[staticx313]

Well I finally took the time to get the strut bars put in. First of all I bought both of mine as STI replicas from XOXO Motorsports on ebay. Their quality was fine (as its just a bar w/ anondized "sti pink" ends) - so its not goin to be too complex (like a titanium or carbon fiber bar and such). Front strut bar: remove a/c bracket, remove horn bracket, move horn to (p/s?) lines below it and use that bolt. Remove strut tower screws, apply strut bar, put screws back down. Easy 10 minute job and looks great, works even better. Rear Strut bar: dont let the easy removal of the back seat fool you, this will be one heck of a job. The seats pop out (bottom piece, then top) with a total of 5 12mm bolts. Easy, set them to the side. now the fun part. Remove seat belt 14mm bolt from both sides. This will give you some room, but not enough to matter(although it IS necessary(sp?) ). You have about ZERO play room to fit the ends of the rear strut bar on top of the strut tower. You have to just sit there and work it back and forth to get the end of the endpiece through the backseat hole (going into the trunk) and then back it down onto the tower screws. Otherwise its a nightmare as I couldnt find a single way to do it other then that. If you cant get it perfectly on, then just use the bolts to help straight it out and push it down - a REAL PAin. Once you have both ends of the tower bar on and screwed down somewhat go in the trunk and put in the bar. My bar was a 17mm long bolt with 2 washers and lock nut (17mm). Just take your time nad work the bar in there, it will fit. After you tighten the bar on, go and finish tightening the bolts on the strut tower bar down. Replace seat belt bolt on each side. Put top piece of seat on (make sure to allow belts to go over it and to allow the hooks to latch - otherwise a bulge will occur). Use 3 12mm bolts to secure top of back seat and then set bottom piece in. 2 12mm bolts to secure bottom seat. Now you have front and rear strut bars. Im really sorry as I can already see this is a crappy explanation. Im VERY tired and I tried to get these on for about 2 hours as XOXO MS sent me the ends backwards - so I was kinda mad, but I finally got everything situated and it was good. A VERY good mod to do. Made the car's handling respond perfectly. The car feels like one big piece now and that when you turn it ALL turns and doesnt feel like there is any drag. DEFINITELY a mod to do if you like curves (ME). It was well worth the money and time and a very cool set of pieces to add to your list. I will re-read when I have some sense and sleep and redo this explanation. Enjoy!

Robert~

 

[olappa]

im sold i just went to my local subaru and have an appointment for an install on the 16th - gtspec aluminum fronts and cfiber rear.... although im gonna let them do the install for about 70 bucks - im not that car savvy as i wish i could be. but i love to corner hard, and welcome anything to make that better. now for the sparcos!

 

[staticx313]

Well tonight ended great help please

o definitely, you'll hear 0 squeak no matter what speed. I love it, I feel like I have complete control

Robert~

 

[olappa]

AHHHHH YEAHHHH!!! Definitely VERY nice.... Just got them installed at the shop and from riding from there to the store and back i have to say I am very impressed. Much better feel definitely, and better response. Now im going to go for those STi springs and my baby will be rock solid.
Whats your next suspension mod Rob? BTW...try dialing in 5% rear bias in DCCD. (45/55 diff). awesome.

 

[staticx313]

Tyre pressures and DCCD settings

awsome im glad you liked it too! I want to lower it once some STI springs come out and then maybe when perrin comes out with a rear swaybar setup I will be on that too. Im loving this car though, its handling is superb. Drifting is pretty easy and easily controlled too

Robert~

 

[olappa]

once some STI springs come out

Rob, are you saying the springs scubasteve (the "STi Pinks") was talking about aren't ideal (or is this just a misunderstanding)? i want your opinion anyway.

 

[olappa]

or were you referring to aftermarket springs?

 

[staticx313]

wow... so who has driven with the temperature getting low

I was just referring to STI specific springs. I know some people were going to put WRX springs on and such and I wasnt sure of how good that would be. Im just referring to any aftermarket STI specific set of springs (being STI or Perrin or whoever). I dont know how scubasteve's worked out for him, but Im sure they did the job. Im hoping to pick up a set as well of some kind. I'll make sure to do a write up on it when I get a set. Hope this helps.

Robert~

 

[wrxsti04]

I also installed this strut bar and have had it on for a few months now. I took it off today and drove around. Car feels much smoother and less stiff with out it. What gives? :-?

Reffering to front strut bar (Replica STi one from XOXO)

 

[staticx313]

?? what do you mean? Your car is supposed to feel more stiff with the bar on because it stiffens the chassis. That and just doing the front may (as it did in my supra) make the front feel stiff and the back loose and such (or just wierd feeling). Thats why I did both , as it will even it out. I dont notice any difference in the driving of car (not turning and cornering and such) , but when I need that extra resistance for grip in the hard cornering , it does the job (that and it responds MUCH better). So I like it. Maybe you should try installing the back with the front.

