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Suspension guidance please, no car accidents wanted!


jhow257415

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Suspension questions…as I have done in the past I rely on you guys for guidance. So my girlfriend drives an 08’ 2.5i Impreza Base model and obviously this is not a performance vehicle, however IMHO by design (economics) the oem suspension is extremely “squirrely. ” The car is* kind of high off the ground, clumsy, and bouncy over bumps, on the highway it can be slightly unnerving when you have to counter steer because you went over a slight bump or grade change; not to mention needing to swerve or high winds! My lady’s driving ability SUCCKKKKKKS, I’m afraid of her killing herself, literally! I want to upgrade her suspension, specifically solidify the suspension, make it stiffer and less bouncy. The goal is more control than the base model suspension, but at a reasonable cost! I’d be happy with control similar to the oem 4th gen. Legacy 2.5i…. Thanks for the advice.

 

1. What are the BASIC (economical Subaru or aftermarket) parts to achieve this particular goal?

 

2. What would YOU change, and in what order?

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i had an 09 2.5i i know what you are talking about, you could prob source some wrx or sti parts assuming they would fit since the WRX and STi are the sporty version of the car ie why people put pinks on thier LGT, not sure what your budget is or whatever but front rear sways, sprinks adjustable struts/shocks ie koni's or something to that, body braces things like that.. or if you just dont really care about spending the money you can put coilovers on it and have it adjustable! hope this helps
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Before you go too far, lets get down to the basics - does it even have a rear swaybar at all? Many, if not all the base 2008 2.5i didn't even ship with a rear swaybar. The mounting points are there, so it's a fairly easy matter of installing one. Nearly any stock swaybar will make it feel a lot better while reducing the body roll.

 

Next, consider that on that base 2008, the front swaybar is only 19mm. Going too large on the rear without replacing the front will cause oversteer issues. If you don't replace the front, stick with either the OEM WRX rear bar at 15mm, or for better roll control, the 18mm OEM STI bar. Keep in mind you will need endlinks, bushings, and brackets as well.

 

After you've sorted that out, I'd see how the car handles at that point before diving further into other suspension bits. Given it's a 2008, it's 4 years old, the front lower control arm bushing (rear) is probably shot. That'd be the reason you feel a need to constantly correct the steering in corners, and why it seems to wander a bit whenever it gets bumpy out.

 

Now if all that doesn't sort it out to a happy place, then you can start looking at replacing/upgrading the struts/springs. Too many choices to list there, and that will really depend on how much you want to spend, how hard you want it to be, how low you want to go, etc.

 

Regards,

 

Paul Hansen

http://www.avoturboworld.com

http://www.facebook.com/avoturboworld

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Ok, so money definitely IS an issue! For planning purposes… I’m thinking of buying the H&R Springs (1.4 drop in front, 1.3 in rear), Perrin front sway bar 19mm, Perrin rear sway bar 19mm, Perrin Strut Tower bar, and Subaru 2006-2009* 17” Legacy rims, wrapped in a 215 tire for a larger contact area!

 

Paul would this do the trick, or is this too much for what my goal is?

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No endlinks included in that kit, but I have that on my legacy and it is worth it. Takes a lot of the body roll out of the car. I've been running that kit for 5 years now and I've been happy with it. It's the only upgrade that I've done to the suspension, but I'm planning to put some mild (epic) lowering springs on it this summer since it's time to replace the struts. KYB struts, epic springs, and rallitek sway bars would be as far as I would ever go for my girl's car... especially if she doesn't know sh*t about cars. Start with the sway bars since they make a dramatic change, then go from there. Oh, and if budget is what you have in mind, this is probably less than $800. And if you do it yourself (shouldn't be that difficult) then that is total cost.
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