How to Install a Subaru WRX Rear Strut Bar

The Subaru WRX is a turbocharged, all-wheel-drive sport sedan or wagon that has benefited greatly from Subaru's involvement in off-road rally racing. The WRX is a fast and fun car to drive. But like all cars, it can be improved. A rear strut brace is a common upgrade. The brace bolts to the tops of the rear strut towers and reduces chassis flex as the car is driven around corners.

• 1

  Remove the 12 mm bolts that hold the bottom cushion of the back seat in place. Remove the seat cushion by pulling the front edge of it straight up. Set the cushion aside. Make sure that the cargo panel that goes to the trunk it unlatched.

• 2

  Remove the three nuts at the top of each rear strut tower that hold the upper strut in place. On a WRX, the tops of the strut towers are located just below the rear seat belt retracting mechanisms on either side of the car.

• 3

  Loosen and remove the bolts that hold the seat belt retractors in place so that there is enough clearance to install the strut brace.

• 4

  Install the strut brace mounts on either side. If these are bolted to the strut brace when you remove it from the packaging, remove the mounts from the brace and then install them on either side of the car on the upper strut towers. Install the three nuts that were removed and tighten them to 14.5 foot-pound with a torque wrench. Reinstall the seat belt retractors and tighten the nuts to 22 foot-pound.

• 5

  Install one end of the bar on one of the mounts, but do not fully tighten the bolt. Adjust the nut in the middle of the bar so that the length of the bar allows the holes to line up with the opposite mount. Tighten the hardware that holds the bar to the mounts on either end of the bar. Tighten the center adjusting nut.

• 6

  Reinstall the rear seats. Make sure that both of the rear seat belts work properly as well and that the bar does not interfere with their operation.