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wagon vs sedan- what's different what's the same

153K views 27 replies 18 participants last post by  Chase 
#1 ·
I get lot's of questions on differences/similarities between the wagon and sedan- many dealng w/ what fits what doesn't. A quick comment on fit, when I say it fits it means it fits well- there are many parts that can be swapped onto a wagon/sedan that "fit", but don't really fit :)

Differences besides the obvious shape, the wagon weighs more- this differs between model years, but at a minimum your talking 80 lbs- not a lot, but some. The wagon does have slightly better weight ratio57.5/42.5 vs 59/41 for the sedan. Track- the sedan track is ~ 20mm wider, not a lot, but enough to make a difference in what parts swap and what don't.

Lets start w/ sway bars. The front sway bars are different in length (same 20mm diamter though)- the sedan one 20mm longer. What's interesting is that many (most) companoes offer a single front sway bar for both the sedan and wagon- my guess is these are sedan bars. The problem putting a longer sway bar on is your sway links are no longer at a optimum (straight up and down) angle- they become like so \ /. The front sway links also differ, the wagon has "dogbone" plastic/rubber, the sedan spherical (pillowball) ones. They don't swap either as they are mounted differently on the front control arm (transverse link). Rear sway bars are the same- same length, same diameter- the only difference is in 02 the sedan had a 20mm rear bar, the wagon alwyas 17mm, the sedan after 02 17mm as well. Same plastic/rubber "C" rear sway links.

Front control arm (transverse link)- these differ as this is how the sedan gets it's wider track up front. 10mm/side longer than the wagon ones w/ a single mounting tab for the spherical sway link, vs a double tab for the wagon sway link. Folks have/are running sedan arms on the wagon, because they do "fit". There are actually some benefits of running sedan arms n a wagon- wider track up front (vs rear) dials out understeer. You will also see a little more neg camber w/ a longer front control arm. This necissitates sedan front sway bar and sedan links. One thing to keep in mind is the wagon and sedan have different axles up front, it appears that the difference isn't 10mm/side as you might expect, but much less- this has allowed wagon guys to run sedan arms up front w/o swapping axles. I have not measured the axles side by side, so proceed w/ caution if considering this oe play it safe and swap axles as well.

Springs are the same up front- sedan to wagon. The oe rear springs are firmer by ~ 10% on the wagon (117 vs 132 ft lbs). More importantly the differ in free length, wagon springs are slightly longer. This is why when running sedan springs on a wagon you end up w/ "saggy butt"- this difference amounts to ~ 8mm.

Struts- the front strut bodies differ between sedan and wagon, but either will bolt up to the other. The difference is in the mounting flange and where the two strut holes are drilled. Running sedan struts on a wagon will cause you to give up ~ .5-.7 degrees of neg camber- this is fairly significant as the oe configuration only yeilds ~ -1.3 total- thus more than half is lost. The rear struts appear to be much closer in their design and the camber change is little to none- this isn't based on my personal observation, but by someone I trust. Interestingly I find curous that there is a great demand for wagon struts by sedan guys/gals as the opposite would be true- an additional .8 degrees on tap :) Strut tops are the same wagon to sedan within the same model year groupings.

Ride height- oe ride height for the wagon is 387/376mm, the sedan is 396/376- this is simply a function of the sedan front wheel arch higher than the wagon.

Trailing links are the same wagpn/sedan.

Lateral links differ in length ~ 10mm (sedan being longer). The 02-04 wagons also had a differntly designed fron lateral- commonly refered to as the "taco"- a rather weak design that could collapse pretty easy. In 05+ both recieved aluminum front lateral links of the same design (but different lengths).

The length between struts front and rear are the same wagon/sedan- thus strut bars can be used interchangably (there are wagon specific rear strut bars that fit the wagon a little better, but a sedan bar will fit). One large difference in the rear is due to the wagon having a fold down seat- the wagon lacks the reinforcement the sedna has between the rear struts- thus the reason wagon owners benefit more w/ a rear strut bar.

The wider track offered by the sedan lets bigger wheel/tire combos to be fitted easier-as a general rule sedans can fit ~ 20mm wider section widths than the wagon.
 
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#3 ·
Awesome info, thanks for taking the time too share all of that. I ran into all kind of conflicting info on struts, as I wanted something adjustable. Many folks sell the AGXs as sedan/wagon but KYB set me straight. Same scenario with an Eibach coilover, can't remember what they're called. Both companies have good tech people you can actually talk too. I guess I'm still planning on adding a little at a time, Koni cartridges, camber plates etc. Your scoop has me thinking about the control arms now...hmm...

