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3.0R Suspension Upgrades installed - Coilovers, Bushings, etc


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Finally collected all the parts necessary to have the install completed. I went with Pedders Coilovers, AVO RSB + Mounts, Poly Bushings for all of the normal weak areas, Whiteline Roll Center Kit,& Endlinks FT & RR.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Looking good, I Bet it handles like a new car. Did you install new bushings in the upper rear arms? Have you considered Getting the Alloy (Spec B Style arms) Off of Rockauto?

 

Thanks man! It does handle amazing imo.

I didnt do anything with the rear arms. I figured I had to draw the line somewhere, but believe me, I considered a bunch of additional bushings & components. I dont plan on keeping the car for too long, so I didnt want to go too crazy.

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I believe he is talking about the aluminum front control arms that sell for $39/each on Rock Auto.

 

They're pretty and sound like a performance upgrade but totally unnecessary. They come loaded with OEM bushings and balljoint, not the polyurethane bushings that improve handling. Their only advantage is a weight savings that can't amount to more than a few less ounces.

 

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I have a 2008 3.0R Limited with KSport coilovers. I'm behind schedule but I have Whiteline front & rear swaybars waiting in my garage as well as polyurethane bushings all around. Being a 3.0 I had a tough time finding a front swaybar that would fit but found a 22mm one. I see you didn't install a FSB. I read that a rear bar adds oversteer without a front bar to balance things. Have you found that your rear end goes loose if pushed?

 

FYI: My first upgrade were ATS/Brembo front brake calipers and steel braided hoses for superior stopping power.

KSport.png.d0c50bb4a77c480560e51c4bea81fe4b.png

1769204017_brembo1.png.d20cf311ca314dacf6eeeb146cd27e0c.png

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I have a 2008 3.0R Limited with KSport coilovers. I'm behind schedule but I have Whiteline front & rear swaybars waiting in my garage as well as polyurethane bushings all around. Being a 3.0 I had a tough time finding a front swaybar that would fit but found a 22mm one. I see you didn't install a FSB. I read that a rear bar adds oversteer without a front bar to balance things. Have you found that your rear end goes loose if pushed?

 

FYI: My first upgrade were ATS/Brembo front brake calipers and steel braided hoses for superior stopping power.

 

Damn those brakes are sweet!

I have the AVO Bar set on the softer setting at the moment since I didnt do a Front, & the rear feels firmly planted imo. I dont push it REAL hard, but my daily commute is full of turns & I tend to "test" my new set up regularly.

 

From what I have researched, the OE FSB on the 3.0R is 21mm, so I couldnt justify the purchase to gain 1 more mm.

I may be incorrect with the OE size, but thats what I found online.

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Damn those brakes are sweet!

I have the AVO Bar set on the softer setting at the moment since I didnt do a Front, & the rear feels firmly planted imo. I dont push it REAL hard, but my daily commute is full of turns & I tend to "test" my new set up regularly.

 

From what I have researched, the OE FSB on the 3.0R is 21mm, so I couldnt justify the purchase to gain 1 more mm.

I may be incorrect with the OE size, but thats what I found online.

 

 

25mm Tribeca front sway bar!

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Damn those brakes are sweet!

I have the AVO Bar set on the softer setting at the moment since I didnt do a Front, & the rear feels firmly planted imo. I dont push it REAL hard, but my daily commute is full of turns & I tend to "test" my new set up regularly.

 

From what I have researched, the OE FSB on the 3.0R is 21mm, so I couldnt justify the purchase to gain 1 more mm.

I may be incorrect with the OE size, but thats what I found online.

 

My research told me the FSB is 20mm but I could be wrong. Spent the last 2 days looking for that spec but came up empty. Nevertheless I bought the Whiteline 22mm FSB (#BSF35Z) based on that info. The rear Whiteline bar is 20mm (#BSR39Z). I'll probably never do Track Days but I do want the best handling 3.0R I can get. housemusic1 suggests a Tribeca 25mm FSB. While being an OEM Subaru part and probably easier to find used at an auto recycler, and cheaper than aftermarket too, it's too stiff for the roads I have to use daily. Besides, I'm not sure if it will fit my 3.0R. The BSF35Z will. I plan to set the 22mm front at its soft setting and the 20mm rear at its firm setting. That should average them out to 21mm F/R for a close to neutral balance with a slight rear bias.

 

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That set-up should give me the roll resistance I'm looking for in the turns with only a slight increase in harshness over the rough patches of asphalt. Like most Northeastern states the roads in Upstate New York take a lot of punishment from winter snow, ice, temps, and especially salt resulting in potholes and frost heaves. Still, there are nice smooth roads where I can turn it up through the curves and wear down my new BFGoorich g-Force Sport COMP-2 Ultra High Performance Summer Tires. I have a long roadtrip to Dallas TX and back after Labor Day and hope to put my tires, coilovers, sway bars, and brakes to the test. I expect the roads to be in better shape than the N.E.'tern roads here so it should be a sweet ride.

