2008-2011 Outback Sport Options and Mods

[Outback Sport]

Hello All,
This forum is a ghost town. I know the Impreza Outback Sport is the ******* stepchild to the Outback line, but I know I love them, and I'm sure there are plenty of us out there.
I am thinking about upgrading my rear sway bar (by actually putting one there). I would like to go with an 18mm or maybe a 19mm, but I don't want to stiffen it up too much. Any help with actually doing this mod would be a great help. I have heard the 08 WRX rear bar is 18mm. Are these a straight install?

Also of note, the 2011 OBS will have a moonroof option available that comes with a TomTom Navi. It will be marked as "option package 32" and will begin production in September for November delivery. My new 2011 is already on it's way, so no moonroof for me.

Post your pictures and let us know how you personalized your Outback Sport.

Also, I miss the non-functional hood scoop. I don't know why, but I do.

[09OBS]

Never wanted a moonroof here in Seattle - too much rain! I've been thinking about getting a rear sway bar as well as a front strut post installed over the engine. But not soon as I'm in school and have no money. Car handles great for me, perhaps cornering any faster would give me vertigo anyway...

[Ogden]

Sway bars:
Rear - Any rear bar for the WRX will fit the 2.5i/OBS. You will need the bar, endlink, and the mounting hardware.

Front - WRX bars are NOT COMPATIBLE - The exhaust routing will interfere with the front bar. You can get an upgraded front bar specifically for the 2.5i/OBS from Rallitek.

If you want to upgrade just the rear, then you will need a bar, endlinks, AND the mounting hardware.

Springs:
09+ WRXs have upgraded struts, if you are upgrading the springs, you might want to consider replacing your struts as some people have had problems with aftermarket springs being to stiff for the 2.5i/OBS.

Bracing:

Front strut tower brace - any WRX bar should be compatible

Rear strut tower brace - any WRX bar should be compatible

Lower chassis brace - not compatible. Exhaust routing again. I would confirm or test-fit anything you wanted to do under car before you go to all the trouble of modding.

Cosmetics - Anything for the WRX will work on your car. Keep in mind that we have the non-premium bumpers and the underguards, so lips, spats, skirts, etc. may not be compatible.

My '09 Outback Sport:



More pics and the list of modifications at:

Ogden's 2009 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport - MySubie.com

[Outback Sport]

Those are a great list of mods and a wonderful looking OBS. A couple questions:
1. What is "The big three" mod
2. What exactly is the STI hatchback trim?

Also, the moonroof package I mentioned before will also be accompanied by a "Special Edition" badge. This I thought was interesting. Seems like a very minor addition for the Special Edition treatment.

[09OBS]

Are there any cheaper after-market front strut braces available that would be an easy DIY install for the 09 OBS?

[Ogden]

Originally Posted by Outback Sport

Those are a great list of mods and a wonderful looking OBS. A couple questions:
1. What is "The big three" mod
2. What exactly is the STI hatchback trim?

Also, the moonroof package I mentioned before will also be accompanied by a "Special Edition" badge. This I thought was interesting. Seems like a very minor addition for the Special Edition treatment.

1) The "Big Three" is adding larger wiring under the hood. Specifically the main battery ground, the alternator ground, and the positive line between the battery and the alternator. It's recommended if you intend to do significant modifications that draw power, like big audio, lots of lights, etc. A stereo upgrade is in the future somewhere for me, as are some additional lights, so I figured while I was doing the gorunding kit, I would pay a bit more and do the big-3 as well. It might be overkill.

2) The STI hatchback trim is the piece of plastic that sits between the reverse lights on the hatch. On the Outback Sport, 2.5i's and WRX's, it's chrome. On the STI, however, it comes body color. A lot of people do not like all the chrome on the rear of the car. As a result, many people have come up with different ways to paint, remove, tint, cover, etc, the chrome trim.

Because my car is Obsidian Black Pearl (OBP) and OBP is a color that the STI comes in, I didn't have to paint anything. I just bought the OEM piece for the black STI. This way I get an OEM part with factory paint.

That said, the piece is kind of expensive for what it is, and it wasn't high on my list of modifications to do, but I came across someone selling one used for $50 shipped and couldn't pass that deal up.

[Ogden]

Originally Posted by 09OBS

Are there any cheaper after-market front strut braces available that would be an easy DIY install for the 09 OBS?

You can pick up a brace on eBay pretty cheap, but you get what you pay for. There are lots of companies that make the braces though; Whiteline, Cobb, GTSpec, and others.

I would do the rear sway bar over the strut bar. If you hunt around on some of the WRX forums, you should find someone selling their OEM WRX rear bar. Don't pay more than $75-100 for it (with endlinks included). If you don't see one at that price, just be patient and keep looking, you'll find one.

Some folks say that any added stiffness from a strut bar is completely lost in the softer suspension that the non-turbo Imprezas have. I have the SPT strut bar but it was a gift. I would probably have bought upgraded sways or springs before I chose to purchase it. I kinda think it might help every now and then, but I can't say that I feel any dramatic improvement in the handling like I did when I installed the rear sway bar.

I would tend to think that if you want to make the car stiffer, you will get more out of a rear strut tower brace. Most of them intrude into the hatch too much and you lose too much cargo space for me. GTSpec and Cobb both make rear strut braces.

[Outback Sport]

Originally Posted by Ogden

If you hunt around on some of the WRX forums, you should find someone selling their OEM WRX rear bar.

Does the rear OEM bar have to be from a hatchback only WRX or would the WRX sedan sway bar fit too?

This will be the first thing that I add

[Ogden]

I think that the sedan and hatch sway bars are interchangeable.

[Outback Sport]

I have read a whole bunch of reviews on the 2008-2011 impreza OBS and they all say 2 things:
1) Handling is not as aggressive (rear sway should shore that up)
2) The headlights suck

As for #2, I will be purchasing Titanium White bulbs from Luminics for both my low and high beams.
Here's a link:
Titanium White Headlights by Luminics

I once spent months searching for the "best" bulbs to put on a Suzuki 650S I once owned. These seemed best. They have a color output of 5500K, this is as white as white can get w/o looking like those cheap blue aftermarket bulbs. I put these on my bike and I could not believe the transformation. The cleanest, purest white, and nighttime visibility was as good as it could get. The white color is equal to the pure white color from LEDs. The road looked like the signs and lane lines were glowing. Just thought I would share if anybody is looking for a new set of bulbs. I can vouch for these.

The only question is what do I put in my fogs? Do I go with a JDM Yellow? Do I go with a PIAA style yellow? Do I not go with yellow at all?

This is the bike. The main lights are titanium, and the small parkers are a cool-blue LED cluster. I know its hard to get the feel for lights from pictures, but trust me, the OEMs look like candles compared to this.