noob here with q's...

just bought a 08 legacy 2.5i, was a r56 mini cooper s guy for a few years loved the dang thing but the economy forced me to change some things around. one being the car payment. i literally cut my cost in half..buying a 08 legacy with 27k miles. I think I got a pretty good deal. paid 15.9 for it. with 100k warranty. that said...

 

I have only owned the car for 3 days so far...really like the solid feel of the drive i must say but would like to stiffen it up a bit with out mucking up my warranty. ( i know this sound funny ) ideas? i know rallytek has swaybars and links for a decent price but anybody here that has done them?

 

Also the engine start up seems rough for the first 10 seconds. as it gradually increases rpm's to ~1600. is this normal?

 

thanks, nick.

I think the rough engine start up is normal - I know for PZEV models the engine will run at a higher RPM initially to warm everything up (I think this has something to do with warming the catalytic converters up because they work better warm). Mine is "rough" in the beginning as well.

 

As for handling/swaybars, I am interested in seeing what others have to say as I am also interested in doing this.

Yeap, I got:

1) Rallitek front/rear sway bar kit

2) AVO rear endlinks

3) Swift Sport springs

4) Koni front/rear struts

 

Car handles much better than stock, very solid feeling all the way around. Body roll has been eliminated. The pitching/diving of the car upon acceleration and braking is gone. I love it! I would suggest going for a rear sway bar first, then deciding whether or not you need a front sway bar.

i just installed the rallitek swaybars, the handling is alot more sharp and body roll has gone down alot since the install, as pawlwawl just said im sure with doing a complete suspension modification it will be better times 10. and if you dont wanna mess with the warranty, do what i did i'm keeping all the stock parts so if something goes wrong or if i want to trade it in i can just pop them back on with no issues

yep the start up happens to my car also, I have an 08 to. I would say sways, endlinks, and some better tires. this will help out a lot.

Tribeca bar!!!

Thanks for all your input guys.

 

Yesterday i searched through the forums and pretty much came to the conclusion that with the 2.5i, the real performance is in the suspension. The engine not so much. unless your ready for 5g's to upgrade to a turbo.(very enticing btw) but pretty much worthless without the brakes and suspension modification. Which can be done relatively on the cheap.

 

I knew that changing to another car was going to be hard but i did not know it would be this hard. seriously going through withdraws:redface:, but Subaru built a solid car. way better than most of the competition, especially in tough weather.

 

I live in Oregon and 50% of the population drives a subaru and now i know why... because they kick ass in the rain (~300 days a year)

...there is nothing like break neck performance in rainy conditions...

you'll really enjoy your subaru the first time you pass a redneck uphill in the snow.

^^^^^ had one in a 350 super duty diesel try to fume me out. too bad his neck got redder after i passed his rear on the 2 lane road. ballsy and STUPID on my part (w oncoming traffic) but i wasnt gonna let this lil pecker do that. cat and mouse game was on and i wasnt gonna back!! damn male ego shiz (fight)kicked in before my flight! FYI-dont try this at home. as when i DID get home, i felt STOOPID and idiodically reckless(with a grinch style grin on my face)