'05 WRX "sway bars" vs. "end links"

[Mike Lloyd]

Just bought an '05 WRX (2.0 Ltr) and live it. It's already got 1300 miles in a week and a half (yes, I commute a lot). I find that the car has a lot of body roll though. I used to drive a Camaro and perhaps am reminiscent of that, but I think the car rolls too much in moderate turns at moderate speeds.

I am looking for a cheap and effective way to stiffen the body roll. I ran across something called "end links" that claim to replace the factory ones with steel or aluminum ones and that is supposed to make the car stiffer in the corners. Any opinions? Will any sway bar help, or should I look for a certain brand and/or size?

Thanks!

Mike

 

[Jim Stewart]

Just bought an '05 WRX (2.0 Ltr) and live it. It's already got 1300
miles in a week and a half (yes, I commute a lot). I find that the car
has a lot of body roll though. I used to drive a Camaro and perhaps am
reminiscent of that, but I think the car rolls too much in moderate
turns at moderate speeds.

How many miles are on it? My '99 Outback with 100k
is noticably less stiff than when new. Maybe you
just need new struts.

 

[TG]

One reason I'm tired of Subarus. End link and sway bar bushings made of polyurethane will help as will larger diameter sway bars and lowering springs, lower profile tires on larger wheels, strut and floor braces, etc. TG
Just bought an '05 WRX (2.0 Ltr) and live it. It's already got 1300 miles in a week and a half (yes, I commute a lot). I find that the car has a lot of body roll though. I used to drive a Camaro and perhaps am reminiscent of that, but I think the car rolls too much in moderate turns at moderate speeds.

I am looking for a cheap and effective way to stiffen the body roll. I ran across something called "end links" that claim to replace the factory ones with steel or aluminum ones and that is supposed to make the car stiffer in the corners. Any opinions? Will any sway bar help, or should I look for a certain brand and/or size?

Thanks!

Mike

 

[CompUser]

If you're still running the RE92s, try putting em
up to 42/38 or so...I've got 16K on mine, much
improved handling, and still showing most wear at
edges. After every dealer visit, the wallowy
ride drives me nuts till I air em up again!

 

[BSackamano]

Are these cold psi figures? Then that would be 45-46 psi in the front at
speed. I thought the typical "do not exceed" pressure was 42 psi. Anyway,
I set mine at 35 psi cold.

'03 WRX Sedan

 

[Hallraker]

Just bought an '05 WRX (2.0 Ltr) and live it. It's already got 1300 miles
in a week and a half (yes, I commute a lot). I find that the car has a lot
of body roll though. I used to drive a Camaro and perhaps am reminiscent of
that, but I think the car rolls too much in moderate turns at moderate
speeds.

I am looking for a cheap and effective way to stiffen the body roll. I ran
across something called "end links" that claim to replace the factory ones
with steel or aluminum ones and that is supposed to make the car stiffer in
the corners. Any opinions? Will any sway bar help, or should I look for a
certain brand and/or size?

Thanks!

Mike

---

I remember when the WRX first came out in North America, a lot of people
seemed to dislike the OEM tires, which are Bridgestones I believe. If those
tires are still on the current WRX, you might want to consider replacing
them. I know that my '95 Outback had brand new tires on it when I bought it
in the fall of 2000, but I wore through those real quick and replaced them
with a set of Yokohama YK420s. After that, it was almost like driving a
different car. Less body roll, better traction in the wet, and much less
drama all around.

-Matt

 

[Bryan Lee]

It would replace the tires first. I upgraded to 17 x7.5 rota's(got them for
$450 for the set shipped from scoodydude.com) w/ 225/45/17 and the car
sticks like glue. I plan on getting new sway bars next. I have a '04 wagon
and it has tne extra weight in the back and smaller rear sway bars then the
sedan(17 mm).

 

[CompUser]

Are these cold psi figures? Then that would be 45-46 psi in the front at
speed. I thought the typical "do not exceed" pressure was 42 psi. Anyway,
I set mine at 35 psi cold.

Haven't checked em hot. Figures were for cold,
as are the sidewall numbers, IIRC.

 

[Ken Gilbert]

Are these cold psi figures? Then that would be 45-46 psi in the front at
speed. I thought the typical "do not exceed" pressure was 42 psi. Anyway,
I set mine at 35 psi cold.

all max (sidewall) pressures are cold.

ken

 

[Ken Gilbert]

mike,

endlinks connect the swaybars to the lower control arm (front end) and
rear lateral link (rear). as the oem links are compliant
rubber/plastic, replacing them with harder links makes the swaybars
that are on the car take effect faster. some say that the effective
swaybar increase is about 1mm. many people upgrade their endlinks and
are satisfied at that. at $100 per set, for an investment of 200
bucks you can have quite improved lateral stability while cornering.
i went with noltec front links and kartboy rear links. both are
aluminum, with compliant bushings.

