98ImprezaWA

So the general consensus is... upgrade the REAR sway bar to one from an early (pre '03? correct?) WRX. Leaving the front alone. Unless my confusion has got the better of me, I think that's what I'm gonna do! ...at least for now! I don't think an adjustable bar will be necessary for me. I want to get used to one feel for the car, so once I get that done, I don't think I'll be adjusting much! I'm finally getting used to feeling taller on the 16" wheels! ...and the wheel gap is starting to grow on me. I gave her a quick wash the other day. Those wheels sparkle nicely!

That would be great! Thank you!!! I like your style! I know you said make sure they're from an early WRX, so '03 and earlier? Is that a correct assumption?

Oooookay, you have now successfully confused the crap out of me! :-\ I'm not planning on doing anything to the front. Just upgrading the rear sway bar. And endlinks. It will probably take some drilling. The car DID live its 1st 10 years in Maine. But luckily for me, this crazy stuff called shampoo exists, so sweat and rust in the hair isn't too much of an issue!

Seattle, Washington

Umm... this got interesting?

Quit making me want to move to Idaho! And I dunno about eastern WA, but at least in the Seattle area they are HORRIBLE about snow on the roads. BUT... it made me love my Subaru even more! The only cars on the roads when it snows here are Subarus and Syncro vanagons!

Lets see a picture of it! I like the idea of tinting mine slightly. And as ugly as the tan interior is, I keep finding myself grateful for it on hot days in a black car. hahaha I love it! And definitely a classy move with the struts instead of roses! I'll be looking forward to your arrival at my doorstep. excellent signature material, too

Welcome! From one new user to another! Its an addictive forum, thats for sure.

I moved from Portland, Maine to Seattle 2 years ago. Haven't looked back since! Best move ever! Got sick of Maine winters, and just the East Coast in general and needed a change. Decided on the Northwest, and drove across (in my 98 Impreza. She took it like a champ!) Cars out here live forever, its GORGEOUS, weather is perfect. mild winters in the city, but you can go be in the mountains and the snow in no time at all. summers are perfect. no humidity, and usually it stays in the high 70s to mid 80s. The grey and rainy isn't bad at all. Usually the "rain" is actually just light drizzle. There are subarus everywhere! And not just your regular WRX and STI. I see Brats all the time, there are tons of loyales and GLs. Its great. Like I said, cars live forever out here! No salt on the roads! Have I convinced you yet?!

Those are gonna look great! You said you were planning on painting it black, right? I cant wait to see the final product! Its going to be really nice.

The ones I just took off the car were spray painted. They started out like this: Then this (after a lot of sanding, cleaning and degreasing): And finally: And they stayed that way until I put the new ones on the other day! The paint has held up really well. I've been very surprised. I could tell you what kind it was if it wasn't allllllll the way downstairs. But it is, and I'm tired. So maybe tomorrow. Oh, and sorry about the boring pics.

hahaha none taken! I've been pretty amused as well! Who knew my 1st thread would be such an attention getter?! (note to self: always add pictures of self AND car for a popular thread)

Hey, my steelies have nothing to hide! They're only in the closet because I don't have a garage! ...and i don't really want a wheel pile in my living room.

Nice! That bumper looks really good! I put the steelies in my closet! I'm sure they'll get used again on something else.

I totally got addicted to USMB! Thanks for the welcome! As for the 87 RX, there will be no negotiating! Clean 1st gen. Brat, or its a no-go! Sorry sweet cheeks! And thanks for the advice on springs. Hopefully I'll be able to save up some extra $$ soon and start with the upgrades. For now she's gonna stay sitting pretty as she is!

Oh god... just the thought of chopping my sweet little car turns my stomach a little bit! My poor baby! I'm waiting for the right Brat to come along! Someday I will have a whole fleet of subarus! hahaha The snowflakes are 16"

The lift is what I want the Brat for! Thanks for the advice on the sway bars. ...and don't mind my sarcasm. Its usually best to just throw it back at me! haha I don't mean anything by it, I promise!

Really?! That gap in the wheel well doesn't bother you!? Ahh, maybe I just need to get used to it. It just feels so tall to me now! But she is cute, isn't she?! Now I just need to wash her. Its SO hard to keep a black car clean! So, yes, rear sway bar 1st. Definitely. Whiteline? Other recommendations? Do new endlinks generally come with a new sway bar? Or do I need to buy those separately? When I had the wheels off I noticed they were starting to look a bit like they've been on there since 1998... and lived their 1st 10 years in Maine. :-\ And yes, I am aware that lowering the car will in fact get me lower to the ground and not reduce body roll, but thank you captain obvious I think I will stick with the rear sway bar and stiffer springs combo for now. I'm on a pretty tight budget, and I'm guessing (I could be wrong of course) that different shocks will be more $$ than I can throw around right now! But if there are fairly cheap ones that aren't crap, please let me know! I really don't know much of what's out there Subaru parts-wise! And as for my potential husband-to-be out there, honey if you show up at my doorstep and hand me the keys to a clean 1'st gen. Brat and a nice ring we'll be in business!

About 1" or 1 1/2". And I'd also like to have the car feel stiffer in turns. As it is, I get a lot of body roll! However, I am on a fairly tight budget. Before I got the new wheels I was going to replace the sway bars to make it more responsive in turns, and reduce the body roll, but now that I'm going to be lowering it, I'd like to maybe kill two birds with one stone!

Alright, now what do you guys think about lowering? Suggestions please?!

Thanks everyone! Haha hi Chad! I'm SUPER excited about them! I'm thinking some slightly lower profile tires, or maybe lowering springs. The jump from 15" to 16" makes it feel pretty tall! And thats still a pretty big gap in the wheel well! Yes, I do alright with a wrench. I don't usually trust anyone else to work on my car! She's my baby! And in the second pic you can see the bronze steelies on the rear still. If wanted I can put up some before pics though. Yes, it is a 2.2.

Replaced the steelies (awesomely painted bronze) with these today! Tell me what you think.