I think you missed one important difference though. The wagon will hold a drumset, PA system, guitar amp and guitars, or three kids with hockey gear. The sedan can't do that !!
 
#5 ·
My wagon at track days looks like one of those clown cars unloading. The Porsche guys pull out a lunch and a jacket :)- I pull out my floor jack, four stands, my rhino ramps, air tank, two rubbermiad action packers- filled to the brim w/ tools/fluids/spare parts, folding seats, umbrella, rain gear, small cooler- and that's just the hatch- I've got room in the back seat for four mounted tire/wheels :D

Yeah - wagons are pretty functional :)
 
#6 ·
wagonracer said:
I think you missed one important difference though. The wagon will hold a drumset, PA system, guitar amp and guitars, or three kids with hockey gear. The sedan can't do that !!
great write up! that's why i bought one also, but add a wife, dog, and a kid, and all their stuff. I'm going on a road trip over thanksgiving from Seattle to Colorado Springs. After 22 hours of driving it will be nice to have the extra room.
 
#7 ·
Big Sky said:
My wagon at track days looks like one of those clown cars unloading. The Porsche guys pull out a lunch and a jacket :)- I pull out my floor jack, four stands, my rhino ramps, air tank, two rubbermiad action packers- filled to the brim w/ tools/fluids/spare parts, folding seats, umbrella, rain gear, small cooler- and that's just the hatch- I've got room in the back seat for four mounted tire/wheels :D

Yeah - wagons are pretty functional :)

LoL!! I bet the Porsche guy are like. WTF
 
#8 ·
I have a Wagon also and I love it, i also have music gear, snowboards and hockey stuff to bring around. But it is a bit harder to find a good selection of suspention parts. Then again i dont think ill ever track it, maybe one day I might decided to do an autoX for the fun of it, probly dont really need a suspention upgrade, just like working on the car, i do love how it handles stock.
 
#9 ·
Thanks Big Sky for the info, it was really helpful. I just going to post and ask the diffrences, but decided to search around for an answer first. I just bought my 05 wagon and im doing alot of research on parts. I kept noticed on the suspension parts that some stuff was listed for sedans or sedans only and then every now and then you see something wagon specific. Im a big fan of Cusco parts, so i plan on putting a good bit of their suspension parts on mixed with some gtspec and whiteline. The previous owner had put a replica STi rear strut bar on the car before i bought it, i will probably replace it with a removable whiteline one, since it limits me carrying larger loads.

Love my wagon though, tons of room and still as quick as the sedans.
 
#12 ·
yes you can do it w/o swapping fenders. you need sedan control arms (lateral links are the rear arms), sedan sway bar and sedan sway links. the front axles are different, but lots of folks running the sedan arms w/o swapping axles- evidently the difference length of the axles is not that great
 
#15 ·
there are now two wagon specific springs available, the WRX wagon "pinks" that the dealers carry and the new RCE wagon springs- the pinks will work w/ oe struts (albeit better w/ uprated struts), the RCE springs are a uprated strut only option (spring rates are in the high 200's). The "pinks" lower ~ 10-15mm, the RCE springs ~ 25-30mm.

both are 04+ style springs which require going to 04+ style strut OR using a TIC spacer in the rear AND 04+ rear strut tops.

sway bars- any WRX sedan rear will fit, Whiteline is the only outfit making a wagon specific front bar

sway links- rears are the same as the sedan, fronts Whiteloine, Kartboy and Poltec offer wagon specific fronts

the bushings are the same sedan to wagon- STi Group N or some of the poly offerings are your choices for suspension bushings- STi also offers wagon specific pillowball lateral links (as well as trailing links which are universal fit)
 
#18 ·
I used a STI rear sway bar off an 07 STI, But it was 10 MM wider than the wagon bar. Im not sure if they changed the width, but i had to bend the bar 5mm on each side.


and no you cant use the fold down seats in a sedan. at least without a lot of cutting and welding. I suppose it would be possible if you got the skills.
 
#21 ·
Just Bought an 04 wagon and I am very pleased with it. One question though can the 17x7.5 or 17x8 STi bbs wheels fit with stock suspension? If so what size tire should be used to avoid possible rubbing in the wheel well? Btw I live in NYC where there are potholes galore so I need a little extra meat between rim and road!
 
#26 ·
Hood of said year's headlights, fenders, bumper, and in some cases I believe the wiring harness needs to modified. And depending on what year, the radiator support.

There are no drivetrain differences.
 
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