2004+ BL/BP Legacy GT and Outback XT rear stabilizer bar upgrade

Well, it is finally here. Our own rear stabilizer bar upgrade for the Legacy GT and Outback XT. This is a 20mm solid rear stabilizer bar that offers a nice upgrade in roll resistance over the Japanese OEM 20mm rear stabilizer bar of tube construction, and is a big upgrade over the standard rear stabilizer bar in the Legacy and Outback. It is an adjustable bar that has two settings, allowing you to fine-tune your handling even more.

Buy it at our online shop now! 

Fit and finish is top-notch and comes in our signature AVO Orange. OEM-look black will be available in the future for people looking for a slightly stealthier look. It has been designed to match the bends and curves of the OEM 20mm bar with an adjustable end, and as such, it fits perfectly with plenty of space around it for even upgraded exhaust systems.

While fitting and testing the bar, AVO reached the same conclusion that everybody else has, the rear bracket area is barely adequate for holding the rear stabilizer bar in place. The amount of flex that it went through as we were fitting the bar was borderline unacceptable, and I sometimes wonder if Subaru started fitting smaller rear bars so as to put less stress on that area. Both sides were already bent, not absolutely surprising given the amount of testing this car has undergone in the last two years, and the stabilizer endlinks were not totally straight up and down as they would have been normally. So AVO took the time to build a pair of rear stabilizer bar bracket reinforcements, and will have these made available (in much more finished form) in the near future.

After a day of fitment and creating the rear brackets, it was finally time to do the dirty and test it on the road. The weather had not been the greatest, so our first day of testing took place on very wet roads, which necessitated a bit of moderation, especially given the unknown nature of the handling at this point. Two things became quickly apparent when driving briskly through the corners. The first was the improvement in turn-in, with the front feeling a bit lighter, carving in quickly with little fuss. The second was a bit surprising, though. Bringing it closer to the limits showed that there was a bit of neutral understeer dialed in with the softest setting. I was quite glad to discover this, as frankly, AWD vehicles are not the best for power-on oversteer antics, as it will tend to slow you down overall. As it now goes into a corner flatter at the rear, there is a bit more traction available back there with less toe change, making it feel much better when committing to a corner. There was some nervousness to the rear suspension in stock form that I had not realized was there till this bar was put in place. With the new stabilizer bar and the rear mount upgrade, it's now absolutely suspense-free.

What I should mention here is that this is not a gymkhana setup. It will be great on the circuit in road races, but it's designed to work with the standard 21mm solid front stabilizer bar for a better overall balance. It hasn't affected the ride quality at all, which is still rather supple and smooth. In fact, I've been able to adjust the dampers to a much softer setting overall, yet maintaining a level of handling comparable to when it is set to full-hard. It has become much easier to drive because of this. Personally, two thumbs up on this upgrade. What was not a bad suspension in the first place now feels sublime.

MSRP is $240.00usd with two polyurethane bushings included, and we will have a sale on the initial 10 bars for $200.00usd.

These prices include shipping to North America via air freight.