Steering mods

[Xenonk]

[quote name='gtguy']Mismatched swaybars can make the car tail happy, for example if you're running a 20mm bar in the front, and say a 25mm bar in the back. As long as you are something approaching size-matched, you should be okay. Just keep in mind that you want to be on the understeering side of neutral. Kevin[/QUOTE] Mismatched swaybars can also add understeer (such as a 38mm front & a 17mm in the rear).. that can be a big problem, especially when you're on the throttle coming out of a turn.. but some cars are designed to have a larger front sway than the rear.. most front-engine rear-wheel-drive cars handle a lot better in that sense. Typically, sway bars and endlinks are "icing of the cake" when you do the major modifications.. the diameter sizings are not going to be that thick or big from stock that will completely ruin the effects of initial and mid-turn grip. Keefe

[apexjapan]

The setup in Japan for the A revision of the Legacy GT and Spec B is 21mm front, 20mm rear. This produces a practically track-ready neutral setup that has very little understeer. The B revision Legacy Spec B, and I imagine the GT, has gone down to a 19mm rear stabilizer bar for a touch more understeer due to all the people used to understeering Legacies. ;) The design for the rear bars on the b revision JDM Legacies is a bit different - given that current Cusco bars fit the USDM Legacy, I would say that America got the A revision setup, but with 16mm rear bars encased in a lot of bushing rubber. I spent about three years driving an old Datsun 510 completely sideways through the snow, so throttle-controlled oversteer isn't a stranger to me, but I would venture to say that for the majority of people, don't go much past Subaru's sportiest setup for a Legacy to date - 21mm front and 20mm rear - and to match that setup if you go larger. For example, 23mm front and 22mm rear. Cheers, Paul Hansen [url]www.avoturboworld.com[/url] [url]www.apexjapan.com[/url]

[chucktoo]

So Cusco's 23 mm f and 21 mm r is not a bad compromise ?

[gtguy]

My comments, Keefe, were Legacy-specific. The stock GT is already mismatched in the "wrong" (but actually right for most people) direction, but not in as severe a fashion as your 38f/17r example. I didn't deal with front-heavy bias because in reference to oversteer and Subarus, the cars are already front-biased, which won't make them tail-happy, as we both know. Sometimes, adding a sway bar can effect desirable changes in a car's handling balance (witness the simple 20mm addition to the USDM WRX wagon). But people often think "If some is good, a lot is better." So people start running adjustable bars on the tightest setting, breaking swaybar mounts, then blaming Subaru for making "flimsy" swaybar mounts. Dios, mio... Chucktoo, why not just add a rear bar, for the 21/20mm setup, rather than changing both bars. Unless you're way into the Cusco blue... :D Kevin

[rao]

All of this talk of "matching" front and rear bars assumes that the roll center (and roll resistance and weight transfer) at the front and the back is the same and that the material and construction of the bars are the same (and that a similar amount of roll resistance and weight transfer is desireable at the front and the back). None of those tiings are neceessarily true, just like you can't compare a Xmm Subaru bar to a Xmm bar for a Honda or any other car. BTW, Kevin, bigger is always better :lol:

[apexjapan]

[quote name='chucktoo']So Cusco's 23 mm f and 21 mm r is not a bad compromise ?[/QUOTE] It shouldn't be, but it depends on the strength of the metal used, and if they are tubular or solid metal swaybars. If they are tubular, then it is likely that the actual performance is somewhere between USDM and stock JDM swaybars, if they are solid, then it should provide a nice little increase over stock JDM (and a big one over USDM). You will experience a bit better initial turn-in with a larger bar in the front, but it will also increase understeer at the limits. I have to agree with Rao, don't experiment too wildly with bars. I would stick with either OEM Subaru for a rear bar replacement only, or do both if going with aftermarket. Cheers, Paul Hansen [url]www.avoturboworld.com[/url] [url]www.apexjapan.com[/url]

[chucktoo]

I was looking for a 19mm or 20mm rear bar and could not find them from anyone . So I bought the cusco package from racecomp they were the only game in town. It was more than I wanted.