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Anyone else running a Baja Turbo RSB on 2000-2004 Outback?


Siper2

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Hey guys. :)

 

Picked up a Baja Turbo rear swaybar from Brian at http://www.subaruproparts.com, got it in the mail yesterday. I believe it's 17mm, versus the stock 14mm (?) bar.

 

Not as drastic a jump as my RS' 13mm to 20mm jump, but it should be enough to take some of the Titanic roll out of my wife's LL Bean wagon.

 

 

Now comes the fun part, the install. I've heard horrendous stories about RSB installs on Legacies. I have allan wrenches, think I need those. We shall see what transpires. :D

 

Just wanted to see if anyone else had done this one, versus aftermarket. The bar cost me a shade under $45 new.

 

=S2=

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My wife once said that her old '95 Legacy LS handled like "a bowl of oatmeal."

 

:)

 

The Outback is different, but still not fantastic. As is to be expected for a big heavy wagon. I'd imagine this will help a lot, since swaybar diameter and roll resistance is exponential and all:

 

http://www.northursalia.com/techdocs/sway/sway.html

 

That's for the Impreza, but the idea's the same.

 

 

I'll post photos of the two bars side by side, once I get the OE one unbolted. And yes, a review. :)

 

-Chris

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  • 2 weeks later...

Installed, finally! :)

 

Took me a couple hours, but I took my sweet time. The hardest part is always getting the bar out once unbolted, then the new one in there. Not exactly an uncumbersome item. :D The allan wrench/hex head bolts weren't a problem, I just propped an allan inside the nut, so it 'secured' against a part of the car, then used a box wrench.

 

That, however, is another of those times I wish I had a ratcheting wrench set. One of these Christmases... :) (The other one is the strut top nuts in the back of an RS...)

 

I got a couple pics. I think it's 17mm versus I believe 14mm stock.

 

 

Stock on the left:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v396/Siper2/Subaru%20Outback%20LL%20Bean/BajaTurboSwaybar003.jpg

 

 

Stock on the top:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v396/Siper2/Subaru%20Outback%20LL%20Bean/BajaTurboSwaybar004.jpg

 

 

Stock on the left:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v396/Siper2/Subaru%20Outback%20LL%20Bean/BajaTurboSwaybar005.jpg

 

 

 

First impression

 

Only took it for a quick spin so far, will have my wife drive it later tonight. She drives it usually anyway, and will notice the most. It *definitely* leans a lot less, turn-in seems crisper.

 

Which is basically what I was going for. :) OE, good fit, quality's great, and it's $45 or so. Awesome.

 

=S2=

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Hmm...

 

One concern I have, looking at that bottom pic...

 

Clearance for the gas tank. It clears, it's not hitting, but it doesn't take a very hard push on the bar to get it to "bang" up against one of the bolts on the bottom of the tank. I was thinking of wrapping that spot with some cloth tape maybe...

 

See that pic, how the "dip" for the gas tank on the stock bar seems deeper?

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Hmm...

 

One concern I have, looking at that bottom pic...

 

Clearance for the gas tank. It clears, it's not hitting, but it doesn't take a very hard push on the bar to get it to "bang" up against one of the bolts on the bottom of the tank. I was thinking of wrapping that spot with some cloth tape maybe...

 

See that pic, how the "dip" for the gas tank on the stock bar seems deeper?

 

you sure it's the tank and not the spare tire well?

Keefe
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Hmm, yeah I guess that could be it. Guess gas tank is the first thing I thought of.

 

Well regardless of what it is, not much clearance. Didn't hit today while driving around, maybe it's not a concern. Don't know.

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my gf put on a whiteline instead, it's bigger than the Baja Turbo one..

 

Didn't see your first reply, yesterday. :D

 

I didn't one one that was too big. Just a little more roll resistance, since the suspension and mounts are stock.

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Didn't see your first reply, yesterday. :D

 

I didn't one one that was too big. Just a little more roll resistance, since the suspension and mounts are stock.

 

 

it's ok, we thought that too on the baja, but it's fine for even a larger sway.

Keefe
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  • 3 weeks later...

Sorry I didn't reply again sooner, guys...

