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Difficulty: Moderate
Cost: ~$100
Time Needed: 90 minutes
Tools Needed:
- Phillips screwdriver
- Flathead screwdriver
- Socket wrench or air ratchet
- 10mm socket with extension
- 14mm open-end wrench
- 14mm ratcheting box wrench
What exactly do these braces do? They help stiffen the chassis and create a better-handling Impreza. Tucked right behind the fender, they help tie the front clip of the chassis to the main section of the body. Ohio-based Turn In Concepts produces these, and after installation, I did notice a significant difference. The vehicle feels much more stable under load and less "sloppy." The car responds well now, much tighter than previously, and corners like it's on rails.
Will these performance gains be the same for everyone? It's hard to say. My RS is already highly tuned in the suspension department. I do recommed this to anyone looking to improve their car's handling, however.
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TiC makes a beautiful set of fender braces. These are crafted from 6061 aluminum and beautifully TIG-welded. |
| Step 1: Teardown |
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Raise the front of the car. If you're using a jack, use jackstands, jackass! Remove the front wheels. |
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We now need to get behind the front fenderliners. On this car, the fender liners are broken into two pieces. We only need to remove the rear portion to get to where we need to go. Study the trail of fender liner clips... |
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...and remove the necessary ones to take out the fenderliner. |
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The very top portion of the fenderliner also has a 10mm bolt holding it in place. |
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Now you can see the factory stamped-steel cowl brace tucked up in the fender. |
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To allow a little more room to work, remove the screws securing the airbag wiring and move the wiring and bracket to the side. |
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With the airbag line off to the side, you can now being removing the factory fender brace. I had the best luck removing the lower bolts first, and then moving to the upper bolts. There is very little room to work, so I recommend using a ratcheting box wrench. It's still going to take some verbal wrenching (i.e. swearing) to get the bolts out.
| | Step 2: Installation |
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Here's a comparison shot between the stamped-steel original and the ultra-strong aluminum replacement. |
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Installation is the reverse of disassembly. Take your time and be careful. Keep the bolts loose until all four are in, then tighten. |
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Uh oh. Disaster! The fourth bolt would not go in at all for me. Turns out the new braces didn't exaclty line up with the bolt holes in the factory brace. |
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With the two braces lined up, you can clearly see the difference. Time for power tools! I broke out the drill and elongated the hole slighly. |
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Once the brace is lined-up properly, tighten down all four bolts. There is no official torque spec, but a couple of "grunts" should do it. Put your fenderliner back on, and the wheel, lower the car to the ground, and take it for a testdrive! |
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