Andy Bromfield Posted April 15, 2023 Share Posted April 15, 2023 G'day, Is there anyone here running a 28mm Megan Racing Front Sway Bar ? If so, how do thy compare to the 26mm factory bar (2013 up)? My 2013 Legacy 2.5i Touring came with a 26mm front bar stock. I have a 20mm STI rear bar, H&R /Bilstein combo, full polyurethane bushings, and every Cusco and Whiteline chassis brace made for the BR. I also run Brembo 4/2 pots F/R, with 18" STI forged wheels, 235/45/18 rubber all around. I do a lot of fast canyon driving, and with my present alignment settings I tend towards mild oversteer. Will the 28mm Megan bar give me a more neutral rotation and less roll at the front? Looking forward to hearing from y'all. Cheers, Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Bromfield Posted April 16, 2023 Author Share Posted April 16, 2023 Anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToolTime Posted April 16, 2023 Share Posted April 16, 2023 I just bought the Megan front sway bar, my mechanic still has my car but I'll check back in after I've had a chance to drive it. I looked at it when it first came in and I'd say that upon first inspection she's certainly beefy. I am also running the STI rear sway bar in the rear but I have Kartboy endlinks on the front and rear. Do you feel the difference with all that bracing you've added? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Bromfield Posted April 16, 2023 Author Share Posted April 16, 2023 Looking forward to hearing your impressions. Yes, the bracing certainly improves the ride and feel of the chassis quite a bit. I also have a few STI braces such as the draw stiffener and others, as well as a full set of Spoon subframe locking collars, and an OS Giken 1.5 way diff at the rear. My car is basically a tS homage with many improvements over the factory design. It is a joy to drive spiritedly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted April 16, 2023 Share Posted April 16, 2023 (edited) 26 => 28mm will give you a 35% increase in torsional stiffness. I went from 23 -> 26 on my car (63% increase in torsional stiffness) and it was pretty noticeable - hopefully replacing the front swaybar is easier with the FB25 than the EJ25 engine. (the engine was out of the car when I did mine) Edited April 18, 2023 by DrD123 added the lookup table for swaybars 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Bromfield Posted April 16, 2023 Author Share Posted April 16, 2023 Thanks for the statistics regarding the increase in torsional stiffness. This makes it a worthwhile modification in my book. I am dropping the subframe in order to replace my EPS steering rack, so should be a breeze! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted April 17, 2023 Share Posted April 17, 2023 Following this thread with interest! Andy, I noticed you mentioned you have a lot of the BM/BR specific tS bracing. How do you feel about those? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Bromfield Posted April 17, 2023 Author Share Posted April 17, 2023 All of my chosen modifications to this platform to date have been well worth it. A stiff chassis allows for optimization of the suspension and takes full advantage of your alignment settings. Ride quality is also improved significantly. Highly recommended. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Bromfield Posted April 17, 2023 Author Share Posted April 17, 2023 Well, I have purchased the bar. I'll let you know of my impressions once its installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToolTime Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 It's been a while since I gave them the car, but I am still waiting! I had dropped my car off for a clutch/flywheel (xclutch stg 1), master cylinder, slave cylinder, valve cover gaskets, and that sway bar. But then one of the two mechanics that own/run this shop was in a wreck and broke his back and his foot, so the other guy is running behind on everything. I'll update you as soon as I get it. Should be this week. After reading up on the tS I'm extremely interested in adding some of those components now. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 You CAN NOT apply a torsional resistance chart from one manufactuer and apply it to all brands. For Christ sake there are differnt designs, materials, strengths, etc. Sway bars are not all the same at the same diameter. Generally Megan Racing is absolute crap. There was a time when just mentioning the brand on this forum brought down the HARANGUE from members and pushing the brand got vendors black listed. Carry on. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToolTime Posted April 22, 2023 Share Posted April 22, 2023 I have good news bad news. First, the megan sway bar is nice and I think it fits well. The front end is very noticeably firmer. The bad news is my 3" invidia turbo j pipe/downpipe is making contact with it and it's very loud in the cabin now. Good news: My engine mounts are in pretty bad shape and have lost 3/8-1/2" or so of height. It looks after 115k miles they have deformed and the center stud has sunk. I think this is my problem. Otherwise I don't have any complaints. But we'll see. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Bromfield Posted April 23, 2023 Author Share Posted April 23, 2023 That is welcome news. I am pleased to hear that you have seen a tangible benefit. Once you replace the sagging mounts you should be golden. I will install mine soon and provide my thoughts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 14 hours ago, ToolTime said: I have good news bad news. First, the megan sway bar is nice and I think it fits well. The front end is very noticeably firmer. The bad news is my 3" invidia turbo j pipe/downpipe is making contact with it and it's very loud in the cabin now. Good news: My engine mounts are in pretty bad shape and have lost 3/8-1/2" or so of height. It looks after 115k miles they have deformed and the center stud has sunk. I think this is my problem. Otherwise I don't have any complaints. But we'll see. Why would the Megan bar rub when the stocker doesnt? The few mm in diameter its thicker shouldnt be make or break I think, unless its shaped differently from the stock bar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToolTime Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 6 hours ago, Scubaboo said: Why would the Megan bar rub when the stocker doesnt? The few mm in diameter its thicker shouldnt be make or break I think, unless its shaped differently from the stock bar? I was having the rub issue before I installed the megan sway bar. I thought I had installed the exhaust not quite high enough or didn't get a good adjustment. It was very dark and late when I was putting it together on ramps/stands. I had hoped since the car was going to be at the shop doing the clutch and valve cover gaskets they'd readjust it while putting the new sway bar on. Turns out they tried but it's now touching the new sway bar. I saw another post on here about the engine mounts sinking and that's the only thing I can think would cause this. 14 hours ago, Andy Bromfield said: That is welcome news. I am pleased to hear that you have seen a tangible benefit. Once you replace the sagging mounts you should be golden. I will install mine soon and provide my thoughts. I sure hope so! I'm looking forward to your feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted April 24, 2023 Share Posted April 24, 2023 ^I see. That may have been my posts you saw, I posted pics of a new mount and the old one the tech took off. Maybe 1/2" difference in free length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Bromfield Posted May 16, 2023 Author Share Posted May 16, 2023 Greetings all, Megan 28mm front stabilizer bar installed. Makes a noticeable difference. More neutral rotation when paired with a 22mm rear bar. No increase in understeer. Result! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Bromfield Posted May 16, 2023 Author Share Posted May 16, 2023 I also added a set of subframe locking collars while I was in there. Front end feels more solid. They really do make a difference. Third car that I've installed them on with good results. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcor Posted May 16, 2023 Share Posted May 16, 2023 How do you like the tablet stereo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Bromfield Posted May 18, 2023 Author Share Posted May 18, 2023 On 5/16/2023 at 7:56 AM, Falcor said: How do you like the tablet stereo? Great! Does all I need, with excellent DSP features and good SQ. The key to these is buying one with at least 6GB RAM, 128GB ROM, 1.8 to 2.2Ghz Octa Core CPU, Android 10+ and a QLED display. That's the spec that I have, no regrets. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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