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Cusco Rear Strut Brace Install


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i haven't seen a walkthrough for this yet, probably because it's a quickie, but here are some pics anyway.

 

start by clearing out and removing the flooring to the trunk

 

next reach down and pull up the corner padding on both sides (right behind the back seats). it will pop out with enough force, but I do not believe there was anything holding it down... just pressure.

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=21627&stc=1&d=1153635993

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=21628&stc=1&d=1153635993

 

with the 2 bolts visible on the right and left, use a 14mm wrench to unscrew the nuts.

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=21626&stc=1&d=1153635993

 

Then line up and put the strut onto the open bolts.

The cusco writing should be readable (not upsidedown) unless you have the bar in wrong.

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=21632&stc=1&d=1153637483

 

I had to wrestle mine a little to get it to fit.

 

next tighten up and you're good to go!

 

I actually did not trim the rugging at all... just used a little elbow grease and shoved everything back in place. As you can see the result looks fine.

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=21623&stc=1&d=1153635993

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=21629&stc=1&d=1153635993

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=21633&stc=1&d=1153637483

 

enjoy

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Thanks for the write-up, but does it actually do anything?

 

A front strut brace made a difference on my car, but mainly because it prevents strut tower flex from effecting unwanted suspension geometry changes.

 

Our Libertys (Legacys) use a multi-link rear suspension that only uses those bolt attachments for the top of the rear coilover units.

 

Rear suspension geometry is not dependent on the delta changes of those mounting points.

 

Interested to hear your feedback.

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Thanks for the write-up, but does it actually do anything?

 

A front strut brace made a difference on my car, but mainly because it prevents strut tower flex from effecting unwanted suspension geometry changes.

 

Our Libertys (Legacys) use a multi-link rear suspension that only uses those bolt attachments for the top of the rear coilover units.

 

Rear suspension geometry is not dependent on the delta changes of those mounting points.

 

Interested to hear your feedback.

 

haven't been able to test it out yet. i'll let you know if i feel a difference... it will probably be hard to tell...

 

i'm not a physics major (yet) but I would imagine this couldn't hurt the chassis rigidity... and may even strengthen it. perhaps the addition of a

 

Cusco Triangle Rear Brace

To improve the effectiveness of any Cusco rear strut brace we offer this add-on triangulation bar from Cusco. Manufactured from polished aluminum, the brace ties each end of the rear strut brace in to trunk floor. Requires some drilling for installation. Comes with drill template and all necessary hardware.

CU-5440 Triangle Rear Strut Tower Reinforcement -- $135

 

RACECOMP ENGINEERING

 

could make a difference?

 

anyone else have thoughts on this mod?

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  • 3 weeks later...
Triangular brace is only for the Impreza braces or at least the ones with the strut bolts up high. the LegGT rear bar is so low, you can't fit anything below it and I doubt you can bolt anything into to shelf cuz you could bend that.
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Nice write-up. I don't think the front strut towers suffer from "flex" as they are welded to the frame, I was thinking of going w/rear ST brace but thought it to be too much of a PIA. Thanks for doing this.:)
Stage2.5376, TDC ProTune,blah blah blahhhh and....Alky/H20 injection :icon_mrgr
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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Here are some pics of the installed rear (cheap e-bay) strut bar. Enjoy :icon_bigg

 

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j41/mui01/DSC00076.jpg

 

 

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j41/mui01/DSC00078.jpg

 

 

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j41/mui01/DSC02133.jpg

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C'mon guys - any feedback on what this rear strut brace actually does for the driving experience?

 

I can't tell you what affects it has on the sedan, but the in the wagon it has made a huge different having the front and rear strut bar installed. The car feels alot tighter and stiffer. But the con was you'll notice alot more bump. As living in NYC there are alot of bumps and pot holes making it alittle nightmare while driving. But well worth it and the freeway and I did notice a less body roll, but I did changed my rear sway bear to the JDM bar. To sum it up, it worth the 30 - 40 dollars,its really a bang for the buck. :icon_bigg

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Huh? You fitted a front strut brace, rear strut brace & rear sway bar all at the same time?

 

I want to know what the rear strut brace does in isolation, please :lol:

 

No the sway bar was months ago and I did the strut bar in the same time. I really don't know what rear strut bar does in isolation?

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mui.. or anyone else do you know if purchasing a 150 dollar cusco front strut tower bar is really worth it if these alluminum ebay bars can be had for 35 bucks? both the front and rears are only like 30 bucks on ebay hrmm
06 TB EVO IX SE stock turbo monster subaru hater :lol:
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I just ordered the ebay one from autobacs for the rear. my $329 STi one is chipped to hell....sanded it down and painted it satin black this weekend. figure if that didn't last a year, I can try the cheap one to see how it works.
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mui.. or anyone else do you know if purchasing a 150 dollar cusco front strut tower bar is really worth it if these alluminum ebay bars can be had for 35 bucks? both the front and rears are only like 30 bucks on ebay hrmm

 

I can't see myself in buying a 150 strut bar, but wait I did buy a 1,200 cat back. So I have to compensate on the cheaper bars. If its chips or rusts I buy another one for 30 bucks. :lol: Dude, do yourself a favor and buy a set and you can't lose on the price. And your ride will be stiff enough, until you get some coilovers.

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I just ordered the ebay one from autobacs for the rear. my $329 STi one is chipped to hell....sanded it down and painted it satin black this weekend. figure if that didn't last a year, I can try the cheap one to see how it works.

 

got this in yesterday. test fit it.....seems ok. it needed some filing on the welds to clear the brackets. I steelwooled, primed, and painted the crossbar gloss black (it was polished aluminum). Had to remove the floor piece, notch the sides and it pushes down into the brackets, with the crossbar going in over top. The bar sits almost flush on the floor, so cargo handling should not be affected (accept sliding something across the floor). The rubber mat might be problematic, but it's already an issue for me with the Stealthbox on the right side, so I just leave it out.

 

yeah, yeah, :needpics: I didn't take any and there's not much to see. Not sure if it will make a difference, but I now how four brace sets on the car, front and rear lower and front and rear upper, so things are about as stiff as they will get. :icon_mrgr

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got this in yesterday. test fit it.....seems ok. it needed some filing on the welds to clear the brackets. I steelwooled, primed, and painted the crossbar gloss black (it was polished aluminum). Had to remove the floor piece, notch the sides and it pushes down into the brackets, with the crossbar going in over top. The bar sits almost flush on the floor, so cargo handling should not be affected (accept sliding something across the floor). The rubber mat might be problematic, but it's already an issue for me with the Stealthbox on the right side, so I just leave it out.

 

yeah, yeah, :needpics: I didn't take any and there's not much to see. Not sure if it will make a difference, but I now how four brace sets on the car, front and rear lower and front and rear upper, so things are about as stiff as they will get. :icon_mrgr

 

Nice! How hard is it to install the front and rear lower brace? Also how long was the install?

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