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Brakes & Suspension Forum sponsored by The Tire Rack |
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03-04-2014, 07:14 PM | #1 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 377771
Join Date: Jan 2014
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Newton, MA
Vehicle:2012 WRX Sedan Ice Silver Metallic |
Which of these two sway bars will best suit my needs?
Before I begin, let me say that yes I have searched the forums and done a lot of research on this. I'm choosing between two sway bars, and would like to know which is the best route to take. A little about me and my car: It is a daily driver that will never see track use. All I am looking to do is eliminate some of the body roll and tighten things up a bit. I will be keeping my OEM front sway bar, and both the front and rear end links. This is both because I'm a college kid on a tight budget, and because for my needs I dont think I need any more than the rear sway bar. The first option I am looking into is the OEM STi rear sway. It is 19mm and would allow me to maintain a front sway bias. My concern is that it wont make a noticeable difference in daily driving. The second option I am looking at is the Epic Engineering 22mm rear sway bar. I am looking at this bar for a few reasons. First, it is one of the few aftermarket bars designed to be used with the OEM front sway bar, and safe for use with the stock endlinks. Secondly, it's fairly cheap. Finally, all the reviews I have found for it seem to be stellar. Having the 21mm stock bar in the front with the 22mm bar in the back should make my car fairly balanced, with just a very slight tendency towards oversteer. I think this is the set up I want to go with, but would like a few other opinions. Anyone care to chime in?
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03-04-2014, 07:17 PM | #2 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 50484
Join Date: Dec 2003
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
Location: Colorado
Vehicle:2017 FXT ISM |
Good question, I'm in same boat and would like to know as well.
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03-04-2014, 07:41 PM | #3 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 247304
Join Date: May 2010
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: Knoxville, TN
Vehicle:2011 STI WR Blue |
If you are simply trying to improve your DD driving then yes your approach will work.....but oem end links are not the best, so look for some used kartboys if you can't afford new. Actually if you can search and pickup a set of used 22mm front and rear sway bars (WL - 22mm, RCE - 25mm hollow) you would have one of the nicest DD sway bar setups for a GR.....very street able and well balanced.
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03-04-2014, 07:41 PM | #4 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 295724
Join Date: Sep 2011
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: NW Ohio
Vehicle:2022 WRX WRB |
For the newer body the 19mm is going to be a better option for you as a year round bar. The 22mm rear bar will make the car more prone to snap oversteer at times that may result in the car being more dangerous to drive in the winter. The 11-14 car prefers equal bar to a slight front bias on the bars. Depending on preferences buying a 20mm adjustable bar may make more sense than the 19mm STI bar. However, a 20mm adjustable will cost more. Also, when upgrading the rear bar you would be best advised to replace the end links as well. A 22mm rear bar will have a higher likelihood of breaking the stock rear end links.
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03-04-2014, 08:13 PM | #5 | |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 377771
Join Date: Jan 2014
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Newton, MA
Vehicle:2012 WRX Sedan Ice Silver Metallic |
Quote:
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03-04-2014, 08:18 PM | #6 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 247304
Join Date: May 2010
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: Knoxville, TN
Vehicle:2011 STI WR Blue |
Snap oversteer is caused by too large of a rear bar...everything you're looking at is relatively small. If you were thinking 24mm then yeah it could be a problem...but not for your choices.