 

We've done several trips in the Outback since I last posted, recently to SC and back. In fact, the car's about 2K miles overdue for an oil change, plus I have new sparkplugs that I need to figure out how to install. :)

 

(There's a how-to on ScoobyMods - Powered By vBindex but it still looks a lot more complex than on my RS.)

 

Car's great! That swaybar does a *whole* lot for roll resistance. My wife loves it, too. Much different behavior around sweeping, and tight, corners.

 

=S2=

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  • 6 years later...
Hmm...

 

One concern I have, looking at that bottom pic...

 

Clearance for the gas tank. It clears, it's not hitting, but it doesn't take a very hard push on the bar to get it to "bang" up against one of the bolts on the bottom of the tank. I was thinking of wrapping that spot with some cloth tape maybe...

 

See that pic, how the "dip" for the gas tank on the stock bar seems deeper?

 

I'm dragging this one back from the dead to address this problem. I have just spent the last few hours searching and reading on several different message boards. I just installed the 17mm Baja turbo rear sway bar on my 00 LGT wagon. The bar rests solidly on the bolt head under the spare tire well. The only fixes for this I can come up with are much shorter end links to rotate the bar away from the floor pan or somehow spacing the bushing brackets down. Is anyone using this combination and overcome this problem?

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OP, checking in. :D I still get alerts on this thread, and saw your post jhnyct.

 

It was definitely a concern for me, but honestly, I've had the bar in for seven years now, the OB is now at 202,000 miles (had 68,000 when I bought it in 2005) and I've not had any problems with it.

 

You're probably right that altered links may help with the geometry difference, but I've not encountered anything of note. A persistent clunking or horrible handling would have been picked up by now, I would hope. :)

 

I snapped this pic of the car (which is my wife's) about a month ago, shortly after it hit 200K.

Outback_200K_1.thumb.jpg.6e955151a3c9f2f93d9164e59ebc515f.jpg

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Thank you for replying Siper2. Correct me if I am wrong, I don't own an OB, isn't the subframe spaced down away from the floorboard to give the car it's lift? If this is true, you would have more clearance than my LGT. I have ran the bar over the weekend and haven't had any noise or resonance transmitted through the cabin. I did pull the bolt it was pressing against. I really do not like that idea but there are two side by side for that support bracket under the spare tire well. I am still going to look into shorter end links. I work in a Honda parts dept so I have a few different ones on the shelf. Oddly enough, after looking on Rockauto, the part from Raybestos also has the S2000 as one of its applications. Most of Hondas are of the same design.
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  • 2 months later...
I'm dragging this one back from the dead to address this problem. I have just spent the last few hours searching and reading on several different message boards. I just installed the 17mm Baja turbo rear sway bar on my 00 LGT wagon. The bar rests solidly on the bolt head under the spare tire well. The only fixes for this I can come up with are much shorter end links to rotate the bar away from the floor pan or somehow spacing the bushing brackets down. Is anyone using this combination and overcome this problem?

 

What does that bolt head/bracket belong to? I am interested in doing a cheap RSB upgrade on my 02 L and I want to figure out any problems before I order.

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The bolt and bracket are just to the passenger side of center, directly in the pat of the RSB. It runs from the spare tire well section of the floor pan to one of the rear suspension cradle mounting bolts.
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Have you figured out a solution? Are there shorter OEM RSB end links? I know that there are adjustable and non-adjustable shorter links in the aftermarket, but with their expense it makes this upgrade less thrifty.
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Also, is a H6 Outback's FSB front sway compatible with 4 cylinder Legacy's? I figure going from stock 20mm to 21mm is a 22% increase and for the cost of new bushings and a used bar (total ~$25) it would be worthwhile.
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Yes that is the bracket and no I haven't found a fix. Honestly, I stopped looking because it doesn't rub or make noise except for when both rear tires come of a speed bump quickly at the same time. It's a great upgrade.
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Yes that is the bracket and no I haven't found a fix. Honestly, I stopped looking because it doesn't rub or make noise except for when both rear tires come of a speed bump quickly at the same time. It's a great upgrade.

 

Maybe if you replace the bolts with a button head socket type of bolt. That would give it a rounded and lower profile and perhaps give you more clearance. You can generally find just about any size at McMaster-Carr or Fastenal.

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