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Old 05-06-2020, 09:25 PM   #1
b2radd
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Default 2015+ strut braces

Anyone know a good company to get front and rear strut braces for a 2015+ wrx sti? I seen a really nice set on an s209 for sale, not sure if they come factory or available through Subaru parts dept.? I also contacted Perrin but they only have the front brace available at this point in time.
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Old 05-07-2020, 10:56 AM   #2
curiousfish
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Cusco makes a whole assortment of braces.
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Old 05-07-2020, 12:02 PM   #3
J Hizzle
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I agree with looking at Cusco. As noted above, they have a ton of options for the car and the quality is top notch. The link below has other brands as well:

https://www.rallysportdirect.com/scp...rut-tower-bars
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Old 05-07-2020, 12:48 PM   #4
oichan
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I run the Cusco front strut bar and rear cross bar on my 16 STI. I installed the front first and noticed a good difference in turn-in response, then added the cross brace and noticed chassis rigidity. If driving only street, I think the front by itself is a better choice than doing front and rear. The car needs a little bit of flex to turn quickly.

I also did their brake brace as well.
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Old 05-07-2020, 05:42 PM   #5
lefty o
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imo beatrush is the one for the rear, minor trimming of the styrofoam tray over the spare tire, but it leaves your trunk 100% useable.
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Old 05-08-2020, 09:55 AM   #6
GoFrogs
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Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by b2radd View Post
Anyone know a good company to get front and rear strut braces for a 2015+ wrx sti? I seen a really nice set on an s209 for sale, not sure if they come factory or available through Subaru parts dept.? I also contacted Perrin but they only have the front brace available at this point in time.

The question of, or the purpose you need these braces for has not been stated. Why do you need, or feel you need to install these braces on your 2016 STi?

What is your overall plan?

If you are trying to keep up with "My WRX Channel" or similar, that is probably not a good idea; and not worth it financially (IMO). If you are only going for show/cars-n-coffee points, again, not the best financial decision.

Are these braces going to be the only structural supports you install?

What other handling mods are you going to install along with these braces?

Is this only for street driving or do you plan to go autocrossing? If autocrossing, what class do you want to run in?

I'm not trying to be a debbie downer, but you really weren't specific on why you want these braces; just the fact you saw some sweet S209 hardware and said, "I want that on my car too".

Last edited by GoFrogs; 05-08-2020 at 09:56 AM. Reason: __
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Old 05-08-2020, 12:11 PM   #7
CoronaWRX
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GoFrogs View Post
The question of, or the purpose you need these braces for has not been stated. Why do you need, or feel you need to install these braces on your 2016 STi?

What is your overall plan?

If you are trying to keep up with "My WRX Channel" or similar, that is probably not a good idea; and not worth it financially (IMO). If you are only going for show/cars-n-coffee points, again, not the best financial decision.

Are these braces going to be the only structural supports you install?

What other handling mods are you going to install along with these braces?

Is this only for street driving or do you plan to go autocrossing? If autocrossing, what class do you want to run in?

I'm not trying to be a debbie downer, but you really weren't specific on why you want these braces; just the fact you saw some sweet S209 hardware and said, "I want that on my car too".
You bring up great points and as you pointed out, "what's the purpose" should be the first question. I think for many of us, it's just fun to research, plan, and build up our cars. It's a hobby. I'm sure many have taking a good car and made it worse by modding, I certainly have and that's why I don't do many mods to my daily driver anymore. My main concern when modding is what's the compromise, especially on the WRX and STI platforms as they are very good out of the box.

So I ask this, what is the compromise when running a front strut bar? How will it affect the driving dynamics of the car as a whole?

Last edited by CoronaWRX; 05-08-2020 at 02:00 PM.
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Old 05-08-2020, 04:23 PM   #8
Big-E
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OP, if you want strut-bars, then buy them.

https://www.rallysportdirect.com/sea...x=products&p=0
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Old 05-08-2020, 09:14 PM   #9
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541 Motorsports on eBay is always a great source.
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Old 05-08-2020, 11:24 PM   #10
GoFrogs
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CoronaWRX View Post
You bring up great points and as you pointed out, "what's the purpose" should be the first question. I think for many of us, it's just fun to research, plan, and build up our cars. It's a hobby.

I'm sure many have taking a good car and made it worse by modding, I certainly have and that's why I don't do many mods to my daily driver anymore. My main concern when modding is what's the compromise, especially on the WRX and STI platforms as they are very good out of the box.

So I ask this, what is the compromise when running a front strut bar? How will it affect the driving dynamics of the car as a whole?
I like modifying cars too and I want my car to be the best possible driving car for the street. Of course, I'm finding out that my 2019 WRX, in many (similar) ways, is no better at street driving than my 2004 GTI I had for 15 years.

Building a car up, like on Gran Turismo or Need For Speed is fun and a great way to express oneself...but in this case, the OP just came out with a broad, generic question because he saw some parts on a $65k S209/STi and wanted them on his car.

For our cars, the front strut brace is a minimal effect mod that will be difficult (not impossible) to notice at legal speeds. Subaru has that trick two-piece front strut bar that gives when you need it to, but also stays rigid at the right time. Necessary, no; but definitely cool to have. But it works best in tandem with other bracing below the engine (that you can't see).

