RB5 Owners Club Website

Anti-roll bar drop links control cornering ('roll') by pushing back on the suspension control arm when the vehicle starts to lean under the effect of cornering forces. The controlling force is fed into the suspension via the anti roll bar links. On the Impreza, these links are made from a rigid plastic and bushed in soft rubber. The replacement link is made of steel and uses low tolerance polyurethane bushes.

front (KLC20) rear (KLC19)

The OEM link is a compromised design, a largely unsuccessful attempt to blend low cost, the ability to transfer force and low NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) into one component. In particular the OEM bar does not transmit force in a linear fashion as cornering speeds rise. Instead it deforms, bending and stretching which makes the output suspension movement far less predictable.

The new steel links transmit force with much more precision, greatly improving the 'predictability' of the car's handling under fierce cornering conditions.

I managed to get both front and rear sets for £79 from J-W Racing as part of a Scoobynet group buy.

Installation (KLC20 Front)

2 x solid drop links & polyurethane bushes
2 x large washers
2 x medium washers
2 x small washers
2 x long bolts (15mm)
2 x short bolts (13mm)
2 x Nyloc nuts (14mm)
2 x Flange nuts (13mm)
grease
instructions (for both front & rear)

First thing is to lift the whole car and not just the chassis. The front is a bit more tricky since the low spoiler on the MY99 cars prevents you from simply driving onto some ramps. I had to get a half-dozen or so lengths of 3x2" square and 6' long boards to start raising the car gently onto the ramps. You need help to align the wheels on the ramps and too make sure everything's OK.

Once the front-end is raised, simple undo the existing drop links. You'll need a 14mm spanner and socket wrench for the top nut & bolt, but a 12mm spanner and socket wrench for the bottom ones.

One the drop link is removed, just fit the new solid one, greasing the poly bushes. It's much easier to fit the bottom bush first. This allows you to pull down the Anti-Roll Bar to align with the top bush.

Installation (KLC19 Rear)

2 x solid drop links & polyurethane bushes
2 x large washers
6 x small washers
4 x bolts (16mm)
4 x Nyloc nuts (16mm)
grease
instructions (for both front & rear)

As with the fronts, you need to raise the car to get access to the rear suspension. You need to raise the wheels along with the chassis, otherwise the suspension arms will drop with the wheels and although you'll get the drop links undone, you'll not get them back on. A proper garage vehicle ramp or pit would be ideal, but some simple wheel ramps are fine.

Next, use a 14mm spanner & socket wrench to undo the nut & bolt holding the drop link in-place. My nearside drop link came off pretty easily, but the offside top nut was seized. I simply sprayed on some WD40 and left it to soak while I got on with the other side. You may want to spray these and leave them for 30mins before starting the job.

Once the old drop link is off, cover the poly bushes of the new solid drop links with the white grease as supplied in the kit. Next, just simply bolt the new drop link back in-place of the old one. You need a 16mm spanner and socket wrench to put the new bolts/nuts on. I found it easier to put the bottom bolt in first, as the Anti-Roll Bar that connects to the top bolt is easier to move around and align with the drop link. The Top bolt uses the large washer (outside, towards wheel) and the smaller washers on the inside top and on both inside/outside on the bottom bolt. The nuts go on the inside for both.

Don't tighten the nuts fully until you've done the opposite side. Give everything a quick check over to make sure everything's all aligned properly, then simply tighten all the nuts.

Here is the instruction leaflet supplied with the front & rear kits.