Question on removing rear sway bar brackets
 

I am pondering the idea of switching to the 2022 BRZ sway bar mounting setup. Everything looks plug and play except for the location of the factory rear sway bar brackets. These will need to be cut off to make room for where the bushings are supposed to sit.

What is the best way to go about this? Cut at the welds or just snip off the bracket itself? Would this be a potentially hazardous job if I don't remove the subframe before taking a grinder to it (sparks?).

https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.7b44dd7f...pid=ImgRaw&r=0

BRZ has separate brackets, while GR86 retains the old design.

Correct but the new brz “bracket bar” won’t fit unless the old brackets are cut out. But I just talked to a mechanic who said it wouldn’t be advisable to do cutting with the subframe still on the car.

I feel like the 2022 BRZ setup is just these braces but with a bar in-between connecting them.

https://i.imgur.com/kXA1JLj.jpg

https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.10eec443...pid=ImgRaw&r=0

I'm curious what differs from a BRZ configuration to a GR86 + a brace.
IMO, marketing.

For me it's just the idea of weight savings. With the 22 brz "brace" you get to eliminate the standard brackets, the washer underneath the rear bushings, and ultimately have a one-piece brace that I imagine weighs less than the AVO brackets + whatever cross brace.

I'm also curious about the below brackets, but they clearly do not connect to the uni-body like the AVO ones do.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/24...g?v=1526582971

I do not run a RSB on my '22....

I’ll buy the sway bar bracket from you if you’re not using it ;)

I decided to buy the 22+ and give it a shot. Hopefully it will be here by the end of the month.,

After some pondering I realized that the 2022 is nothing like that AVO brace. I'm actually not a fan of that brace after thinking about what it is actually accomplishing. The OEM sway bar brackets move with the subframe as they are welded to them. With the AVO brace you are essentially locking the sway bar bracket to the subframe BOLT which means that you are bracing the entire rear of the subframe by a welded on bracket. Seems like too much stress on that part to me.

With this 2022 BRZ setup, when the subframe compresses the sway bar mounts won't move at all as they are mounted to the subframe bolts which do not move side to side
like the bushings that go around them. With the stock setup, the bar brackets will move with the subframe which isn't that big of a deal as the control arms they control also move with the subframe. But having the sway bar be independent of subframe movement seems like it'll add quicker response and potentially a higher effective sway bar rate.

/pretendengineer

If possible, could you mock up the sway bar mount so we can see the difference between the 2 on the car?

Yes I'll do my best but it'll most likely be impossible as the 2 setups will interfere with each other.

Here is a comparison picture for now though. Left side is 2022 brz and right side is "normal". Biggest tell is how the left sway bar bushing is now facing the front of the car.

You can also see how they cut the 2022 brz bracket in half, as well as the sway bar itself for display purposes.

Bushings, bolts, brackets, subframe bolts, and endlinks are all the same part #s between a 2013 and 2022. Rear sway bar part # is different but I know it is 14mm like the 2013 rear bar but without knowing the specific differences I don't see a point in getting it.

The large dome washer underneath the 2 rear mounts is replaced by the one piece bracket.

https://i.imgur.com/U6D1RbP.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cFNuIh6.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/FV00pk7.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/QUP6jZ6.png

Also worth noting is that on the 2015+ WRX/STi, Subaru included a similar rear subframe brace that connected the 2 mounting points together. For the 2022 BRZ it seems that they just decided to take the principal of this piece and weld sway bar mounts to it.

https://i.imgur.com/6pun8Dk.jpg

The 2022 WRX seems to use the same direct bar mounting method as the 2022 BRZ but with a different part.

https://i.imgur.com/RB69dIt.jpg

I'm aware of the possible issue. It may still work though. If we could get the I.D. of the first gen mount, I could give the O.D. of the second gen. Also, the bushing is rotated 180 deg. so the mount is slightly farther aft.

Nevermind. The second pic really drives it home with the big ass flange on top. You may be able to put it on the bolts and let it rest low.

Just wanted to give a small update:

Struggling to find a shop to cut off my factory brackets, but I have an appointment with a local one on Thursday.

I “test fitted” both bracket assemblies to see if they fit together and they clearly do not. Not only because there is no room for the bushings with both pieces in, but also there’s a metal protrusion that interferes with the factory brackets.

https://i.imgur.com/kJSIBLo.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/XUMhdUJ.jpg

Also a shower thought I had: my Verus rear diffuser had its brackets snapped off years ago and recently I’ve noticed how my Verus suspension covers were twisted. I know I haven’t scraped either in a while so I was always so confused…until I realized 2 of the diffuser mounts are attached to the subframe, while the suspension covers are bolted to the frame. No wonder it snapped!