strut tower braces...

[strat81]

i tried searching but didn't find anything so here goes...

will strut tower bars for an impreza work on a 96 wagon (i believe gc to a bg?)

[gator gt]

I originally thought not....but Huffer (somewhere on here) proved me wrong.

If its not that expensive, experiment! Be a pioneer!!

GGT

[strat81]

well... from what i can see... there's .4" difference between the width of the impreza and the legacy...

so i'll probably pick up a set (ebay has a front and rear set for around $55) but i have to wait to pick up the car first. :lol:

[gator gt]

but i have to wait to pick up the car first. :lol:

Ahhh, yes, young grasshopper...an important step. :-D

GGT

[Wiscon_Mark]

Hey Spencer,

are you looking to get both, or just the rear? On a wagon, the rear is a good idea because the bracing is lacking there.

BUT, overall, they're really unnecessary on Subarus as they're unibody frames. That money would be better spent on a swaybar. The front one (as most agree) is just expensive engine bling.

[strat81]

mark... most cars are unibody... and i've read the post dealing with how the fronts are braced because the strut towers are welded to the firewall... i also know that i notice a difference in my cavalier which is setup the same way... and it wouldn't be expensive if i can pick up the set for $55 8)

[Wiscon_Mark]

55 dollars? oh, well, go right ahead then ;)

I was thinking the retail price of about 150 for just the front...

[Huffer]

i tried searching but didn't find anything so here goes...

will strut tower bars for an impreza work on a 96 wagon (i believe gc to a bg?)

Fronts will work - depending on which impreza bar you get. You can't use the big beefy Cusco ones - their mounting arms are too high because they actually straddle over the strut top.

The cheaper ebay ones which have single half-moon type mounting arms sit lower, and will work.

I am doubtful if the GC STi brace will fit - it typically rises slightly above the TMIC, and therefore comes close to the hood of the GC.

A GC has slightly more vertical space under the back edge of the hood than a BD or BG.

As for the rears, I don't think they're cross platform.
I had a Cusco rear strutbrace on my GF8 wagon, and that doesn't fit BG's.

(This is similar to the whole problem/confusion that abounds with swapping Impreza suspension to the Legacy.)

Which strutbrace would I buy? Only the rear. The wagons are in desperate need of firming up - with just the strutbrace and King Springs on, my L wagon was capable of hanging with STi's in tight corners.

When I added a rear swaybar @ 22mm, I could really play in the hills.

[ooberdoob]

+1 for RSB.

hell with STBs, waste of money unless you already have the sways, springs, struts, mounts, SS lines etc.

[Reason]

Save the strut braces for last. Get springs, struts, sway bars the SB's

[gil_ong81]

if you're getting a RSB, consider getting endlinks as well. or at least bushings.

[strat81]

the car is already lowered...

as for the rear stb, would the tophats just need redrilled to fit the mounting points?

[Wiscon_Mark]

No

[strat81]

mark... are you saying this for sure or just speculating?

[Wiscon_Mark]

based on the fact that Impreza struts fit in Legacies, there shouldn't need to be any tophat change.

[strat81]

gotcha... i thought you meant that it wouldn't work at all... misunderstood.

[subieyacht]

ive got a impreza front strut brace in my car, and the only issue i had was that it rubbed on the hood a little. And another thing, DO NOT BUY A THREE PEICE STB. there worthless and just flex with everything else. mine is a one peice and i noticed a diffrence even on stock struts.

[strat81]

if you tighten down a 3 piece then it will be more than solid enough... and i have to disagree on the "3 piece are junk"... just look at the cusco, sti, or just about any other major company that makes strut tower bars. i'm sure they know a thing or two about suspension dynamics...

95% are 3 piece... a bar with seperate end plates..

[Huffer]

3 peice are fine. Harder to get to fit just right, but when done right, they are just as good.

As I said up above - some of the GC strut braces will not fit. Some will.