If you are still using the factory RE92 tires, replacing those will give better overall handling improvement if your wagon is otherwise stock.

Russell, you may find it useful to post in the appropriate forum relevant to your questions. Your previous posts were all moved to forums where you would stand a better chance of receiving responses.

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0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

The WRX (sedan and wagon) have a very rigid chassis out of the gate. The sedan benefits little from a front/rear strut bar, the wagon can benefit from a rear strut bar as the two strut towers are not joined as they are on the sedan.

Always upgrade your tires first- the absolute most bang for your buck handling (and braking!).

A rear sway bar on the wagon helps dial out some understeer (the 17mm rear bar is rather pathetic).

Then I might look at a rear strut bar.

big sky

 

I installed a Cusco CF rear strut bar on MY03 wrx sedan and didn't feel much improvement over stock. It really helped in my old Civic but I was under the wrong impression getting it for my WRX. However, after installing the rear sway bar, WOW. Body roll was heavily lessened and the car just jumped to where I wanted to steer it.

 

the wagon benefits a bit more than the sedan with a rear bar.

But the front is pretty much unnecessary with both models.

I'd say you should worry about things in this order.

1. Wheels and good tires (with this you not only ge the benefit of improved appearance you also get better cornering and braking)

2. Rear sway bar (don't get to crazy with the size unless you like step out or plan to put a new front one in as well. You can pick up front and rear for about $350)

3. Springs or other suspension options.


after that you can start doing strut bars, bushings, ALK, Etc.

have fun. Go wagons.

(ps. have fun finding stuff for the 04 wagon...it freaking sucks man..big hint on suspension.)

 

04 wagon stuff is near non existant- unfortunately FHI's decision to quit making the GGB hasn't helped. I ended up going v7 stuff (Sti GGB) including the rear tops- this made the most sense for my needs.

I fully agree on the order/progression of mods- I'd add one, that's alignment, many folks straight from the dealer had crappy alignments (way out of spec) and even the ones in "spec" can be vastly improved on.

big sky

 

true that....forgot about the alignment.

-1.4 in the front seems to be pretty solid way to go.

Thanks for catching that..mucho important.

 

Strut bars had an effect handling wise on my '95, but I dont think that applies 100% to this situation.

 

It doesn't, partly because the GD chassis is about 250% stiffer up front than the original GC chassis, but mostly because you have much stiffer suspension than most folks out there.

If you aren't seriously upgrading your suspension stiffness, then strut bars are just eye candy, except in the rear on a wagon.

 

As mentioned before, don't bother with strut bars until you've stiffened your rear swaybar, at least.

 

Go with the Rear sway bar as everyone else is saying, you can pick up a cusco one for $150, that's really not a bad price at all.

 

Actually the strut bars were one of my first mods, before I had a suspension, even decent wheels/tires, and even before I had a rear sway bar at all

They were only about $40 each when I got them, which is why I got them first. Otherwise it would have been a swaybar first. I did notice an improvment oddly enough during highway driving, but that will probably not be the case with a WRX wagon.