Looking at the HD front end-links, but read (somewhere) that these are for the RS, not the WRX. Can anyone tell me if the HD endlinks are going to be OK for a WRX Wagon?

 

I believe that the Whiteline Front end links are the same for all the Impreza models. I have a friend who put a set on his Sedan and they look like they would fit a wagon just fine.

 

Stock 17mm front bar
JDM 20mm rear bar


before endlinks:

before i tacked on 30,000 miles onto the already 57,000 the car had when i picked it up, the car handled great. Fun, and with lift off oversteer. but at 87,000 miles, the stock links were dead, and slow to react.

after endlinks. CRISP response. The endlinks make the bars snap back at me. I can get lots of over steer with lift off. But when it's a little wet, i can get on throttle oversteer. They just make the 20mm bar work it's *** off, it's great. I got them front and back.

I have 1999 RS, no other suspensions mods. Tires are 205-55-16 RE950s

-Gagan

 

That sounds almost perfect. You could spend a lot and make it faster, but I doubt it would be any more fun. Talk about your bang for the buck. How good are the 950s compared to true summer tires like KDW's or SP9000s?

 

Hmmm, I've got a 22mm Cusco RSB and 20mm Stock FSB and I can't barely EVER get throttle on oversteer in my wagon in the rain. It's really bugging me. I am on RE92s still but wouldn't better tires increase grip at all four corners? That wouldn't change the handling characteristics front to rear, just improve overall grip right?

My left rear has about a degree and a half of negative camber (the strut is slightly bent) but everything else is normal. Can any one tell me if this is normal, because my old Explorer was more fun to drive in the rain and it's really gettin to me.

 

Do you have a 4EAT? From what I understand it acts as a defacto traction control system by distributing torque. My RS with a 5MT and EJ25 will only get tail happy in the rain too, and I am still running the original RE92s, quite bald now I might add. Getting some KDWs in about 5 or 6 weeks. Really, I would guess that it is the nature of the wagons (and automatics if that's the case) to be difficult to break loose, and I wouldn't try too hard, because it won't be progressive with that RSB- you'll be pushing at 10 or 15 over the posted suggested speed on a wet curve and all of a sudden your *** will pass you. It could be that you are just smart enough to not prod it into doing what it knows it shouldn't. In the meantime, get your struts replaced and some better tires. Might be surprised at the results.

EDIT: Also, I have better luck getting oversteer using lift throttle at about the apex, which transfers weight forward. With the more powerful cars as you stomp it in a corner, the weight transfer gives you more grip in the rear and less in the front, which mitigates the tendency to rotate. If you're really brave, you can try trail-braking, but I DON'T recommend trying this for the first time on a street or anywhere you don't have a lot of run-off. When you trail-brake and get snap oversteer, it will scare the **** out of you and send you into a good long tank-slapper. But if you master it, you're ready for the rally circuit.

 

Haha... I almost posted before you edited. Okay, first off I do not have a 4EAT. I have recently been able to get it to break loose on command in the dry but that has taken quite a bit of practice and it does not involve throttle on oversteer. Maybe I need to get rid of my idea of fun being throttle on oversteer, but there is a reason I watch WRC. Come on, you know what I mean.

Basically what I'm saying is that I can make my GGA oversteer on dry roads, but it is by no means for the faint hearted and definitely does not involve throttle. I need to read up on trail-braking, but I have a feeling that this is what I've been doing.

One last thing. You're right about having your *** pass you in the rain. I did it once and nearly shat myself. From that I learned to be a little less drastic in the changes I make to my driving style (and to be a little more patient in the hunt for oversteer ) Thanks for the tips.

EDIT: For the front to rear weight change issue, I'm going to check out the anti-lift kit (as much as I want to stay away from such a product being the band-aid that it is) with an alignment and see how that changes the dynamics of my car's handling.

 

The anti-lift kit is more a subtle tweak than a band-aid (once you get your strut replaced), but you sound like you are serious enough about your driving fun that you will appreciate the difference.

 

Sounds like you are reinventing the Swedish Flick to me. Get yourself on some gravel roads, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how good you are at it and astounded at how much fun you have.

 

Well, I went ahead and put the end-links in the car, adn you are completely accurate when you use the word CRISP. My current setup is Whiteline 20mm FSB with HD Endlinks and Whiteline adjustable RSB at 24mm with stock endlinks (probably going to get Kartboys soon).

After installing the front endlinks I went for a little drive and the difference was very telling when I snapped the steering wheel and started a little mini-slalom course down a deserted road.

There was no wait for the car to start heavy-duty pull into the turn. I won't use the terms understeer or oversteer, because I am still trying to learn what exactly they mean, but responsiveness is what I got with the new endlinks.

Not bad for a $50 investment.

 

Sounds like you didn't have much of either. But oversteer is when the car rotates more than you turned the steering wheel, and understeer is when it rotates less than you turned the wheel. Both suck on a course, but understeer is much safer on normal streets, so that's why almost all factory cars do it, even modern muscle cars (except when it's slick or you get on the throttle REAL hard).

 

In that case, you are right. Very little of either. The only time I got into oversteer was when I turned up the speed in my makeshift slalom. That was immediately followed by my rear end coming around A LOT faster than I expected. Didn't lose control, but came close to it.

It was a nice warm-up for tomorrow's Auto-X


Thanks for the simple explanation.

-Greg

 

LMAO... I went for a drive on Skyline xmas day and found a big parking lot that i basically turned into a gravel stage. I was there for at least an hour... then i came REAL close to hitting a couple fences and decided to call it a day.

 

Sweet!