Tested: TiC WRX Suspension Components
MotoIQ Staff Reportt
Here at MotoIQ we really love our jobs; despite the pay or lack thereof we get the chance to play with some really cool toys, see some really cool cars, and test some cutting edge parts! One of the difficult things we face is having parts we really want to test that do not apply to one of our immediate project cars. When we have those scenarios we are forced to improvise by finding a guinea pig vehicle and having our way with someone else’s ride for our own sick pleasure and for the sake of filling this web-site with real world content. In this case the bovine friendly folks at Turn in Concepts wanted us to put some of their latest products through the proverbial MotoIQ paces and report back with our rants and raves.
For this test TiC wanted our review on the CarLabs Development X Brace and Super Sexy bushing set for the 02-07 Impreza Sedan platforms.
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| No this is not a backpack from a Star Wars action figure… This is the assembled X brace and you can see How the lower half of the brace mounts to the base of the chassis near the rear seats and uses proprietary strut tower mounts and turnbuckles to place the brace and thus the chassis in constant tension. If you want to know more keep reading 😉 |
TiC and CarLab Development have partnered together to revive this brace. CarLab had designed this amazing piece some years ago only to have their focus shift and put a halt to the sale and production of said unit. Turn in Concepts had a longstanding love affair with this patented X brace design and after a discussion of the design rights they came to an agreement with CarLab ot bring the brace back to market. Lucky YOU! In the initial design phase CarLab offered the following statistics relative to their testing and impressions of the X brace. Would we have the same findings?
• 12% increase in torsional rigidity
• 10% increase in lateral acceleration
• 0.1g increase on skidpad
• Improved slalom speed / time
• Significantly reduced lap times
• improved ride quality
• Fewer squeaks and rattles
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| The super sexy bushing set uses 95A Durometer graphite impregnated split design bushings as well as stainless steel crush sleeves. |
The Super Sexy Bushing kit uses the above parts to replace both of the bushings on the rear trailing arm as well as the lateral link. This kit will get your rear end back in line and is so sexy it will impress Christina Hendricks; YES it is THAT sexy, or at least it is according to TiC. Oh and it's worth mentioning that this set will fit the following models:
• Impreza – 2007 and earlier
• Forester – 2008 and earlier
• Legacy – 1999 and earlier
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| Here is our top secret test mule! If you recognize this car PLEASE do not tell them we jacked their car and installed these bitchin' parts. We are trying for a “blind test”. |