Robert~

 

[wrxsti04]

I have the rear one also. I had both on and removed the front. Feels much better. Maybe its just me, not sure if these replica bars really do anything. v :-?

 

[olappa]

i dunno.... i felt a VERY big difference - enough to point out that my springs now have to be upgraded to something stiffer. I just confirmed the install with my local shop, and it should happen on the 9th - im getting the "STi Pinks" for sure. Ill let you know how it is as a package Rob, the struts with the springs together.

 

[staticx313]

I also installed this strut bar and have had it on for a few months now. I took it off today and drove around. Car feels much smoother and less stiff with out it. What gives?

not sure if these replica bars really do anything. v :-?

?? Maybe you just dont like the stiffer feeling? I know I do and that it helps and that is that for me. I dont know what a $300-500 carbon fiber titanium gold enfused strut bar would do over a normal aluminum / steel one, as they all serve the same perpose (unless the bar was so thin it'd bend, but this is NOT the case). Anyways... if you like it congrats, if not just leave it however you want. I know I noticed a difference and am very satisfied along with others. Sorry I cannot be of more help.

Robert~

 

[wrxsti04]

Audio-Trader.com are crooks

Exactly with no front strut bar with rear strut bar installed the car feels like it understeers less. Feels like it has much more control and wheel is much easier to turn.

 

[Nivek]

Exactly with no front strut bar with rear strut bar installed the car feels like it understeers less. Feels like it has much more control and wheel is much easier to turn.

More rigid less weight. That is all.

 

[salaki]

staticx313,

Did you have any problems to fit the rears?
Cause the Pink thing did not even fit @ the rears. I had to dremmel out the hole to give clearance for the Pink bracket.
Then Another problem is the bar itself it too long. (XOXO advertised that these don't fit the '04)
So what I did, I dremel out the hole a bit to fit in the pinks, then dremell a bigger hole on the bar to fit the bolts..

At the end, everything fits fine... But still I had to dremmel which is one a pure bolt ons
Anybody experiencing this? If yes, then STi has a shorter distance compared to the regular WRX.

OR.. Your STi and my STi are different?

 

[staticx313]

my back fit fine... the ends were backwardsa nd it took me about an hour to figure out to try them ther other way, but ya it did fit... that and you should hook the bar up before you bolt the end down... that way if its too long you can just move the ends up and down to fit it and then just bolt em down... no problems here. Sorry you had trouble, maybe thy changed their stuff around or something? They specificialyl told me it'd fit the STi.

Robert~

 

[dc11r]

the company i work for did a torsion test on a WRX, WRX wagon, and WRX STi. We went through a various styles of strut bars front and rear, and the underbody one.... we were quite amazed that no one on teh forums ever bothered to check the claims of manufacturers. Everyone says strut braces, underbody braces, and tie bars all stiffen a chassis.... well, we ran a torsion test and found that all "chassis braces" did nothing for the WRX/WRX wagon/WRX STi. we put 2000 lbs of twisting torque on the chassis frame, and the bars produced either ZERO or a minimal difference... we're talkin less than 1% change here.

So if i were you guys, i wouldnt buy any of the stuff thats out there for the purposes of stiffening the chassis.... if you wanna do it, youre doing it for aesthetics reasons.

If you believe you felt a change, well.... its all in the head.

All this is probably bc Subaru either designed a really good chassis, or its just that the theory of those products dont apply to all.... i vote the latter. Just because it works for one car, doesnt mean it works for all cars.


BUT there is a product coming out, hopefully by STi, that will change all that for Impreza. Talks are be conducted right now to produce this certain product, that will make the chassis more rigid and actually WORKS. And it isnt a product you may or may not THINK you can FEEL, but you CAN feel the diffference. On our STi, we noticed that the glove box no longer creaks. With our data, we put the measurements along with the car to find where the chassis was being the most strengthened, and it was from the A pillar to the B pillar... thats where the most chassis was effected. Its a simple bolt on product.... and we cant believe no other company ever thought about this idea.... well, there is ONE company that we know of that had somewhat the correct idea... but their design just didnt work. once the product if out, we'll explain more about it, about how our product works, and why it works, and why the other brands dont... and of course, our chassis torsion test data charts and what not.


The product was given to SRD, subaru research and development, and even one of hte chassis designers wanted one... he actually felt a difference..... but who knows, either subaru will sell it as an STi branded part, it will be built into the car next year, or my company will just find another way to get it out.


until then, sorry, but youre all going to have to wait....hopefully at most another month... but who knows... and i'll have to pick up a few of you guys to give samples to.... to prove our product if we release it ourselves.... since we all know, the best form of advertisement is testmonials and word of mouth.

 

[bitabur]

dibs.

 

[Fhqwhgads]

Oh oh I want in!! I've got a decent digital camera and everyone knows silver STi's make the best product demo vehicles

What type of equipment and testing methods are done to measure torsional rigidity? Is it done with the car completely together? I always thought that the torsional rigidity was measure using only the frame? Whatever the case, it sounds like an interesting test.