Replaced the steelies (awesomely painted bronze) with these today!

 

Tell me what you think.

 

 

gotta love the LGT wheels!

 

also a young woman that can yeild a wrench- good job!

 

is your car a 2.2?

LOL! Hey Lisa, welcome to the forum! I got your email and they look great! Funny you guys joined here!

Very nice looking!

Lookin good.

Wheels look nice too.

 

No before pic? We don't get to check out the stylin' brown paint?

I always liked the 97-2000 GT snowflakes, last set i had sold and shipped wish i had them back look great on the old SS's

 

Lo:lol:king good

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.

Wheels? was there a car in that pic?

 

 

Dave

:)Yeh. However that was a good choice for that Prezi.

Those really look good. Nice job.

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

Depends. How low do you want to go?

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!

Just lowering it won't make it roll less in corners. You'll just be closer to the ground.

If the springs you choose have higher spring rate than the stock springs that will help reduce roll a little, but also make the car ride stiffer. Better shocks will help reduce roll more than different springs will. The best way to accomplish that is the Three Ss (No, not those three Ss ) Struts, springs, and sway bars.

 

If you choose to do it in steps you should upgrade the rear bar first to help counteract the higher CG in the back of the wagon. You'll be less likely to plow in corners with a stiffer rear bar.

+1 to what Fairtax said. Of course I have to admit I'm not a big fan of lowered cars anyway. Your car really is a "Cutie" as it is, I think it has a nice stance and the new wheels really make it sparkle. Just my .02!

Dang! Will you marry me?!?!

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!

Really?! That gap in the wheel well doesn't bother you!?

Sure it does! It's too small! Needs a lift kit and some 30" mudders if you ask me!

 

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

Well you made it sound like you thought lowering springs would help with the roll. Plenty of other people out there seem to think that. Just wanted to make sure you knew.

 

Sway bar links usually come separate, but you can find combo kits for a little extra $$$.

Rallitek and Whiteline are probably the best for Subaru specific bars. I think there are some others out there too.

Struts. KYB. Just stay away from Monroe.

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!

I just couldn't come up with a reply right away. Hang around I'll get you back trust me.

The lift is what I want the Brat for!

Why wait for a brat!? Chop the top and turn the back seats around. Instant brat!

Nice and no gloves too! What size did the snowflakes come in anyways?

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"

I see you've caught the USMB fever , it's very easy to get ! Welcome to the board . Wheels do so much for the looks of a car , very nice addition to your Cutie Car ! ....and on a side note , great POSTURE ! all the best . Murph

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!

 

How about a 87 RX? You can drive my WRX as well.

 

It helps that I am easy on the eyes as well.

 

I say slam that baby, unless ya get a ton of snow. We get multi foot snows up here. One reason my cars are still stock height.

I'm a complete noob when it comes to very technical stuff, so take my advice lightly.

 

If you want to lower, lowering springs ftw. I'd recommend Eibach springs (hell, Subaru relied on them for the legendary 22B!). Maybe some KYB or Bilstein shocks will help. Also, you could try the SPT/STI parts catalog (but it says the suspension upgrades only apply to the 2.5RS).

 

As for sway bars, the general consensus is that a stiffer rear bar makes for improved oversteer.

 

 

Nice to know you want to have a nice street Imprza and a badass BRAT.

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!