Anyone with access to 2013 Subaru part numbers??

[ntippet]

Have you driven a 2013 and know the difference in handling?
Want the change over your 2012 without buying an entirely different vehicle?

[Nickshu]

Originally Posted by ntippet

Have you driven a 2013 and know the difference in handling?
Want the change over your 2012 without buying an entirely different vehicle?

Yes I drove a 2013 and it is much tighter. I have added the 2013 front sway bar and the 19mm rear sway bar, as well as the strut top bar to the OB and still find the ride too bouncy, especially at low speeds when going over bumps around corners, too much jiggle side to side, drives me nuts.

I have run the numbers on trading for a 2013 and I'd be looking at a $5000-7000 bath plus registering a new car in CO (about $800), so if I can install the 2013 suspension for less than $500 and one Saturday in my garage, plus alignment, I figure I come out pretty good. I am a very capable home mechanic with a nice 4-car garage, air tools, plenty of specialty stuff, so doing this sort of work is pretty easy for me.

I do know the 2013 chassis was reinforced at the front strut mounts, but I figure the strut top bar gets me some braceing there similar to 2013. AFAIK there was no chassis changes to the rear suspension pickup points, only to the rear drive shaft support to reduce vibration. Info on these details is scarce, so if you know anything further here I would appreciate the info.

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.

[DrD]

I had read (on cars101 among other places) that the improvements for 2013 were upgraded body structure with stiffer front strut mounting points (extra half mm or material) and the bushings in the rear subframe and rear axle housing were stiffened. The cars 101 site also said the rear springs were slightly stiffened - it didn't mention that the springs were increased 20% across the board, or that the fronts were changed at all, which has been implied in a number of other posts. Cars101 also said the rear sway was stiffened, which we know is incorrect (well, the outback went from 15 to 16mm) - the big change was the front sway from 23 to 26mm.

Anyway - I wouldn't jump out and buy all the parts until you could verify that they were in fact changed significantly enough to bother with - otherwise you'll just find your wallet $500+ lighter with no change to the way the car feels.

[Nickshu]

Originally Posted by DrD

I had read (on cars101 among other places) that the improvements for 2013 were upgraded body structure with stiffer front strut mounting points (extra half mm or material) and the bushings in the rear subframe and rear axle housing were stiffened. The cars 101 site also said the rear springs were slightly stiffened - it didn't mention that the springs were increased 20% across the board, or that the fronts were changed at all, which has been implied in a number of other posts. Cars101 also said the rear sway was stiffened, which we know is incorrect (well, the outback went from 15 to 16mm) - the big change was the front sway from 23 to 26mm.

Anyway - I wouldn't jump out and buy all the parts until you could verify that they were in fact changed significantly enough to bother with - otherwise you'll just find your wallet $500+ lighter with no change to the way the car feels.

Thanks for the reply, you make some great points. Still considering....

I do have my eye on the 2014 BMW 3-series GT coming out next year....

[ntippet]

Here is the next set.
Parts for 2012 3.6R AT Outback
There is only one common part which is highlighted red.

Front:
Coil Spring - #20330AJ06A
FR Strut - #20310AJ04A
FL Strut - #20310AJ05A
Strut Mount - #20320AJ00A
Spring Seat Upper - #20323AA100

Rear:
Coil Spring - #20380AJ08A
Shock Absorber - #20365AJ02B
Strut Mount - #20370YC002

[Nickshu]

Thanks!!! Much appreciated.

[Georgeh]

Some clear evidence that both shocks and springs changed in 2013, in both front and rear suspension. This doesn't entirely surprise me - it would be odd to decrease body roll by 40% by only increasing roll stiffness in the rear. That much increase in the rear would almost certainly lead to a car that oversteers.

Next question is - by how much did they increase spring rates and damping curves?

Nickshu, are you going to pull the trigger? You might be able to sell your take-offs to a 2013 owner who wants a softer ride...

[Nickshu]

Originally Posted by Georgeh

Some clear evidence that both shocks and springs changed in 2013, in both front and rear suspension. This doesn't entirely surprise me - it would be odd to decrease body roll by 40% by only increasing roll stiffness in the rear. That much increase in the rear would almost certainly lead to a car that oversteers.

Next question is - by how much did they increase spring rates and damping curves?

Nickshu, are you going to pull the trigger? You might be able to sell your take-offs to a 2013 owner who wants a softer ride...

I probably will, need to get thru my winter Porsche projects first.

Here is the cost breakdown (from Subaruonlineparts.com):

Front:
Coil Spring - #20330AJ14A - $32.65 (x2) = $65.30
FR Strut - #20310AJ10A - $112.46 (x1)
FL Strut - #20310AJ11A - $112.46 (x1)
Strut Mount - #20320AJ00B - $52.46 (x2) = $104.92
Spring Seat Upper - #20323AA100 - No cost/same part as 2012

Rear:
Coil Spring - #20380AJ13A - $29.75 (x2) = $59.50
Shock Absorber - #20365AJ06A - $97.46 (x2) = $194.92
Strut Mount - #20370AJ00A - $52.46 (x2) = 104.92

Total cost (not including shipping) = $754.48

So it turns out to be a little more than $500 but hopefully as you said I can recoupe some by selling 2012 parts.

[Pool Runner]

One thing I visually noticed about the 2013 2.5i I had as a loaner a week ago was that I could not see the positive camber in the rear wheels like I do on the 2010-2012 cars, this has me to believe perhaps the lateral links changed slightly or they dialed some negative camber on the '13.

I don't know if the front feels much different on the 3.6R, last one of those I drove was back in 2011 so I can't speak for the '13. That said I could not tell a difference in the way the front end felt on the '13 2.5i CVT to my '11 2.5i CVT, but the back was significantly stiffer. The car also tracked straight down the highway with zero effort, where I'm always having to correct my steering inputs.

[ntippet]

If you do swap the parts, take as many measurements on the springs and struts as possible.

This will help in performing some rough calculations of the springs rates between vehicles.
Compression Spring Calculator
Then with some hard data in hand you can put to rest all the speculation about stiffness and handling characteristics between these models.

You could also go as far as to put the dampeners on a shock dyno, but that would mean some out of pocket cost for you.
Autocross to Win (DGs Autocross Secrets) - Shocks