For some drivers, one of the complaints about the 2010 to current year Subaru Outback’s is that despite the rugged look it drives more like a butterfly floating through the air.

There are a few simple things that can be done to enhance the feel for the driver, one is just increasing the tire pressure to something closer to the Max PSI rating for the tire VS the ratings on the door, this needs to be done with care and caution.  Next despite your New Outback having new tires, there is always a better tire.

The suspension in the current era Subaru Outback is built much more for Comfort than the “Drivers Experience” this is really because there are many more options for Subaru now such as the Forester XT, WRX, STI and Legacy GT models with a more tuned to the road type of driving experience.

The most common thing we have done is a modification to the vehicles involving replacing the rear sway bar with a 19mm unit for a 2009 STI, this requires replacing the sway bar bushing to match the diameter of the 19mm sway bar and It’s not a bad idea to check the alignment as well.

It will stiffen the ride up quite a bit, correcting some of the higher speed sway and in my opinion enhancing the drivers experience and regaining a sense of control of the vehicle at all speeds.  I will point out that my wife liked the way it drove before and I do think that this speaks to a driver for every car and a car for every driver type statement.  You can modify just about any vehicle you own to reflect your tastes.

Modification VS warranty.

If you modify your Subaru your warranty is still valid with the exception of the component you replaced and any affected systems.  Meaning if you replace the rear sway bar with a larger diameter sway bar and a link pin breaks as a result that would not be a warrantable repair, however if you replace the rear sway bar and the check engine light comes on a month later from a failed 02 sensor your still covered provided the car is in fact still under warranty in terms of mileage and time.   I want to again be clear there is no such thing as a voided warranty only deniable of a warranty claim in the event that an aftermarket component caused the failure or there is clear indisputable evidence of driver abuse.

Below find some pictures of the rear sway bar modification in progress.  We also added a set of White line Adjustable end links later on to see if there was a difference, while I did seem to notice an improvement with the Whiteline end links I didn’t care for how they fit and they were technically for a 2009 STI, look for a follow up article later on that modification in the future

2012 Outback sway bar

As you ca see there is a pretty big difference in size of the sway bar from the 2010 up Outback VS the STI.

Subaru Outback Sway Bar Upgrade

2010 to 2010 Subaru Outback sway bar end link

2012 Subaru Outback Sway Bar Modification

Subaru Outback Sway bar and End links

White line Adjustable end link Kit

We have tried the car as I mentioned with both the Factory Links and White line Adjustable links.  Ill post an update when I have put some miles on the configuration as we now have  it.

Thanks For Reasding

Justin

Helping you, get more out of your Subaru!