parts do I need in addition to the bar itself? Several people have suggested this bar in previous threads, and it says that it comes with bushings. I know that because my car has no sway bar I will need extra parts, but I'm not immediately sure what those are. End links, brackets and what else? Is there a kit that you would recommend? I'm looking for something cost-effective and straightforward, rather than the most tricked out part available.

Thanks everybody!
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Old 04-18-2013, 08:22 AM   #2
ronjr8102
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As far as I know the car has one, I think 16mm. The 19mm is the WRX stock one. I dont know if the 16 bushings will fit the 19 & I think u can just use the endlinks that are there.

One way is to just look under the back of ur car. U will just see a bar going from one side to the other.

I haven't done this yet. Its either that or strut bars.
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Old 04-18-2013, 08:44 AM   #3
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Since you have a base with no RSB, you'll need the bar, bushings and clamps, and endlinks. Better description here:

http://estore.subarupartswarehouse.c...iagram=7593803
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Old 04-18-2013, 08:48 AM   #4
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1. Base models have no sway bar.

2. You need sway bar, bushings, mounting brackets, end links, and hardware.

3. I have my stock 16mm bar/bushings available if you want it for dirt cheap.

4. Update your profile so I can see if youre close enough for pickup!
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Old 04-18-2013, 09:04 AM   #5
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I'm in the same boat as you, but with a 2012. Base models have no rsb, premium and limited get the 16mm sway bar.

Word on the street is that it only takes around half an hour to install on your own.

You'll need all of the parts from that link posted by Angelus911.

Alternatively, Perrin makes 19 and 22 mm sway bars for us, which come with all the necessary parts, but they're like $400. Not sure if they're actually any better in any meaningful way.

The concensus here seems to be that the 19mm works very well and makes the car handle more neutrally at the limit of grip, whereas the 22mm will make the ride a bit more harsh and will make the car more likely to oversteer.
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Old 04-18-2013, 09:06 AM   #6
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I have a stock 16mm bar and bushings for sale too, if more than one person is interested in this upgrade. I will ship it in the box that my 19mm bar came in. PM me if interested.

It is my opinion that a RSB won't increase ride harshness, regardless of what size you install. I'm sure the stock 16mm bar would provide a huge handling improvement over having no bar at all. The 19mm bar provides even flatter handling. It's my guess that a 22mm bar would convert the car too much toward oversteer for my tastes (especially when the roads are wet/slippery), but this is just a guess as I've never driven the car with a 22mm bar installed.
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Old 04-18-2013, 09:33 AM   #7
Dirt Bringer
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dromond56 View Post
I am hoping some more experienced folks could lend me some advice.

I have a 2013 Impreza 5 spd hatch base model. I really like the car, and use it for daily commuting as well as driving up mountain passes for skiing. I spend a lot of time with 3-4 people in the car, loaded with ski gear, and with a roof box loaded with more gear. The car gets a bit wobbly feeling left-to-right over 65mph, in high winds, and especially in corners all loaded up with people.

Through researching past threads on the subject, it became apparent that my car has no rear sway bar to speak of. I have no experience with adding or changing sway bars (or auto suspension parts of any kind) but it would seem to explain the wobble factor.

It looks like a lot of folks go for a 19mm sway bar over the stock one. Will this make the car ride very rough over over ruts and bumps? The thicker bar may make sense since a lot of time I have weight on the roof of the car and 3-4 passengers. Installation looks pretty straightforward.

My main question is: since my car has no rear sway bar, what parts do I need in addition to the bar itself? Several people have suggested this bar in previous threads, and it says that it comes with bushings. I know that because my car has no sway bar I will need extra parts, but I'm not immediately sure what those are. End links, brackets and what else? Is there a kit that you would recommend? I'm looking for something cost-effective and straightforward, rather than the most tricked out part available.

Thanks everybody!
The front of the car already has a 22mm and it's not harsh at all. The rear with a 19 will make the cars handling amazingly neutral, with mild understeer into some corners if pushed very abruptly and mild oversteer upon exiting the corner. I have this bar and it's amazing and predictable. However, I want to upgrade to a 22mm to lower the weight transfer shift when transitioning directions on windy roads and make the rear bias more consistent. Take your pick, either one is a good decision, just understand the ramifications and how you will have to drive the car to compensate for any changes in handling.
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Old 04-18-2013, 11:52 AM   #8
dromond56
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Thanks for all the excellent info everybody! I also appreciate the sale offers on the stock back. Someone local to me is selling there stock 19mm 2010 STI bar so I will go for that and order the rest of the parts from SubaruGenuineParts which is also local to me.

Cheers!
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Old 04-18-2013, 06:14 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sgoldste01 View Post
I have a stock 16mm bar and bushings for sale too, if more than one person is interested in this upgrade. I will ship it in the box that my 19mm bar came in. PM me if interested.

It is my opinion that a RSB won't increase ride harshness, regardless of what size you install. I'm sure the stock 16mm bar would provide a huge handling improvement over having no bar at all. The 19mm bar provides even flatter handling. It's my guess that a 22mm bar would convert the car too much toward oversteer for my tastes (especially when the roads are wet/slippery), but this is just a guess as I've never driven the car with a 22mm bar installed.
I agree, I think the 19mm is the way to go.

