Member Profile - nay's MY14 Liberty GT

[LibertyTragic]

Nice to know the sti seats confirmed fit! Seen that mod on the US legacy GT forums but was never a closed case on potential mods required. Contemplating them myself now

[MadmanSean]

Ooh la la! Those VA STI seats really bring the interior into the current decade. Love em!

[nay]

Ooh la la! Those VA STI seats really bring the interior into the current decade. Love em!

I agree! Provides a nice sporty, modern look

[nay]

Suspension issues!
Car developed a loud squeaking whilst coming to a stop. Although the lib is no stranger to occasional suspension squeaks, this was definitely new, consistent and much louder.

With the car up on the hoist it turns out the front LCA bushings were worn out and were the culprit for this new loud squeaking. Also, both whiteline front + rear adjustable endlinks were worn out causing some occasional squeaking.

In hopes to silence this squeaking, I decided to upgrade/replace a few suspension components:

- Upgrading OE front rubber LCA bushings to SuperPro Polyurethane bushings
- Replacing front + rear endlinks with non-adjustable whiteline ones (adjustable ones are commonly known to fail)
- Replacing current front + rear swaybar bushings with new ones.



With the new parts installed, I'm glad to report that all squeaking is now gone! The SuperPro Polyurethane bushings are a great replacement for the OE rubber ones. The car feels noticeably more stable whilst braking and it also resolved some "steering wander" which I thought was alignment related.

Boomba Short-shift plate
Decided to swap out the COBB Short shifter for the Boomba one instead. After trying and testing almost every aftermarket shifter plate (Perrin, Kartboy, COBB), this Boomba one is probably my favourite.

The reduction in throw is very similar to the previous ones, but the Boomba one is much smoother and less notchy - most likely a result of the increased weight of the plate.

The only downside is that I couldn't find any local retailer that stocked this part, so I had to order directly from the US. Such a shame because it's probably the best one for the lib/WRX.

[Yowie]

Nice work with the suspension.

Did you press bushes into the lower control arms yourself (eg with the bench vice) or was it a suspension shop job?

Also, as you probably already know, future squeaking could be lack of grease on poly bushes (especially swaybar bushes). I've fallen for the trap of assuming worse was going on when it was just the front swaybar bushes needing fresh red grease.

[nay]

Did you press bushes into the lower control arms yourself (eg with the bench vice) or was it a suspension shop job?

I had a mechanic press the bushings (bench vice + tools) and install all the parts for me. It's definitely a very time consuming and laborious task though! The old bushings didn't come loose without a fight

Also, as you probably already know, future squeaking could be lack of grease on poly bushes (especially swaybar bushes). I've fallen for the trap of assuming worse was going on when it was just the front swaybar bushes needing fresh red grease.

Yup, that's what I've been told as well . I'd imagine it's only a matter of time before the front swaybar bushes start making some noise. Luckily the rear bushes have PTFE lining so they should remain quiet for the most part.

[aySKE]

When I first got my GT Wagon in 2020, the LCA front bushing and front sway bar links were the first I changed after reading it from here. Personally I've left the rear end links to OEM as suggested by Michael from G88. Car is at 118,000kms, WL RSB 22mm hardest setting for the past 2 years, 1 track day, still good afaik!