Cusco Rear Oval Strut Tower Brace for Wagons

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ciper
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Cusco Rear Oval Strut Tower Brace for Wagons

Post by ciper »

I love this item for many reasons. Relativly cheap and you dont loose storage space.

The bar lives just under the cargo cover right near the back of the seats. If you have the tools its easily removed. The great part about it, with the bar removed you now have SUPER STRONG tie down points where the brackets are! These came in handy when I was carrying around an extra 4eat in the back.

The one problem with using the bar is that you must modify the interior of the car. Normally I would NEVER do this. However the spot that is modified is very small, and is hidden not only by the speaker cover but also the cargo cover. The part that must be removed is fairly small, I will attach an image later.

Benefits will depend on how your car is setup. For mine (rear suspension specific) I had modified the suspension to the point that this bar was easily noticable. In a blind test I could tell you when the bar was installed and not.

Description:
The bar comes with two mounting brackets that attach under the nuts that normally hold the strut top to the body. These brackets are small but very robust. The hardware uses a large allen head bolt with a round topped nut and a few locking/standard washers. The bar itself is very light but stiff. It feels to be decent quality aluminum. All of the welds on this bar are very clean, the one thing you can say about cusco is the quality control is better than most others.

One great advantage of this bar over that of sedan bars is that its a straight peice directly connecting the two strut towers, which should be stronger and is WAY easier to install. The sedan bar has bends and is hell to install.

With a dremel and a few sockets plus the allen wrench you should be able to install this bar in 30 minutes with very clean results.
eastbaysubaru
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Post by eastbaysubaru »

Where'd you order your bar from? Is it BF specific or is it the same one for an Impreza wagon?

-Brian
'04 PSM FXT
DLC
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Post by DLC »

I got mine from Cobb, and iirc, it was also meant to fit the Impreza and Forester.

It made a very noticeable difference in the flex of the body.

Here's my review: http://www.xmission.com/~dac/library/brace.htm

Here's an example of the modification to get it on:

Image

Dave
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Post by rallysam »

Both of you have give good reviews, but you both have seriously upgraded suspension. Does anyone know whether it would make a noticable difference for people with setups closer to stock?

Sam
90 Leg L Wagon AWD (+AGX, stock springs)
ciper
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Post by ciper »

DLC: Thats the one I have, great picture. I didnt realize this part was the correct one for the impreza and forrester, makes sense now that I think about it.

When I bought it the only listing was 89-94 subaru legacy wagon.

I cant remember but I think I paid maybe 150$, and in my mind it was worth it.
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Post by DLC »

Rallysam: When i installed it, i had only GR2s at the time and no other modifications. It was a VERY noticeable difference.

I had purchased it in October of 2000, and the day i got it, i went to my first autocross in Pocatello. I didn't install it till i got there, then raced my first ever event. I drove home and didn't notice much difference.

I really noticed a difference when i started driving familiar streets and corners. The drive to work, out to a friends house, etc. The body didn't seem to flex nearly as much or roll like it did before, it was that noticeable and unmistakeable.

Dave
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zak
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Post by zak »

Is there one made that would fit my sedan?
One great advantage of this bar over that of sedan bars is that its a straight peice directly connecting the two strut towers, which should be stronger and is WAY easier to install. The sedan bar has bends and is hell to install.
Hmmm, so it is true. Does cobb carry these? Is it worth it for the sedan? (can't be tooo much trouble, right? :wink: Thanks,
Zak Malbin
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ciper
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Post by ciper »

The install of the sedan bar will take probably a good 2 hours if not more. The design of the sedan really sucks.

The longest part of the time is removing the seats and seat belt housings.
Aaron's ej22t
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Post by Aaron's ej22t »

will a rear strut bar meant for a 2.5rs fit on a 92legacy sedan?
92 Legacy Turbo \ 5MT \ Silver
ciper
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Post by ciper »

I doubt it, if you havnt done your rear struts yet it would be a good time to do them when you get the bar, its a serious pain in the ass to install.

Here is an image of the part that needs to be cut

http://www.chez.com/ciper/cut.html
Aaron's ej22t
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Post by Aaron's ej22t »

ciper, i am going to be doing my suspension at the middle of next month. what rear strut bar will fit?
(i would rather not pay very much) :wink:

here is my list so far of parts:
-kyb gr2 struts
-eibach springs
-whiteline fr/rr endlinks
-sti top mounts
-sti replica front strut bar

I can't wait, the car is going to handle so much better. :o
92 Legacy Turbo \ 5MT \ Silver
ciper
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Post by ciper »

Where did you get the STI top mounts! I have been in need of these for quite a while.

Shoot, now I cant remember where I bought it! From what I can tell Cusco is the only supplier that still has rear strut bars that are made for the application. I guess others might fit but not that I could see. Front strut bars are cake though, they are all pretty much the same.
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Post by Legacy777 »

ciper.....contact z1auto. Got mine and put them in last weekend with the whiteline springs. All four! 190 shipped!

I waited for some time, but he said they were getting more in stock.
Josh

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DLC
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Post by DLC »

The STis make a huge difference, especially with stiffer springs and struts, and are basically required for coilovers.

My old set is going with the DMS 40s, i have TEIN PBMs now and there's nothing that can compare to a PBM.

Dave
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Post by Legacy777 »

Dave,

What makes the PBM so special?
Josh

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ciper
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Post by ciper »

So for those of you who used the strut tops, they come with all the hardware that sits between the spring and the body or??? What do you have to reuse?

I assume that these let you use the Large diameter springs right?
Legacy777
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Post by Legacy777 »

The top mounts come as is......On the front you reuse spring holder & little washer......put on top mount & then tighten nut down.

On the rear, you move the rubber bushing thing to the new top mount and bolt everything in.

If you order top mounts for the 92-94 legacy or for that matter impreza.....the non-tapered rear springs should be able to be used.

I got the top mounts specified for my car, so I was able to use the tapered springs in the rear.
Josh

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2020 Outback Limted XT

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Post by boostjunkie »

So the impreza rear stbs fit the BC legacies? I was told that only the front stbs worked :x

Might have to pick up a couple replica stbs since the sti strut tops are starting to take their toll on my cabin stiffness :x
[url=http://www.angelfire.com/md3/91turbolegacy/images/On_the_Lawn.jpg]1991 Legacy Turbo (RIP)[/url]

[url=http://www.angelfire.com/md3/91turbolegacy/images/Summer_Car_Wash3.jpg]2000 Celica GT-S[/url]
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