I also have a 16mm with bushings for sale! haha
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Old 04-19-2013, 03:41 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dromond56 View Post
Thanks for all the excellent info everybody! I also appreciate the sale offers on the stock back. Someone local to me is selling there stock 19mm 2010 STI bar so I will go for that and order the rest of the parts from SubaruGenuineParts which is also local to me.

Cheers!
Hi, I'm in a similar situation where I have a base with no RSB but looking into it. How do I find out which year/model's RSB are compatible with my car? Or are they all compatible? (pls excuse the noob question, i'm new to suspension mods).
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Old 04-19-2013, 03:52 PM   #11
sgoldste01
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nitroman View Post
Hi, I'm in a similar situation where I have a base with no RSB but looking into it. How do I find out which year/model's RSB are compatible with my car? Or are they all compatible? (pls excuse the noob question, i'm new to suspension mods).
You could safely order the stock 16mm RSB from a 2012+ Impreza, or you could order a 19mm RSB and bushings from a 2008+ STI. Several of us have the original 16mm RSB and bushings for sale from our 2012+ Imprezas.

In addition to the bar and bushings, you will also need end links, brackets (which install over the bushings), and some bolts to hold everything together.
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Old 04-19-2013, 04:18 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sgoldste01 View Post
You could safely order the stock 16mm RSB from a 2012+ Impreza, or you could order a 19mm RSB and bushings from a 2008+ STI. Several of us have the original 16mm RSB and bushings for sale from our 2012+ Imprezas.

In addition to the bar and bushings, you will also need end links, brackets (which install over the bushings), and some bolts to hold everything together.
Thanks a lot for the info. Does that also include WRX (non STI) models as well?
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Old 04-19-2013, 04:55 PM   #13
sgoldste01
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Yes, but I'm not sure if the WRX's stock RSB is 16mm or 19mm. I know the STI's stock RSB is the 19mm bar.
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Old 04-19-2013, 07:54 PM   #14
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what year wrx rear sway bar will fit? and what about a front sway bar also?
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Old 04-19-2013, 10:49 PM   #15
sgoldste01
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Quote:
Originally Posted by subaru222 View Post
what year wrx rear sway bar will fit? and what about a front sway bar also?
For the WRX and STI, it should be the same (2008+) for the RSB. I don't know about front bar compatibility between the WRX/STI and our Imprezas.
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Old 04-20-2013, 12:22 AM   #16
nitroman
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sgoldste01 View Post
For the WRX and STI, it should be the same (2008+) for the RSB. I don't know about front bar compatibility between the WRX/STI and our Imprezas.
*Edit* nevermind I had a stupid question but I guess I should've thought about it first before posting cuz it's pretty obvious. DOH!

But thanks for the info.

Last edited by nitroman; 04-20-2013 at 12:37 AM.
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Old 04-20-2013, 10:14 PM   #17
dromond56
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I was able to pick up a lightly used 19mm rear sway bar from a 2010 STI locally on craigslist and ordered the rest of the parts from subarugenuineparts.com. Hopefully everything bolts right up!

For other people who might want to order those parts from that website, here are the part numbers:

20464FG000
20466FG000
20470FG000
10108200
902370055
902350001
901000221
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Old 04-21-2013, 03:10 PM   #18
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So you just need the bar? Or bushing also?
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Old 04-21-2013, 03:21 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by subaru222 View Post
So you just need the bar? Or bushing also?
You need the bar and two bushings.
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Old 04-21-2013, 04:56 PM   #20
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Thanks everyone
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Old 04-21-2013, 08:31 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by subaru222 View Post
So you just need the bar? Or bushing also?
Endlinks too, I think.
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Old 04-23-2013, 04:09 AM   #22
dromond56
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I've got one more question for the Nasioc hive-mind.

My parts just arrived from genuinesubaruparts. Two of the nuts are a locking style where the outside is crimped on 3 sides. (I'm not sure what this is called.) The other two are standard and have a more silver/chrome finish. The question is: do the locking nuts go onto the bolts that attach the endlinks to the car (bottom) or the end that attaches to the sway bar (top) ?

I have the torque specs for these, but I'm not sure if I should use anti-sieze, grease or whatnot on them.



Thanks again for all the help, folks.
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Old 04-23-2013, 11:55 AM   #23
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Use the locking nuts to secure the end link to the car. Use the plain nuts to secure the bar to the end link. Do not use anything on the nuts, just put them on dry and torque them down. Do all this with the car sitting on the ground. Pay attention to the bar bushings to get them oriented correctly. My bushings had small green dots and I matched the position of the green dots to the position of the dots on the OE bushings that had white dots.
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Old 05-07-2013, 12:24 PM   #24
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I also have one question to add to this thread. I have a '13 premium with the stock 16mm bar. If I order the 19mm bar to upgrade, do I need new bushings/endlinks/etc? Or can I simply order the bar and use the equipment that I have already?
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Old 05-07-2013, 12:30 PM   #25
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Originally Posted by PrimalTrek View Post
I also have one question to add to this thread. I have a '13 premium with the stock 16mm bar. If I order the 19mm bar to upgrade, do I need new bushings/endlinks/etc? Or can I simply order the bar and use the equipment that I have already?
You can use the stock end links. New bar bushings will be required.
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