I think anti-roll bars will deliver a better, or should I say, a more noticeable difference. But since they are under the car, you can't see them.

Modding for hobby or sport or both....a plan is needed. Not just some "ooo shiny, me want..." You could spend $2k in braces [front, back, top, bottom], and you would have a very stiff car; but not necessarily a better car for the street.
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Old 05-09-2020, 09:26 AM   #11
oichan
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CoronaWRX View Post
So I ask this, what is the compromise when running a front strut bar? How will it affect the driving dynamics of the car as a whole?
Only compromise is the pennies gone in your wallet. It's a cheap mod. There are no ill effects on the front strut bar on the STI if Cusco's used. Cusco's fit and finish is perfect as expected. And per my personal experience, there is a quite noticeable change on the STI.

I have not installed one on my WRX as the suspension is quite soft on the car.
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Old 05-09-2020, 01:25 PM   #12
Mr.Impreza.
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I highly suggest the Front & Rear tower bars. Here is my write up on a different forum that I will share


~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So an update to my reply since I was debating OEM also and today decided to do my test since you asked also haha.

So removing the rear cusco tower bar and keeping the front, i didn't notice a difference honestly. However my rear door started to rattle.

However when I removed the front.....the steering response was night and day personally. It felt so lazy without the front Cusco bar. Also both left and right door cards started to rattle again haha.

So, the tower bar remove rattle, if you have any in the car, and the front especially improve steering response by a lot in a bone stock sti. If you have coils, sways it may play a smaller role.

That being said, I'm sticking witH Cusco instead of STI even though I prefer OEM because with the STI bar, in corners it will feel as responsive as Cusco. However due to the flex in the middle when driving normal since it's designed to keep the ride comfort the same....my rattles will most likely return since it won't stiffen up the chassis when cruising which would be annoying. Honestly though, I don't notice a difference in ride comfort with Front and rear.....in fact it feels more planted. So hope this helps you =)
~~~~~~~~~~~

Also video talking about it more

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Old 05-09-2020, 07:45 PM   #13
CoronaWRX
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GoFrogs View Post
I like modifying cars too and I want my car to be the best possible driving car for the street. Of course, I'm finding out that my 2019 WRX, in many (similar) ways, is no better at street driving than my 2004 GTI I had for 15 years.

Building a car up, like on Gran Turismo or Need For Speed is fun and a great way to express oneself...but in this case, the OP just came out with a broad, generic question because he saw some parts on a $65k S209/STi and wanted them on his car.

For our cars, the front strut brace is a minimal effect mod that will be difficult (not impossible) to notice at legal speeds. Subaru has that trick two-piece front strut bar that gives when you need it to, but also stays rigid at the right time. Necessary, no; but definitely cool to have. But it works best in tandem with other bracing below the engine (that you can't see).

I think anti-roll bars will deliver a better, or should I say, a more noticeable difference. But since they are under the car, you can't see them.

Modding for hobby or sport or both....a plan is needed. Not just some "ooo shiny, me want..." You could spend $2k in braces [front, back, top, bottom], and you would have a very stiff car; but not necessarily a better car for the street.

Quote:
Originally Posted by oichan View Post
Only compromise is the pennies gone in your wallet. It's a cheap mod. There are no ill effects on the front strut bar on the STI if Cusco's used. Cusco's fit and finish is perfect as expected. And per my personal experience, there is a quite noticeable change on the STI.

I have not installed one on my WRX as the suspension is quite soft on the car.
Guys, thanks for the input! That STI two-piece is interesting, a little pricey, but I really like the concept. I agree a plan is needed, I've fallen into the "shiny, me want" trap way to many times...
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Old 05-12-2020, 02:56 PM   #14
b2radd
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GoFrogs View Post
The question of, or the purpose you need these braces for has not been stated. Why do you need, or feel you need to install these braces on your 2016 STi?

What is your overall plan?

If you are trying to keep up with "My WRX Channel" or similar, that is probably not a good idea; and not worth it financially (IMO). If you are only going for show/cars-n-coffee points, again, not the best financial decision.

Are these braces going to be the only structural supports you install?

What other handling mods are you going to install along with these braces?

Is this only for street driving or do you plan to go autocrossing? If autocrossing, what class do you want to run in?

I'm not trying to be a debbie downer, but you really weren't specific on why you want these braces; just the fact you saw some sweet S209 hardware and said, "I want that on my car too".
I feel there is something left to be desired in the driving characteristics ie; turn in / out response when cornering. Just looking to see if this is the route to go for a more ‘planted / controlled’ driving experience. The stock performance of the STI is satisfactory and leaves it in a good place for drivability modifications to come prior to exhaust or other bolt on goodies. This is just my opinion and I know many others start modifying their cars in all different ways.

I should’ve mentioned in my original post that my car has no modifications at all, besides tires. It is used for spirited driving pleasure and has seen some track time.
Given these are potentially the first aftermarket parts the car will see, I was looking for others experience on what should / should not be installed & what the change in driving characteristics I should expect to see are?

The S209 rear brace I mentioned, seems to have been different than all other brands I’ve seen as it has in an upside down ‘U’ shape and hugged the top of the trunk / rear seats, bolted to the chassis, as opposed to going straight across or an ‘X’ brace.
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