Upgrading my front and rear sway bars to 22mm adjustable ones from Whiteline. Here are links to get them yourself. Front: amzn.to/3gfpeXv Rear: amzn.to/2AWskj4
As an owner of an 04 XT I can tell you for sure the stock rear sway bar mounts will break, glad you upgraded them. I went through 6 of them. I then replaced them with Whiteline HD mounts, then I started braking endlinks, upgraded to Kartboys endlinks, then I broke the captive nuts that hold the mounts to chassis. They become the weaklink because they are only 8mm. That was a nightmare that ended in me welding the rear HD mounts to the chassis.
I’m looking to upgrade rear sway bars on my 2008 do you recommend just the sway bars or do you think I need the links and bolts as well? I’m on a budget so can replace everything lmao, but I also don’t wanna get something new and then the links or bolt snap soon after😂
@@Bootsthompson upgrading the rear bar moves the weak point to the sway bar mounts, the oem mounts will break, nothing else will break if you keep replacing the mounts but if you upgrade to HD mounts it moves the weak point to the end links and they will break, upgrade those and generally you will be ok.
@@Bootsthompson just do the rear bar first, if you go 22mm or higher sooner or later the mounts will break as they will become the weakest part, at that point you decide if you want to keep replacing mounts with oem (cheap) and keep replacing them as they break, or just get HD mounts (expensive) and call it a day. The HD mounts will move the weak point to the end links and they will eventually break, then you can replace them.
Good stuff as usual! I recently did the rear with this same kit. Beefed up the rear links though. Made noticeable difference with just the rear bar upgrade.
Cool upgrade. So did you notice a big different with the 22mm front and 22mm rear bar? Plus what settings did you decided to run on both in the long run front and back? Notice any more harsh or rough ride?
I set the rear on medium and the front is still on the soft setting but I may change that. Ride is firm but that's mostly due to the coil overs (Silver's Neomax). Cornering feels well planted and very little body roll. The addition of the VTD center diff has also helped a lot with understeer. So it's really a combination of things that has improved handling. It's it "rougher" than stock? Yes but it's not uncomfortable on a long drive.
![Coilover, STI control Arms, And More Upgraded [Forester XT]](/img/n.gif)
As an owner of an 04 XT I can tell you for sure the stock rear sway bar mounts will break, glad you upgraded them. I went through 6 of them. I then replaced them with Whiteline HD mounts, then I started braking endlinks, upgraded to Kartboys endlinks, then I broke the captive nuts that hold the mounts to chassis. They become the weaklink because they are only 8mm. That was a nightmare that ended in me welding the rear HD mounts to the chassis.
I've been looking into new bolt options.
I’m looking to upgrade rear sway bars on my 2008 do you recommend just the sway bars or do you think I need the links and bolts as well? I’m on a budget so can replace everything lmao, but I also don’t wanna get something new and then the links or bolt snap soon after😂
@@Bootsthompson upgrading the rear bar moves the weak point to the sway bar mounts, the oem mounts will break, nothing else will break if you keep replacing the mounts but if you upgrade to HD mounts it moves the weak point to the end links and they will break, upgrade those and generally you will be ok.
@@sneakyfoz3692 ok I appreciate the guidance! So first upgrade end links, then mounts, then the actual sway bars?
@@Bootsthompson just do the rear bar first, if you go 22mm or higher sooner or later the mounts will break as they will become the weakest part, at that point you decide if you want to keep replacing mounts with oem (cheap) and keep replacing them as they break, or just get HD mounts (expensive) and call it a day. The HD mounts will move the weak point to the end links and they will eventually break, then you can replace them.
Good stuff as usual! I recently did the rear with this same kit. Beefed up the rear links though. Made noticeable difference with just the rear bar upgrade.
What end links did you use?
DIY EVERYTHING Rallitek. Forgot the exact ones. Haven’t broken anything yet, but it’s only been a month or so. Fingers crossed.
They make a world of difference in the corners. always a safe bet to set them up in the middle but you will eventually go to the stiffest setting
I may change them but I am still waiting on the coilovers I ordered 3 weeks ago to arrive.
@@DIYEVERYTHING Yeah i started out on the lightest setting and quickly changed once i got coilovers. what brand did you go with?
Thanks for this, seems like an easy upgrade. Going to start with just the rear on my lifted 10 FXT
On lifted foresters, you may want to consider heavy duty sway bar mounts that won't twist or break under the stiffer load.
Cool upgrade. So did you notice a big different with the 22mm front and 22mm rear bar? Plus what settings did you decided to run on both in the long run front and back? Notice any more harsh or rough ride?
I set the rear on medium and the front is still on the soft setting but I may change that. Ride is firm but that's mostly due to the coil overs (Silver's Neomax). Cornering feels well planted and very little body roll. The addition of the VTD center diff has also helped a lot with understeer. So it's really a combination of things that has improved handling. It's it "rougher" than stock? Yes but it's not uncomfortable on a long drive.
Great video. Do you have the torque specs for the bfront bushing brackets? Thanks
You can search for the factory service manual for your vehicle online and will find most subarus have a free digital download.