[QUOTE=oaklandish_WRX;3633426]Cusco lower H-brace installed. Def improved steering feel and straight line driving; maybe even feels better under braking.[/QUOTE]

Did you have a rear strut tower brace put it too? Noticed a difference after that, not so much the front though.

[QUOTE="de_engineered;3633449"] Did you have a rear strut tower brace put it too? Noticed a difference after that, not so much the front though.[/QUOTE]

Yep. Best bang for the buck in a wagon, IMHO. PAired with Botox bolts and sedan rear sway with Sti bar mounts. She rotates pretty well and flat.
I'm also debating the front strut bar (have it already).
I was gonna do the front bar's bushings but my day got cut short and I couldn't get the car up enough (ramps) to get my electric impact gun and deep sockets on the rear most bolts. First world people probs.
on the prowl for cowl stays if the front strut bar is meh.

[QUOTE=oaklandish_WRX;3633460]Yep. Best bang for the buck in a wagon, IMHO. PAired with Botox bolts and sedan rear sway with Sti bar mounts. She rotates pretty well and flat.
I'm also debating the front strut bar (have it already).
I was gonna do the front bar's bushings but my day got cut short and I couldn't get the car up enough (ramps) to get my electric impact gun and deep sockets on the rear most bolts. First world people probs.
on the prowl for cowl stays if the front strut bar is meh.[/QUOTE]

More than a rear sway? I know mine (in a GD sedan) made a huge difference. But if and when I get another Soob, I'd like another 04-05, but a wag this time, so paying more attention to the peculiarities of wags vs sedans.

I had the cowl braces, but also already had ALKs, but a stock alignment on Swifts (1" drop) after the braces were put on (long story), so didn't really feel anything. The front bar is gonna make a wee difference, but especially if you already have it, I'd say just go for it.

[QUOTE=de_engineered;3633658]More than a rear sway? I know mine (in a GD sedan) made a huge difference. But if and when I get another Soob, I'd like another 04-05, but a wag this time, so paying more attention to the peculiarities of wags vs sedans.

I had the cowl braces, but also already had ALKs, but a stock alignment on Swifts (1" drop) after the braces were put on (long story), so didn't really feel anything. The front bar is gonna make a wee difference, but especially if you already have it, I'd say just go for it.[/QUOTE]

Sorry for late response...

Yeah, for me since my rear bar upgrade was only from 19mm to 20mm OEM sedan bar, the rear strut bar was more noticeable. Can't recall any more the order they went in...the strut bar was re-used from my first, wrecked waggie, so that was probably in first, then the botox and bar upgrade. think my mods are dated on the first page of the thread.

GL

**** you, photobucket.

[QUOTE=oaklandish_WRX;3652312]**** you, photobucket.[/QUOTE]

I've been on imgur for a while. Most anything's better than PhotoSuckIt, but imgur is better than most anything, aside say your own server.
​​

[QUOTE=oaklandish_WRX;3652312]**** you, photobucket.[/QUOTE]

Yep, going to have to find a new service also. Those guys are going to regret that because they're going to lose all their users. Photobucket was good at the beginning. In the last few years they really started to suck big time.

H6 brake mod this summer...berry neice with Centric 106 material pads.

Passed visual SMOG check with turbo blanket, TMIC hose, turbo inlet (scratched off the "AVO" printing, so looks mo' OEM) and foil wrapped headers and GS X-pipe. Pays to go to ghetto/sketch places that don't have coupons!

Debadged hatch gate SUBARU...well, nature took its course on the "B" and I did the rest.

needs a T-belt...think I can "smell" an idler bearing dying on cold starts. And tires... and a drivers side valve cover gasket... sigh...

I did H6 brakes last year, I'm quite happy with it.

How did the grill turn out?

she still lives...leaks like a sieve...barely driven now that I train to work. Paint fading... Pricing CX-5 turbo dad-wagons.

[QUOTE=oaklandish_WRX;3665597]she still lives...leaks like a sieve...barely driven now that I train to work. Paint fading... Pricing CX-5 turbo dad-wagons.[/QUOTE]
no thoughts of an Outback Onyx XT?

[QUOTE=CHESTON;3665598]no thoughts of an Outback Onyx XT?[/QUOTE]
On paper it'd be an option, but it'd be a duplicate (functionally) of our '15 OBK the wife drives primarily. Truthfully, I'd like to find a clean, low modded, decent mileage '14 hatch but those odds are slim I know. And, I'm tired and too old to buy other people's problems; and I've not personally had a new-new car for me in literally 30 years. I can probably get a CX-5 Grand Tour Reserve for a few thousand less than an OBK XT, and it'd drive better out of the box. thanks...

My brother in law bought a 2020 OBXT just about 2 months ago. It is really nice actually. I have driven a few of the base models and thought the only thing missing was power and the XT fixes that for sure.

I just got my 04 WRX wagon back from the dealer for the airbag recall. It is my daily so it gets driven a lot more than the STI, but with shelter in place, I have driven both about the same, almost not at all lol.