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I am currently running bc racing br coilovers and the whiteline front and rear swaybars on my 09 3.0r (bsr39z and bsf35z) paired with kartboy solid endlinks front and rear, as well as rear reinforcement brackets, whiteline toe arms and poly front lower control arm bushings. I have 255/35 achilles atr sport 2s on a 9.5 wide wheel and the car handles extremely well. I love my Cadillac ats brembos too lol

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

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I am currently running bc racing br coilovers and the whiteline front and rear swaybars on my 09 3.0r (bsr39z and bsf35z) paired with kartboy solid endlinks front and rear, as well as rear reinforcement brackets, whiteline toe arms and poly front lower control arm bushings. I have 255/35 achilles atr sport 2s on a 9.5 wide wheel and the car handles extremely well. I love my Cadillac ats brembos too lol

 

We share similar visions and except for brand-names, we have very similar set-ups with coilovers, big brakes, poly bushings, FSB & RSB, rear SB brackets, and new endlinks. I'm running OEM size 18" wheels and tires (though yours are wider). One thing I'm not familiar with is your toe arms. What are they, where do the go, and are they necessary? My car is a work in progress 'cause I don't have much spare time to do the work. My Texas trip is looming so I have to get moving.....

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  • 2 weeks later...
They're pretty and sound like a performance upgrade but totally unnecessary. They come loaded with OEM bushings and balljoint, not the polyurethane bushings that improve handling. Their only advantage is a weight savings that can't amount to more than a few less ounces.

 

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They have a Solid Bushing vs the Voided bushing stock, They don't have some fancy poly bushing but for $100 for a pair, it's a good way to freshen an Older Frontend. Considering most of these cars have failing Control arm bushings I Don't think it's a bad route to go. Also, There's around a 1LB Savings per Arm If I remember correctly I'd have to go back and check my pictures to be 100% Credible on that claim though

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  • 4 months later...
Aside from not having enough space to install the Lateral Locks on the bar, no issues at all. It installs & fits just like the OE piece.

 

Are you talking about the front bar?

 

I had to grind down the lateral locks a little in order to have the clearance i wanted on my XTs. The XT has a full cross plate below the bar and to eliminate clunks I needed to remove some material.

 

My only complaint about the WL bars is they are wider than stock and do NOT follow the same bends as the factory bars. (Or AVO) and they migrate. Using the solid links up front (I have done this also) helps keep the front centered, but the rear bar will always move around due to the fact it's a good 1" wider.

 

Plus the rear WL bar bends are often NOT symmetrical off the center-line. I have seen several this way. My 1st (2) had to be sent back due to my own QC after receiving them.

 

BTW I had the AVO RSBB. I don't like them. if anyone want to try a better solution , check these out.

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/cke-ssp-rear-sway-bar-reinforcement-brackets-267057.html

CKE SSP product information and sales : chris.ckessp@gmail.com
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Yes, referring to the Front SB.

 

I'm also running the AVO RSB, & AVO Reinforcement Brackets. I have no issues with them, I think they are both excellent products & serve their purpose well.

 

Are you talking about the front bar?

 

I had to grind down the lateral locks a little in order to have the clearance i wanted on my XTs. The XT has a full cross plate below the bar and to eliminate clunks I needed to remove some material.

 

My only complaint about the WL bars is they are wider than stock and do NOT follow the same bends as the factory bars. (Or AVO) and they migrate. Using the solid links up front (I have done this also) helps keep the front centered, but the rear bar will always move around due to the fact it's a good 1" wider.

 

Plus the rear WL bar bends are often NOT symmetrical off the center-line. I have seen several this way. My 1st (2) had to be sent back due to my own QC after receiving them.

 

BTW I had the AVO RSBB. I don't like them. if anyone want to try a better solution , check these out.

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/cke-ssp-rear-sway-bar-reinforcement-brackets-267057.html

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Yea, just unbolt from the Heads, you can let it hang down enough to weasel the bar in & out.

 

Are you talking about the front bar?

 

I had to grind down the lateral locks a little in order to have the clearance i wanted on my XTs. The XT has a full cross plate below the bar and to eliminate clunks I needed to remove some material.

 

My only complaint about the WL bars is they are wider than stock and do NOT follow the same bends as the factory bars. (Or AVO) and they migrate. Using the solid links up front (I have done this also) helps keep the front centered, but the rear bar will always move around due to the fact it's a good 1" wider.

 

Plus the rear WL bar bends are often NOT symmetrical off the center-line. I have seen several this way. My 1st (2) had to be sent back due to my own QC after receiving them.

 

BTW I had the AVO RSBB. I don't like them. if anyone want to try a better solution , check these out.

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/cke-ssp-rear-sway-bar-reinforcement-brackets-267057.html

 

I am assuming you dropped the headers down to install the fsb?
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Yes, referring to the Front SB.

 

I'm also running the AVO RSB, & AVO Reinforcement Brackets. I have no issues with them, I think they are both excellent products & serve their purpose well.

 

I just don't like the fact the AVO pin (2) of the (4) rear subframe floating points. The RSB is suppose to move with the rear subframe which is slightly isolated from the chassis. The AVO brackets force the RSB to a direct chassis connection. All well and good on the AutoX course. But not so great on grooved pavement in a straight line at 75mph. So much in fact, I decided to fabricate an alternate solution. Cusco had the right idea, they just don't make them anymore.

 

Subtle chassis dynamics are a matter of opinion tho.

CKE SSP product information and sales : chris.ckessp@gmail.com
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I just don't like the fact the AVO pin (2) of the (4) rear subframe floating points. The RSB is suppose to move with the rear subframe which is slightly isolated from the chassis. The AVO brackets force the RSB to a direct chassis connection. All well and good on the AutoX course. But not so great on grooved pavement in a straight line at 75mph. So much in fact, I decided to fabricate an alternate solution. Cusco had the right idea, they just don't make them anymore.

 

Subtle chassis dynamics are a matter of opinion tho.

 

Cusco’s are still available: https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/o142025643?lang=en&rc=yaucb

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