What is your budget? Excerpt from Cygnus: 2) 22mm front / 20mm rear 08+ or 24mm front / 22mm rear 02-07 This combination is going to work well on street driven cars. It is conservative enough that it will be comfortable on almost any surface, but it still adds enough stiffness that handling will be greatly improved. The fact that the front bar is slightly larger than the rear bar will keep the car's natural tendency to understeer more than equal sized bars would. This is a good combo for someone who wants stiffer swaybars, but is worried about added harshness or going too extreme. 3) 22mm front / 24mm rear 02-07 Here is another combo that only applies to 02-07 cars. It may seem like an odd combination, but it is a combination that has been proven in street tire autocross. I'd only recommend a combination like this for cars that are using stiff coilovers. The rear bar will help make the car rotate while the soft front bar will work in conjunction with stiffer springs to provide the best overall grip possible. This is an ideal setup for the intricate low speed turns in autocross. 4) 22mm front & rear 08+ or 24mm front & rear 02-07 This is my personal choice for the street and street tire autocross. The equal sized rear bar gives the car a more neutral feel. It really does a lot to counteract the car's tendency to understeer. I use this combination on my daily driver and with adjustable swaybars it can be set up to perform well on the street, track and autocross course. |
03-04-2014, 08:20 PM | #7 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 295724
Join Date: Sep 2011
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: NW Ohio
Vehicle:2022 WRX WRB |
I can only say that I had a 22mm adjustable bar on the rear of my 2011 and took I it off after two auto-x events because I couldn't keep the car under control in slaloms.
Get the 19mm rear bar or get a pair of bars and go 24F/22R. |
03-04-2014, 08:25 PM | #8 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 247304
Join Date: May 2010
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: Knoxville, TN
Vehicle:2011 STI WR Blue |
24/22 is a great DD setup but it is more on the aggressive side, IMO. If you drive in rain or snow this can be a little edgy.
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03-04-2014, 08:35 PM | #9 | |
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Member#: 10228
Join Date: Sep 2001
Vehicle:2002 Subaru WRX |
These all apply well to 02-07 WRX/STi's. Not necessarily the newer body styles.
Quote:
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03-04-2014, 08:36 PM | #10 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 377771
Join Date: Jan 2014
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Newton, MA
Vehicle:2012 WRX Sedan Ice Silver Metallic |
So what's the consensus here, the STi bar is the better and safer choice?
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03-05-2014, 01:09 PM | #11 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 247304
Join Date: May 2010
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: Knoxville, TN
Vehicle:2011 STI WR Blue |
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03-05-2014, 03:54 PM | #12 | |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 377771
Join Date: Jan 2014
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Newton, MA
Vehicle:2012 WRX Sedan Ice Silver Metallic |
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03-05-2014, 05:09 PM | #13 |
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i recently installed the 19mm STi rear sway bar on my wife's 2012 impreza sport, which is fully stock otherwise. while it made a pretty nice improvement, i was still fairly underwhelmed. though, it is fine for her needs. granted, if you're on a tight budget it makes a lot of sense to go this route since it is so cost effective, but it may leave you wanting more.
FWIW, i am running a whiteline adj 22mm rear sway bar set to soft (21mm), whiteline support bars, rallitek endlinks f/r, and my 08's stock 20mm front bar. while i plan to eventually run 22mm F/R, this setup feels good to me as is. my car is only a daily driver. i have yet to experience any snap oversteer issues, even in winter. |
03-05-2014, 05:16 PM | #14 | |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 377771
Join Date: Jan 2014
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Newton, MA
Vehicle:2012 WRX Sedan Ice Silver Metallic |
Quote:
Last edited by azw131; 03-05-2014 at 05:38 PM. |
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03-05-2014, 09:27 PM | #15 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 247304
Join Date: May 2010
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: Knoxville, TN
Vehicle:2011 STI WR Blue |
One of the main reasons for installing bigger bars is to offset the front camber loss when cornering....it is one of the major causes of understeer. Stiffening the rear will help turn-in feel and reduce rear roll but you"ll then start to have more push (oversteer). Making a partial change (only upgrading the rear) isn't nearly as beneficial as a matched set to balance the car's handling, IMO. If you don't have the money then save a little longer....you might find a good used set that would work fine.
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03-05-2014, 11:37 PM | #16 | |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 377771
Join Date: Jan 2014
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Newton, MA
Vehicle:2012 WRX Sedan Ice Silver Metallic |
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