New member here. I bought a 2009 G37x sedan almost a year ago to stop myself pouring money at my last car - Subaru WRX STI. It was a never ending story with upgrades and repairs-engine, transmission, differentials, paints, spoilers etc.
I've got to tell you that the itch is not cured. I managed to stay put almost a year but now I want to do something to this car. It is nicer/more luxury looking car but driving or power wise I feel it like a downgrade.
Engine upgrades are not in question here because the only worthy option for me is FI-which is quite expensive. Next best thing FOR ME is chassis and suspension.
From my experience with the Impreza, it really made quite a difference with all the bracing that I installed. When I say bracing, I mean everything-front and back strut tower braces, a-pillar or fender braces, H-brace under the engine, front and back end brace and x-brace behind the rear seat and it had a factory brace under the rear seat.
I'm not a fan of hard suspension and stiff anti roll bars. The way i did set up my impreza suited me really good. STIFF chassis and very compliant suspension.
Now to the question:
Do you have experience with bracing this fat pig of a car and how does it feel?
Regards!

 

Waste of money. Bracing would be the last thing on the list.

Sway bars and more aggressive wheels and tires.

 

You seem predisposed to dismiss sways because of your experience with other cars. However, the best thing you can do for the G is swap in aftermarket swaybars. The ride quality isn't compromised at all, but the handling is vastly improved.

Lego is right... sways and tires are your first best handling mods.

 

I'm a fan of the Herb Adams school of suspension design -- big sway bars, "soft" springs and good dampers.

 

You will be hard pressed to find front braces for the X. Most are made for the RWD model. Besides, the X comes with more bracing in the front the then RWD. That said in the rear you can brace the crap out of your rear subframe. I think i have 4 different braces back there and a Nismo damper. You will only notice at 85ish+ around corners, not going to lie. I noticed an increase in rigidity, but only at high speeds. The damper made the most improvements, and that was in "softening" up the roughness of everything.

Listen to everyone else: get better sways first and good rubber. Lower your center of gravity and then fix your roll center. Then look to stiffening things up.

For the record in the rear I have a UR lower bar brace, UR rear 4-point brace, SoulFunction tie bar brace, and a custom W brace.

 

That's true. There's a pair of braces under the engine on the AWD Sedan. The Vert has a similar design, but slightly different looking for some reason I can't explain. However, the RWD Sedan has none.

So I added the Vert's engine cradle braces to the car... and never noticed a thing. That doesn't mean it didn't reduce body flex, it just means that I couldn't tell they were there.

 

Important to note that the G is based on a pretty rigid platform to begin with. Subarus, especially before the current generation, not so much.

 

Sways & sticky tires. Strut bar if you wanna get fancy.

 

Thanks everyone! I will listen to your advice. If you can't feel the difference with braces it means that the G is pretty solid. Good to know that the weight is there for a reason.
I'm sure that it was discussed before but anyway. What do you find as best option for sway bars? Street use only! Mainly small back roads, almost no highway driving. Thickness? Front? Back? Does changing the sways change the balance of the car? BTW, I don't mind a little more oversteer!
Thanks again I did not expect so many replies!

 

I might be a MM-2MM off but the front sway on the AWD model is already pretty thick and an after market might be 1-3MM thicker; it's the rear at 17MM that's making the boat rock.


If you go after market I'd recommend Hotchkis (Eibach makes a great set as well). They're slightly thicker than the front by 1-3MM at 35MM (stock is 31-32MM) 27-28MM for the rear fort the Hotchkis? They also have zerks on the clamps for easy re-greasing which is convenient.

Or...you could buy someone's RWD sway bar which is 26-27MM stock and have the best of both worlds for cheaper...

 

Until it becomes the new normal, you'll appreciate the mod every time you roll into a turn. It's not so much the type of roads you're on, or how severe the turn is, it's the speed you apply to familiar turns. For example, that curve in the road that you used to take comfortably at 30 mph, you can now pull through at 40 mph with the same confidence. And that seriously aggressive turn that you had to back off because the nose of your car started to plow into the outside corner... say goodbye and good riddance to understeer.

Match this mod with summer-only performance tires, and your car's AWD system, and you'll be attacking those back roads.

Also, if you want more steering control when you launch hard into a sharp turn from a standing start or low speed, a FSTB will help there. But it's a very minimal change compared to the swaybars.

 

Sorry to jack thread but interested to hear about the braces. I’m thinking of getting a custom rear strut tower brace made. 2 reasons, 1) hopefully functional lol, 2) the white bar matching the car going across the trunk will look badass!

Wondering what else I can do to tighten up the rear, the front is perfect

Handling mods:
Rpf1 and pilot sport, full spl catolog, k sport coils, Hotchkis sways, Cusco strut brace all on my x. No bracing underneath yet. Any recommendations?