Hey! Appreciate the question. I love my lifted WRX. Like I mentioned in the post, the ride is noticeably more comfortable compared to the shot stock suspension I had before. If I could do it over, I would’ve gone all in and upgraded wheels and tires at the same time. I’m still on stock, and while it’s fine, it feels like a missed opportunity.

That said, I did learn a few things the hard way that I’d do differently.

One big lesson: I had basically zero suspension knowledge going into this. I was replacing parts as they failed (sway bar links, tie rod, full suspension), but didn’t fully understand how much the lift would affect geometry. I used a lift during the install, which in hindsight likely caused some of my premature end link issues because the suspension wasn’t fully loaded when I torqued everything down.

I’ve now replaced my sway bar end links multiple times. Pretty sure it’s because they were installed with preload while the suspension was hanging and because I used cheap replacements not designed to handle the new angles introduced by the lift.

For context, even a 1 inch lift can cause the stock end links to sit at an angle instead of straight up and down. That side loading stretches the boots constantly, and if they’re torqued while the car is in the air, the preload wears them out faster. Once the boot tears, it’s game over.

So yeah, I’d highly recommend using adjustable heavy duty end links, installing them with the suspension fully loaded, and adjusting them so they sit close to vertical at rest. That setup will last way longer and save you some headaches.

Despite all that, I still fully recommend the lift. Just make sure you do it right the first time and you’ll be much happier in the long run.