after doing endlinks, you may move on to upgrading the sway bars
themselves. each costs about $140. they can make a drastic
difference in the handling of the car. a large percentage of folks
who upgrade only upgrade the rear bar, and stop there. i ended up
with a cusco rear sway bar (adjustable, 20-24mm) and a whiteline front
sway bar (fixed, 22mm).

my car corners very well and predictably!

tires are also a fantastic upgrade, but considerably more expensive,
and i do not feel they do anything for the actual roll rate of the
car. the increase in grip, both lateral and longitudinal, is
certainly nice, but that can only make the rolling of the car worse
since it provides the possibility of greater lateral acceleration.

so my vote:

1. rear endlinks
2. front endlinks
3. rear sway bar
4. front sway bar

i tend to agree with whiteline, an australian aftermarket
manufacturer/suspension tuner, who feel that if your car rolls too
much you address it through the anti sway bars.

jm2c
ken

 

[Mike Lloyd]

Being an '05 model, will the '04, '03, '02, etc end-links work, or was
there a change in that area? Also, without a tech manual (I cannot frind
one for this year of the '04 year) I am curious about how hard they are to
do-it-yourself in the driveway with regualar tools and a healthy sense of
mechanical knowledge.

 

[Chris Phillipo]

Just bought an '05 WRX (2.0 Ltr) and live it. It's already got 1300 miles
in a week and a half (yes, I commute a lot). I find that the car has a lot
of body roll though. I used to drive a Camaro and perhaps am reminiscent of
that, but I think the car rolls too much in moderate turns at moderate
speeds.

I am looking for a cheap and effective way to stiffen the body roll. I ran
across something called "end links" that claim to replace the factory ones
with steel or aluminum ones and that is supposed to make the car stiffer in
the corners. Any opinions? Will any sway bar help, or should I look for a
certain brand and/or size?

Thanks!

I would think a WRX would come with adequate swaybars, you can replace
the end links with adjustable ones to tune the ride a little better.

 

[S]

Hi Mike!

Being an '05 model, will the '04, '03, '02, etc end-links work, or was
there a change in that area? Also, without a tech manual (I cannot frind
one for this year of the '04 year) I am curious about how hard they are to
do-it-yourself in the driveway with regualar tools and a healthy sense of
mechanical knowledge.

Fairly casual; you'll need a floor jack, and a set of jack stands,
12mm, 14mm, and 17mm wrenches and sockets, and an hour or so to do
bars and links on both ends. You will want the suspension compressed
(car sitting on wheels) when you titen things up; I just lower it onto
a pair of cinder blocks so there's still room to slide under.

I'd amend the above list to:


1 performance alignment
2 tires
3 rear end links
4 rear bar
5 anti-lift kit
6 front bar/linx

The WRX needs negative camber if driven aggressively, and often the
factory alignment isn't too good. If nothing else, set the stock
adjusters on the front to max negative. Camber bolts for the rear
aren't expensive, and well worth the effort. You will want at least 1
- 1.5 degrees negative camber, more if you intend to autocross the
car. A good compromise alignment for tire wear vs handling is ~0 to
1mm total toe-out up front, and ~0 to 1mm toe-in in the rear. This
will sacrifice some hi-speed stability (hardly noticeable) in favor of
real crisp turn-in response, especially on decent tires.

The stock tires (RE92s, at least on the '02 - '03 WRX) are horrible.
Not just bad, HORRIBLE. Almost anything is an improvement, but a
decent set of performance tires (go with a 225/50 on the 16 inch rims)
will really put a smile on your face. That's the _first_ thing I'd do.
I like the Kumho MX, but there are many good offerings out there.

Rear end links make a just perceptible difference. A stiffer rear bar
is probably the most noticeable change, followed by an anti-lift kit.
I couldn't tell any difference at all with a fatter (22mm) front bar,
and I can't imagine that replacing the front links makes too much
difference, either; tho the OEM fronts _are_ plastic, they are
straight, and probably do not suffer from flex in the same manner as
the "C" shaped rears.

Be aware that if you want to autocross the car, any changes to the
rear bars or links will bump you out of stock class, into STX if you
stay with "street" tires, or ESP with "R" compound rubber. The ALK
(I'm familiar with the Whiteline kit) is a real significant
performance mod, a bit of a bear to install, and technically moves the
car to SM class (not too sure about STX rules, it may be OK there).

Pretty sure the parts for the '04 model year are different from the
'02/'03, but that might just be for the STI car. Whoever you buy the
suspension parts from will be able to tell you for sure.

Hope this is helpful. Enjoy that new car!

ByeBye! S.


Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101

 

[Mike Lloyd]

could you elaborate on the "anti lift kit"? BTW, just street driving, but
it feels sloppy in turns.
Mike

 

[WRXtreme]

Not gonna find much cheaper and effective than this http://tinyurl.com/4cxwx. I have a set on my car and LOVE THEM (02 WRX). I had Perrins on before, but couldn't get them adjusted to the way I wanted, these however worked perfectly for my tastes. I found that if I go with the 168% rear setting and the 59% front setting it feels like a RWD car, w/ plenty of over steer (I played around with these a lot when I first got them). Now I find that the 168% rear and 71% front settings work the best for me.


