powersr8810 Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 So I just went on a couple hundred mile day trip that included some high speed windy roads. I noticed that the body roll and grip could be improved... I don't necessarily need/care to do a full upgrade with new springs, struts, etc. I was just thinking of some sway bars in order to keep the price down, would this be enough to notice a handling improvement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetiger Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 you should just get new koni shocks and make sure all your bushings are in good shape. not sure how many miles are on your car, but if you have original shocks, they could be on the way out. If so, you should deal with them before you do any other upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PtPixel Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Yes, that's what they're there for - will reduce sway and roll of the car, improving handling. If you get aftermarket swaybars you'll need new endlinks too. If you only want to do one sway bar then start with the rear one, will make the most difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ25subie05 Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Depends what kind of a ride quality you like. There are many applications you can get for a great price, coilovers, konis as stated springs etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttnio Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 A lot of members start by replacing and going larger diameter rear sway bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idiot4hire Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Better tires are the biggest improvement in handling that you will notice immediately. As for the sway bar end links I am still using factory originals on my rear with a whiteline rear sway bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powersr8810 Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 I have about 94,000 miles on the car with newish Nitto Motivos so tires aren't an issue. It may be that the original shocks could use replacing I suppose. I'm not looking for a super tight ride as it is my daily driver which is the reason for my hesitation to replace the struts/springs. I have no problem with the ride that it offers right now, just wanted better cornering, hence the curiosity about the sway bars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Catalyst. Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Just get THIS and you will have a nice inexpensive solution that does help quite a bit. My spec.B [#163] Project Thread with Pictures Get CryoTuned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BarManBean Posted August 14, 2013 Moderators Share Posted August 14, 2013 I've been through multiple different setups involving just sway bars, just struts, and both struts and sways. In my experience--and from the sound of what you are looking for--you'll honestly probably get the biggest bang for your buck and best results from just replacing the stock struts with konis or tokicos. Reuse your stock springs. Ride height will be the same. Ride comfort will likely be improved. Cornering ability / feel will be improved. And it will cost less than $500 if you do the install yourself. FWIW, my second recommendation would be a rear swaybar with end links and reinforcement brackets. This setup will run somewhere around $350-400 and likely won't give you as big of a return on investment as the replacement struts. "Bullet-proof" your OEM TMIC! <<Buy your kit here>> Not currently in stock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetiger Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 I have about 94,000 miles on the car with newish Nitto Motivos so tires aren't an issue. It may be that the original shocks could use replacing I suppose. I'm not looking for a super tight ride as it is my daily driver which is the reason for my hesitation to replace the struts/springs. I have no problem with the ride that it offers right now, just wanted better cornering, hence the curiosity about the sway bars. 94K mi on original shocks. yeah, its time to replace them. Get koni shocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powersr8810 Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 94K mi on original shocks. yeah, its time to replace them. Get koni shocks. I'm not sure whether they are the original shocks or not, I bought it used and the records are not 100% complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoozeRS05 Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 The $100 rear sway bar linked above. You will NEED nothing else, and it's a great, inexpensive, first step that you can install yourself in 1-2 hours. If that doesn't do it for you, I'd say you need struts, and even then you can just get new KYB struts for under $250, or the much better Koni struts (adjustable) for around $400. EB's Subaru journal - 2005 LegacyGT Wagon & 2014 Forester FB25 (2008 specB - RIP) IG@legacygtliving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetiger Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 I'm not sure whether they are the original shocks or not, I bought it used and the records are not 100% complete. I'd assume that they are original. All these other things people are recommending like springs and swaybars are cheaper and do make the the car more roll resistant, but they do not control roll motion speed. Only the shocks control spring/swaybar forces. So with the assumption that your shocks are worn based on milage, installing stiffer springs/bars will exacerbate the situation. And we haven't even started talking about bushings. On a car with that many miles, I wouldn't even think about other hardware till i knew my shocks were up to snuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gear_monkey Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Do not ignore those bushings! I just had to replace the lower LCA bushings on the front and the upper control link bushings on the back. They were completely shot. Totally different ride now. All new bushings plus 4 new KYB GR2's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powersr8810 Posted August 15, 2013 Author Share Posted August 15, 2013 Could bushings be causing a sort of clunking sound when I'm going over bumps? It isn't like a bone jarring clunk, its more of a click/light clunk/rattle when going over bumps that seems to be coming from the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetiger Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 yes, bushings and swaybar endlinks, and even strut related. you need to get your susp checked out before you start looking for upgrades. take it to a shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaNu1142 Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 The $100 rear sway bar linked above. You will NEED nothing else, and it's a great, inexpensive, first step that you can install yourself in 1-2 hours. Based on the OP's description of what he's looking for, and on my experience, I agree. I did a 22mm RSB, then a 20mm RSB, and finally a 25mm RSB, all on OEM suspension. High-speed tracking and cornering with all of them was a tremendous improvement over stock. For suspension upgrades, the value per dollar is hard to beat. Some people even stay with OEM end links to save cost, but that's just a case of pay now or pay later. Tits mcgee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gear_monkey Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Could bushings be causing a sort of clunking sound when I'm going over bumps? It isn't like a bone jarring clunk, its more of a click/light clunk/rattle when going over bumps that seems to be coming from the front. Yes, that is exactly what mine was doing. Mine was from the rear. After awhile this turned into a creak. Amazing how much those bushings effect things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttnio Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Post #5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxkita Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 60k mile tire warranty on a tire that advertises improved gas mileage. You may be on the wrong tires for improved grip on twisty mountain roads. No amount of suspension changes will make those tires handle beyond their limits. If you had a full car load (people & luggage), then your suspension is letting you down, too. order of upgrade: 1. tires - summer tires or higher performance (wider works too) all season tire 2. swaybars with endlinks 3. bushings (a full bushing replacement is expensive and drastically changes the NVH - how much your SO complains about the ride) 4. Shocks 5. Springs 6. full replacement of everything (step up to coil overs) I'm assuming you're never going to go to a track and have no intention of taking a high-performance driving course, which would be the appropriate thing to do first before any other change. Build my car Boxkita Track days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powersr8810 Posted August 16, 2013 Author Share Posted August 16, 2013 Well I appreciate all the input, so thanks! I think I'm gonna tackle the bushings first to see if I can make that clunking go away then onto the rest. Unfortunately I don't have the $$$ for new tires so I may just go for replacing the already worn shocks and see what happens. And to answer boxkita, no I'm not gonna hit the track, I just want to be faster than other cars on the freeway and handle a little better around the curves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoozeRS05 Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 JDM rsb, and if your car came from AZ too, your endlinks will be fine. EB's Subaru journal - 2005 LegacyGT Wagon & 2014 Forester FB25 (2008 specB - RIP) IG@legacygtliving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausdmjay05 Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 For that JDM RSB thats linked to above, any suggestions on compatible Endlinks/brackets for this model? Just started the sway bar resarch myself and looking to upgrade both sets, but it appears the highly sought after Perrine 22ms are not longer in production. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idiot4hire Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 For that JDM RSB thats linked to above, any suggestions on compatible Endlinks/brackets for this model? Just started the sway bar resarch myself and looking to upgrade both sets, but it appears the highly sought after Perrine 22ms are not longer in production. Yes best suggestion I can give is moog oem replacements I run them on the front with a 22mm sway bar with no issues even at autox's. Plus they were 30 dollars with shipping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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