Rear Sway Bar vs. Both Front and Rear S.B.s

[f1anatic]

stock 2.5 GT (stock everything, no performance mods, still working on the stock tires which will be replaced for the 2006 winter)

 

I would like to get a rear sway bar (possibly a combo front and rear). My concern is with how much oversteer (loose rear end) a stiffer RSB will induce on wet asphalt ? I was aiming for a JDM 20 mm but still I want your opinions.

 

So if you choose to asnwer...please indicate how you feel the cornering has improved, if at all, and how you feel the rear end is behaving on wet and dry. Thanks

[LittleBlueGT]

I have a Whiteline RSB (adj). It is a little loose on ice or in the wet, but not too bad. That is on the low setting.

 

On the stiffest setting it is extremely loose on ice (will kill yourself) but still IMO manageable in the wet, just be careful and get use to your car.

 

I am trading my RSB in for another one due clearnce problems. Might get the JDM one.

[skubdu]

I have the whiteline RSB set to the stiffest and yes it is terrible in the snow/ice but good in wet/dry conditions. It could be the tire as well since i am on wet/dry tires. I noticed I tend to pick up the inner front corner when accelerating in tight turns. I have front swaybars on order, to fix the lift problem.

[LittleBlueGT]

Any rubbing w/ your RSB from whitleine?

 

Mine hit the rear lower control arm on hard acceleration.

[aldo ixnay]

JDM Rear 20mm bar. It's Subaru OEM part that fits perfectly and won't raise any eyebrows at the dealership. It instilled more confidence in the car to me than stock. The USDM OEM front is the same as JDM and already pretty big so I felt no need to bother with it. I won't mess with aftermarket endlinks ever again after two bad experiences with my WRX. IMHO they just aren't worth the hassle for the small difference in feel.

[f1anatic]

So in other words...the JDM isn"t gonna drastically alter the stability of the rear end in wet. Just being more careful and not accelerating out of corners will be ok ? Or is it bad even in straightline highway cruising ?

[LittleBlueGT]

90% sure I am going with JDM, just not worth the hassle of fitment issues going with other companies.

[CDN 2.5i]

AVO (Paul) has indicated he will be offering a better than list price if there are 5+ buyers for the JDM rear (pseudo group buy)... methinks I will participate :-)

[Scooter]

From what I've been able to gather, the JDM 20mm bar produces the overall balance that the Subaru engineers probably intended. They then went smaller than that for the US market because we're lousy drivers and understeer is 'safe' and therefore their liability is limited. Just adding an aftermarket rear (stiffer than JDM 20mm) takes the balance significantly beyond what the engineers 'intended', and make the car tail-happy like a RWD car. Adding both front and rear aftermarket bars will pretty much maintain the 'intended' balance of the stock front / JDM rear setup but both bars are a bit stiffer for less body roll.

 

I bought (but haven't installed) the Swift sways which are listed as 120%F / 123%R the stiffness of 'stock' - but that means JDM stock, not US stock. I confirmed this with Mann Engineering, and I assume that it's the same for the other aftermartket bars: they were designed for the JDM set-up. That means that my front bar is 20% stiffer than my US stock bar, and the rear is 23% stiffer than the JDM rear which is some unknown amount stiffer than the US rear bar. So for example if the JDM rear is 22% stiffer than the USDM rear, then my Swift rear is going to be something like a 45% increase for my car. I think the Cusco rates are just a tad higher than the Swift rates, but still well balanced. Sticking with the stock front and going straight to an aftermarket rear is going to be something like that 45% rate increase in the rear, with no increase in front - and that is probably FUN, but not very well balanced for the car.

 

Does that make any sense..?

[praedet]

Plus, new springs can take care of roll, Huge sway bars front and rear get rid of that lovely independent suspension...

 

Ted

[MIKEBRAVO]

Someone else asked the same question about sways a couple of days ago. Many people respondeing to the thread liked the Cusco pair set up including myself. Since that thread I had the drove up to our local mountains 8400' to go skiing. I drove on snow and ice for 42 miles and had the time of my life. The car handled like a snow cat. No slippage spinning or slidding. I didn't baby it either. The thicker bars didn't appear to affect the independent suspension. The ride was super quiet (better then my Outback) and highly predictable. If I were you I would consider the Cusco. I have no regrets. My 5EAT is stock except for a dropin and Cusco bars.

[itsme]

I put on whiteline f&r adj. on two weeks ago and they are great. The car feels like it's on rails no drama. I have them both set on soft and the ride is still smooth even with my 19":icon_bigg . So far no downside.

[f1anatic]

So it looks like yyou cannot go wrong with a JDM sway bar on the rear. I did PM Paul@AVO and expressed my most serious interest.

[BerryBoy]

Per Paul, just order via AVO online store and include "#175" in the order comments for the $175 delivered price.

[Scooby Fan]

I just installed my Whiteline BSR39Z adjustable, set on firm....no change in the ride (there never is with just a bar added) but a huge improvement in cornering...addded 1* neg camber at the front and it is dead neutral in the dry and a bit loose in the wet with extra throttle.:)

[CDN 2.5i]

Order two or more JDM 20mm Rear Sway Bars shipped to the same address and Paul/AVO will sell for US$168/bar delivered.

 

See http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4857&page=13

[Scooby Fan]

I'm sure that most of you have seen this, but it never hurts to refer to it before making sway bar changes...easy to check any bar with a set of calipers:)

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b375/RM-RS/-8.jpg

[Beanboy]

Balance is fine stock, at least from the I perspective. Have a wagon, so that helps with understeer, how much I'm not sure.

 

If I enter a turn hot it will understeer, but backing off the throttle a bit will make the line tighten nicely, and if done aggressively enough/road slipperly enough, you can get oversteer and hang the back of the car out balancing it with power and steering input. All done off public roads of course.

 

Plenty balanced for a street car without stability control that may see emergency maneuvers on questionable road surfaces.

 

Again, just my opinion.

 

-B

[MDork]

i suppose its all relative...im coming from a car with much less understeer. i think the car needs bigger sways to be enjoyable.

[BoxerGT2.5]

stock 2.5 GT (stock everything, no performance mods, still working on the stock tires which will be replaced for the 2006 winter)

 

I would like to get a rear sway bar (possibly a combo front and rear). My concern is with how much oversteer (loose rear end) a stiffer RSB will induce on wet asphalt ? I was aiming for a JDM 20 mm but still I want your opinions.

 

So if you choose to asnwer...please indicate how you feel the cornering has improved, if at all, and how you feel the rear end is behaving on wet and dry. Thanks

 

 

 

Drive in Rich's car (JDM Rear only), then drive in mine (Cusco Front and Rear).