Just bought an '05 WRX (2.0 Ltr) and live it. It's already got 1300 miles in a week and a half (yes, I commute a lot). I find that the car has a lot of body roll though. I used to drive a Camaro and perhaps am reminiscent of that, but I think the car rolls too much in moderate turns at moderate speeds.

I am looking for a cheap and effective way to stiffen the body roll. I ran across something called "end links" that claim to replace the factory ones with steel or aluminum ones and that is supposed to make the car stiffer in the corners. Any opinions? Will any sway bar help, or should I look for a certain brand and/or size?

Thanks!

Mike

 

[Mike Lloyd]

Weird... it says it's for a WRX but then all it talks about is for towing with a dodge Ram pickup. Are you sure this is the right link? And where are these percentages factored into the setup? It looks like a simple bolt-on sway-bar kit... Again, are you sure that's the right link?

Mike
*******************
Not gonna find much cheaper and effective than this http://tinyurl.com/4cxwx. I have a set on my car and LOVE THEM (02 WRX). I had Perrins on before, but couldn't get them adjusted to the way I wanted, these however worked perfectly for my tastes. I found that if I go with the 168% rear setting and the 59% front setting it feels like a RWD car, w/ plenty of over steer (I played around with these a lot when I first got them). Now I find that the 168% rear and 71% front settings work the best for me.


Just bought an '05 WRX (2.0 Ltr) and live it. It's already got 1300 miles in a week and a half (yes, I commute a lot). I find that the car has a lot of body roll though. I used to drive a Camaro and perhaps am reminiscent of that, but I think the car rolls too much in moderate turns at moderate speeds.

I am looking for a cheap and effective way to stiffen the body roll. I ran across something called "end links" that claim to replace the factory ones with steel or aluminum ones and that is supposed to make the car stiffer in the corners. Any opinions? Will any sway bar help, or should I look for a certain brand and/or size?

Thanks!

Mike

 

[S]

Hi Mike!

could you elaborate on the "anti lift kit"? BTW, just street driving, but
it feels sloppy in turns.

I'd be willing to bet that _most_ of the "sloppy" feeling is your
tires; I didn't like the ones that came on mine at all, and had 'em
off as soon as I could swing the price of a new set.
One other thing that I would do is go over the car real thoroughly and
check for loose fasteners; I found a couple motor mount bolts on mine
that weren't comfortably tight, one of 'em wasn't even threaded in all
of the way. A loose bolt at a suspension pivot, or strut mount will
make the car feel "sloppy" for a while, until it falls out entirely,
and brings your fun to an abrupt halt

I'd recommend that you make an effort to take your car to a local
autocross a few times. Not only because it is huge fun (it _is_!), but
because there is no faster/better way to learn the limits of your
car's handling, and also as a test-bed for any changes you make. Check
out <www.rmsolo.org> or the SCCA web site for more nfo.

The ALK is simply a replacement rear pivot for the front control arms.
It increases caster a bit (0.5 degrees ?), and changes the geometry of
the front suspension. The net effect is to make the car resist front
end lift under acceleration. This keeps more weight on the front
tires, and has significant impact on the WRX tendency to understeer
when accelerating out of a corner. I can attest that (at least for the
Whiteline kit) it works as advertised.

Another good resource for WRX related stuff is
<http://www.clubwrx.net/>, check it out.

ByeBye! S.


Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101

 

[WRXtreme]

Yeah, its the right link, they're just too damn lazy to put the right overall info in there. It is for a WRX, however it is a 1" front & rear, not 1 1/2 front as stated. I ordered mine from these guys and it bolted right up....even though the description says it will help w/ my Ram I haven't bothered trying to bolt them to it. LOL
Weird... it says it's for a WRX but then all it talks about is for towing with a dodge Ram pickup. Are you sure this is the right link? And where are these percentages factored into the setup? It looks like a simple bolt-on sway-bar kit... Again, are you sure that's the right link?

Mike
*******************
Not gonna find much cheaper and effective than this http://tinyurl.com/4cxwx. I have a set on my car and LOVE THEM (02 WRX). I had Perrins on before, but couldn't get them adjusted to the way I wanted, these however worked perfectly for my tastes. I found that if I go with the 168% rear setting and the 59% front setting it feels like a RWD car, w/ plenty of over steer (I played around with these a lot when I first got them). Now I find that the 168% rear and 71% front settings work the best for me.


Just bought an '05 WRX (2.0 Ltr) and live it. It's already got 1300 miles in a week and a half (yes, I commute a lot). I find that the car has a lot of body roll though. I used to drive a Camaro and perhaps am reminiscent of that, but I think the car rolls too much in moderate turns at moderate speeds.

I am looking for a cheap and effective way to stiffen the body roll. I ran across something called "end links" that claim to replace the factory ones with steel or aluminum ones and that is supposed to make the car stiffer in the corners. Any opinions? Will any sway bar help, or should I look for a certain brand and/or size?

Thanks!

Mike