sorry guys, i know this is a pre-95 board for the most part. However I have found this place to be great so bare with me please.
Two simple Q's really. Is there a rear strut bar available for a 95 sedan? Second, is there a larger diameter sway bar that will bolt up available? I have searched this board but unless I have missed it I didnt see anything.
This is a circletracking FWD car that has new gr2's and new oem springs all around. I am fighting the car being very loose. I cannot really lower it all, so my only option is to try and tighten it up. Thanks a billion.
rear suspension on a '95
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There are bars for the 95-99 out there, just look for one that fits a "BD" Legacy.
It sounds like you want to get rid of oversteer, so you probably want a larger front bar? I'd think the Outback models from 97-99 probably have a larger bar, but you'd probably get a clearer answer from subyluvr2212 or by asking in the Legacy forum on NASIOC.
An Outback rear swaybar is pretty beefy, and should be the largest stock bar put on any of the 95-99 cars. If you add both, you'll stiffen it up quite a bit and will probably have better tire wear. There are adjustable rear bars from Whiteline and one or two other companies out there that will also work.
Oh, and you might look for a lower arm brace for a GC8 Impreza:
It sounds like you want to get rid of oversteer, so you probably want a larger front bar? I'd think the Outback models from 97-99 probably have a larger bar, but you'd probably get a clearer answer from subyluvr2212 or by asking in the Legacy forum on NASIOC.
An Outback rear swaybar is pretty beefy, and should be the largest stock bar put on any of the 95-99 cars. If you add both, you'll stiffen it up quite a bit and will probably have better tire wear. There are adjustable rear bars from Whiteline and one or two other companies out there that will also work.
Oh, and you might look for a lower arm brace for a GC8 Impreza:
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2001 Legacy Outback Wagon | 2005 OB XT LTD | 1997 Legacy Outback Limited | 1998 Legacy L Wagon | 2000 GT Limited | 93 Legacy Touring Wagon 5MT | 90 Legacy L+
2001 Legacy Outback Wagon | 2005 OB XT LTD | 1997 Legacy Outback Limited | 1998 Legacy L Wagon | 2000 GT Limited | 93 Legacy Touring Wagon 5MT | 90 Legacy L+
The biggest stock bars you can use are the 97-99 Legacy 2.5GT 20mm front, and 18mm 93-94 Legacy turbo and 96-99 Outback rear bars. I have that combination btw and I plan to pick up the whiteline 18-22 adjustable bar. I preferred the way the car was balanced with 18/18 bars.
On top of that, solid endlinks, urethane swaybar bushings, and any other bushings you'd like to replace would be a good idea. You can also get ground control springs in any length and rate.
WRX rear strut tower bars should work for you.
On top of that, solid endlinks, urethane swaybar bushings, and any other bushings you'd like to replace would be a good idea. You can also get ground control springs in any length and rate.
WRX rear strut tower bars should work for you.
Last edited by jamal on Mon Jul 23, 2007 9:53 pm, edited 2 times in total.
DLC, that was the fastest reply Ive ever had. Now you see why I love this place. I will look harder for the strut brace. I dont want to spam up 3 replies on Nasioc just to ask a question today.
My problem isnt oversteer, its rear flex for sure. The front is tight, the rear wants to kick around. I do have a bar up top there. Stock front lower bar. The front usually wins, but it feels wrong and does slow me down. Its actually pretty evident on video as well as physically in the car.
An outback rear sway sounds like exactly what I am looking for. To the boneyard 2moro!
My problem isnt oversteer, its rear flex for sure. The front is tight, the rear wants to kick around. I do have a bar up top there. Stock front lower bar. The front usually wins, but it feels wrong and does slow me down. Its actually pretty evident on video as well as physically in the car.
An outback rear sway sounds like exactly what I am looking for. To the boneyard 2moro!
could the problem be that you have some toe out in the rear? The stock bushings tend to deteriorate and the toe adjustment bolt likes to fuse to the metal bushing insert which will remove your ability to get the car aligned right. I had that problem when switching lateral links and had to cut the thing off.
I can't say for sure if the lsi will have an 18mm rear bar but I think there's a decent chance it does. I don't have that section of the FSM here with me but I can check when I get home.
I can't say for sure if the lsi will have an 18mm rear bar but I think there's a decent chance it does. I don't have that section of the FSM here with me but I can check when I get home.
i'm toed in 1/16th but with the stock rubber bushings thats gunna flex some. So that may have some to do with it, you are right. Maybe some polyeurothanes maybe be needed if the bars don't help enough on their own. All of the rear bushings had been replaced, as well as the rear bar by a previous owner at some point, they do not seem all that rotted(they look pretty new actually).I can assume by a dent in the spare tire well that something was ran over and bent the original bar while it was used as an on-the-road vehicle. The front right wheel is +cambered a couple degrees. I am still working on acceptable air pressures. The car has been out once and goes back out again in 12 days, so I have time to fiddle. Thanks a ton!!!!!!
can you modify the strut or knuckle or top mounts? Getting a little extra negative camber on the outside wheels will make a huge difference. The cheapest way is to slot the struts. You would probably want -2.5 to -3 degrees. Do you take tire temps? Is this a paved track? Can you run R-compounds?
Nevermind I seem to have found the answers to these questions in your other thread.
As for bushings there's a cheap prothane kit on ebay. The front control arm bushings are a few mm too wide, though.
If you switch to the ground control sleeves you can get it corner weighted/ do some weight jacking. I think just having stiffer springs will make a huge difference.
Nevermind I seem to have found the answers to these questions in your other thread.
As for bushings there's a cheap prothane kit on ebay. The front control arm bushings are a few mm too wide, though.
If you switch to the ground control sleeves you can get it corner weighted/ do some weight jacking. I think just having stiffer springs will make a huge difference.
No, this is a pretty basic class. I have a celica(that im much more familiar with) that I run a more "open" class at a different track where I am free to make more non-stock adjustments and I have hoosier recaps on those with coilovers and such. We have to use street tires that are at least 400 tread wear for this class however. I use bridgestone pole positions 195/60/14's which are about as good as I can "legally" get really for this class. I use the stock rims for this car if that explains the basic-ness of this class. Stock height, its very basic. No rims larger than 14". Much of this suspension changing I will be doing isnt even legal, but the chances of a tech knowing that my stock sway bars should be 16mm or 20mm is nill. Unless it is in shiny silver with the words "whiteline" on it, haha they wont know. Thus me asking about used upgrade replacements. The track is a paved and decently banked oval. Thanks for your enormous help Jamal, I am going to check out the eBay bushings right now. I am still getting used to these cars(toyota/nissan background), but the ease of working on them(THEY ARE SIMPLE!) is a definate sell. I'm thinking of getting a 2.5 in one of these fwd cars for the advanced class next year.
Sounds like big stock bars are best bet. So find a 20mm 2.5GT front bar, and then an 02 WRX 20mm rear bar. I haven't tried that rear bar but I'm pretty sure you can bend the spare tire well out of the way to make it fit.
If you keep stock ride height can you install stiffer springs? The thing with subarus is when you lower the car excessively the handling gets worse because the camber curve goes to shit and you run out of travel. Stiff springs at stock ride height (with struts that can handle them), will make a pretty big improvement in grip by maintaining a better contact patch.
How strict are they on the alignment? Would they notice a slotted strut or aftermarket camber bolt? I actually drilled out my front knuckles and milled the struts to run two oem bolts if you're interested in something like that.
The way you say your car is so loose makes me think there is something bent or broken or misalogned. These cars are front heavy and yours is fwd to boot, which makes for loads of understeer. I would think that if you're constantly giving it throttle around a circle you would want something inherently loose, which is hard to obtain with a Subaru.
If you keep stock ride height can you install stiffer springs? The thing with subarus is when you lower the car excessively the handling gets worse because the camber curve goes to shit and you run out of travel. Stiff springs at stock ride height (with struts that can handle them), will make a pretty big improvement in grip by maintaining a better contact patch.
How strict are they on the alignment? Would they notice a slotted strut or aftermarket camber bolt? I actually drilled out my front knuckles and milled the struts to run two oem bolts if you're interested in something like that.
The way you say your car is so loose makes me think there is something bent or broken or misalogned. These cars are front heavy and yours is fwd to boot, which makes for loads of understeer. I would think that if you're constantly giving it throttle around a circle you would want something inherently loose, which is hard to obtain with a Subaru.
Broken rear driver spring. Brand new oem. 30 miles old. Busted up in the seating with a nice nice crack. I didnt even catch it until i pulled it out last nite. Not sure how or why it happened. or even when. I don't know how I could have missed putting in a spring that was damaged to begin with only to have it fail on me under load, but that is my only idea.
I scored a front sway bar off of a 99 gt today and 2moro i will mic the 97Lsi to see if the rear is any larger than the toothpick(15mm) i have back there now. I am going to pull the rear strut assemblies out of the Lsi to see what condition they are in. The car has only 30k on it but has been sitting for 3 years totalled. I am gunna assume everything except the struts will fit and the springs(being AWD) should be a tad stiffer? I will see I guess. I may still order the eBay rear strut bar. The next step if needed will be taking the strut flanges, etc to my drill press for camber adjustment like you have suggested.
Thank you for all of your time Jamal, i can tell you know these cars very well and I am glad I came here!!!
EDIT: The LSi and 2.5GT share the same swaybars front and back. 20mm in the front and I'll know what the back is 2moro.
I scored a front sway bar off of a 99 gt today and 2moro i will mic the 97Lsi to see if the rear is any larger than the toothpick(15mm) i have back there now. I am going to pull the rear strut assemblies out of the Lsi to see what condition they are in. The car has only 30k on it but has been sitting for 3 years totalled. I am gunna assume everything except the struts will fit and the springs(being AWD) should be a tad stiffer? I will see I guess. I may still order the eBay rear strut bar. The next step if needed will be taking the strut flanges, etc to my drill press for camber adjustment like you have suggested.
Thank you for all of your time Jamal, i can tell you know these cars very well and I am glad I came here!!!
EDIT: The LSi and 2.5GT share the same swaybars front and back. 20mm in the front and I'll know what the back is 2moro.