Ask the Car People.SM


Subaru Impreza WRX - READ ONLY

11554 messages,  Last post on Nov 07, 2006 at 12:41 PM

You are in the Subaru Impreza Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Impreza, Sedan

Messages Page 1064 of 1156

#10626 of 11554 Sway bars by barriostkd

Jan 28, 2004 (11:47 am)

I have an '04 WRX sedan and wanted to purchase sways bars to improve the handling and reduce body roll. Can any of you advise if I should get both front and rear, or just the rear? Also, can you guys recommend what brands are good and any additional info that I should know about? Size, material, price, etc. Thanks in advance!
 
On another note, it saddens me to say that I'm going to "retire" my other Subaru. It's a 1995 5-speed Impreza Outback that has over 185,000 miles on it. I've had it since August of '94. I relocated to SF from NJ a few months ago and I was still planning to have the car shipped, but recently Subaru Service told me that I finally needed a new clutch since it still has the original one (cost is close to $1k) and that I needed a new transmission (around $3k+). Plus, because of the extremely cold weather, a stone chip on my windshield turned into a long crack! So now I'm thinking I'll just donate it for a tax break since the resale/trade-in value of the car doesn't amount to much and I'm not sure I'm willing to spend $4,000 - $5,000 to have everything repaired on a 10 year old car.
 
James B.

#10627 of 11554 James by c_hunter

Jan 28, 2004 (12:48 pm)

Most people start with the rear on 04 sedans (it has a thinner bar than the 02-03 models).
 
Also, you might want to consider 17" wheels and tires if you don't have them already. I think that has an equal (perhaps greater) impact on handling.
 
Craig

#10628 of 11554 James by paisan

Jan 28, 2004 (5:21 pm)

Let me know about your OBS. I would take it off your hands for you. I could use it for a parts car for my '96 L that I use for racing.
 
-mike

#10630 of 11554 c_hunter by barriostkd

Jan 29, 2004 (12:15 am)

Thanks for the advice. I'm actually planning to get the 17" Rota Tarmacs once my current tires wear out a bit. I just can't justify it right now that I still have a lot of tread left in the stock tires.
 
How thin are the stock sway bars on the '04 and what size would you recommend that i upgrade to? And would you recommend a particular brand over another?
 
Thanks again!
 
James B.

#10631 of 11554 by andmoon

Jan 29, 2004 (7:17 am)

James,
The rears on post mid 03's are 17mm. Before that they were 20mm. If you like the balance of the car now, then you should change both front and rear. Changing just the rear will make the car understeer less/ oversteer more.
Don

#10632 of 11554 by prayerfor

Jan 29, 2004 (8:43 am)

... ditto what Don said ...
 
If you like the mild-understeer balance of the car now, switching both bars together will reduce body roll.
 
If you'd like to dial in a bit more oversteer tendency, then switching just the rear bar will give you that, and the improved body roll too.
 
The latter is what I did on my wagon, and I'm quite pleased with the setup.

#10633 of 11554 by c_hunter

Jan 29, 2004 (9:09 am)

I think most people are dialing in the 04 to behave more like the 02-03, and you can do that by just stiffening up the rear bar. However, Don and Dave make an excellent point -- try to use the existing handling characteristics as a baseline for what you want to improve.
 
Craig

#10634 of 11554 and as I always say.... by paisan

Jan 29, 2004 (9:31 am)

Fix the Nut Behind the Wheel before doing much
 
-mike

#10635 of 11554 Dialing in under/oversteer by andmoon

Feb 03, 2004 (7:41 am)

I sometimes play around with the tire pressures but was wondering if that had an affect on the awd. Do the fronts have to have higher pressure to offset the extra weight or are the changes in tire rotation so small it doesn't matter?

Messages Page 1064 of 1156

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement