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Any wagon drivers have the rear strut brace installed?

PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 7:48 pm
by Kevlar GT
Interested in hearing if you have one installed on your wagon and how much improvement (if any) you experienced with it. After the drive around the twisty roads of the NSW Snowy mountains the other day I really am tempted to order/get one.

Cheers,
Kev

Re: Any wagon drivers have the rear strut brace installed?

PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 7:53 pm
by teK--
IMHO bracing should be the last mod you do after such things as springs, dampers, swaybars, and especially bushes. There is more unwanted deflection in rubber bushes than in the chassis so if you get bracing first you are just adding weight and with limited benefit because other areas are still flopping around.

There is the bling factor though, undeniably :)

Re: Any wagon drivers have the rear strut brace installed?

PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 8:10 pm
by sheppo9
Got one in my Gen III, made no difference what-so-ever.
And seeing that the Gen IV's are stiffer standard, you'd see even less. Less than nothing isn't much.

Have you got an ALK, Roll Centre Kit, adjustable Lateral Links?

teK-- wrote:There is the bling factor though, undeniably

Unless you get the Beatrush one that installs under the mat/panel.

Re: Any wagon drivers have the rear strut brace installed?

PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 8:53 pm
by Kevlar GT
sheppo9 wrote:Got one in my Gen III, made no difference what-so-ever.
And seeing that the Gen IV's are stiffer standard, you'd see even less. Less than nothing isn't much.

Have you got an ALK, Roll Centre Kit, adjustable Lateral Links?

teK-- wrote:There is the bling factor though, undeniably

Unless you get the Beatrush one that installs under the mat/panel.


I've got tein coilovers, front strut brace and a 22mm adjustable rear sway bar. Front LCA bushes were replaced a short while back and the other bushes were checked and deemed fine and not in need of replacement. Might have to look into the ALK perhaps. Oh, and the Beatrush under mat/panel one is what I was looking at so not at all a bling thing, stealth is the key.

I put one on my Forester when I had it (after most other suspension parts were changed etc) but obviously the dynamics of the Foz is a completely different ball game to the Lib. Was interested to hear if it would be a positive thing but I'll take Lukes word on it being something I could do without and look elsewhere.

Re: Any wagon drivers have the rear strut brace installed?

PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 9:05 pm
by coyote
Had mine installed (Cusco) before even taking delivery of the car. I'd even consider another higher up if I didn't use the load space often.

Put sticky tyres on these wagons and the body will flex enough to pop off or break pieces of the interior. I know because I've done it more than once.

Re: Any wagon drivers have the rear strut brace installed?

PostPosted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 6:40 am
by vaccine
putting one further up in boot would do fuck all.
the struts mount on the floor pan, foz/pre-07 imprezza makes a massive difference.
its the flex between strut towers that you want to reduce. :lol:

Re: Any wagon drivers have the rear strut brace installed?

PostPosted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 8:42 am
by coyote
vaccine wrote:putting one further up in boot would do fuck all.


Wrong.

The problem with one on the floor is lack of leverage. You need something to mount a diagonal off.