nother sway bar ?

[Bd4mp-dub]

ok. i wantd to do some suspension upgrades b4 winter n get ready for the fun in the snow!! i really wna gt f/r sway bars. i planned on getting a rear sway from and outback 18mm i think. corect me if im wrong. and i wantd to get a front whiteline sway bar 22mm. i slightly remebering readin somwethin about wit new bigger sway bars you shood get new struts all around. so the questions i have are
1)does the 2 sway bars i suggested sound like a good setup?
2)do i need new struts?
3) any other good suspension upgrades you guys know about? (i have f/r Strut bars already.)
Thankz

[Airgne]

rallitek make f&r swap bars for the BE5/BH5. there are around 300 with lifetime warranty. heard great things about them. possible going to get them. if you dont want to lower your car(winter shouldnt be to bad) go get the outback sus with new struts than sway bars. if you want to lower it i do have kyb grs'2 with h&r lowering springs for sale. link is to there website.

http://www.rallitek.com/leou00.html

[Bd4mp-dub]

wood ur struts n springs fit my 99? how much?

[Airgne]

wood ur struts n springs fit my 99? how much?

opps sorry i thought you have a 3rd gen legacy. no i have a 3rd you have a 2nd gen. sorry i shoudl have read your sig.

[Bd4mp-dub]

its all good. got me all xcitd lol. so do i need new struts if i get sways tho then? i planed on lowering to,

[Huffer]

You don't need struts when you install sway bars. But it helps to do the whole sway bar thing when you do suspension as it helps to improve the body roll control.

Outback sway is 18mm. It's "ok". Personally I like 20-22mm better

[Bd4mp-dub]

the whiteline rear z adjustable 18-20-21. who else makes some rear sways?

[Huffer]

Cusco makes a 18-20-22.

If you bash the spare tire well flat you can make a GC Impreza-fitment RSB fit. That gives you a lot more options to mess with.

[rudgers73]

Cusco makes a 18-20-22.

If you bash the spare tire well flat you can make a GC Impreza-fitment RSB fit. That gives you a lot more options to mess with.

That's exactly what I did on mine. Put an 04 STi sway bar on it. I like what it did for my autocross handling.

[ccampbell2546]

I've read that bashing the spare tire well doesn't do enough for the GC bar. If it does that would be awesome. Do you guys have any pics so I know how much to bash it in? If I can get a GC one to fit, that would be way easier. Also, any tips on bashing it in?

[Huffer]

Tips for bashing it in? Use a hammer. Test the fit of the GC bar. Still not fitting? Bash it some more.

[rudgers73]

I've read that bashing the spare tire well doesn't do enough for the GC bar. If it does that would be awesome. Do you guys have any pics so I know how much to bash it in? If I can get a GC one to fit, that would be way easier. Also, any tips on bashing it in?

ok, here's exactly what I did to fit an 04 STi rear sway bar on my 99 LGT Sedan:

If you look under the car on the tire tub you will see a brace of sorts (I'm assuming it is made for adding rigidity to the tub in case you hit something and it smashes into it). I took a cut-off tool and sliced it along each side so I could get a small sledge and knock it off. If you check the spacing of where the bar will actually fit, you only really have to take a notch out of it. I would suggest finding a way to make sure there aren't any sharp edges sticking down from it for when you install the bar or else it is just going to be rubbing and "scoring" the sway bar. Ok, so once the brace has been trimmed you shouldn't have too hard a time smashing the tub up along the area where the bar will fit across. You should take out your spare tire so you can see what's going on from both sides. You should be able to dent in a "tunnel" that is deep enough for no sway bar interference, but still plenty of room for the spare to fit properly. Now you can mount the new bar.

On my car the new bar fit on the outside of the endlinks versus the stock bar that fit on the inside. I was a bit worried at first, but I did this mod over 2 years ago which is about 20k miles and probably 20 autocross days and I haven't had an issue. The handling difference right after you do it is amazing. More crisp cornering and you feel like the car has a different "axis of rotation" on the length of the car when you quickly shift left or right (aka less understeer).

I had never heard of someone doing this before I gave it a try, but it works and I'm happy I did it.

I might be able to get a pic or two next time I'm under my car.

[ccampbell2546]

Thanks. I'm gonna have to try this next time I work on my car. It's a good idea and would be a lot easier to find a GC bar.