Handling opinions
 

So I thought it time to sort out the handling on my Impreza 1998. When I'm driving my Vauxhall it feels really tight, as soon as i get in the scooby there's a lot more play in the steering doesn't feel as tight. Just wondered what's the best way to tighten everything up?

replace bushes and wearable parts?

Use positive 0.15mins toe-in, per side, at the rear - as long as you're no bigger than a 22mm rear bar? Otherwise, it might be to loose at the rear.
Running a constant rear slip angle will give you instantaneous response to steering inputs - as used on the P1

Agree. New bushes and check all suspension for wear first. Secondly, tyre type and pressure. Finally, the toe settings make a huge difference.

In theory, remember, by putting toe into the car, you pre-load the suspension a bit, but it does increase wear slightly!

Toe out means that when you input, the inner tyre provides side thrust first. As this is the tyre with less load, it gives a softer and progressive turn in.

Toe in means the reverse, the outer, loaded tyre grips and pushes the front in. It gives a far more direct turn, but can do other things too.

If the inner tyre pulls you in, the car may settle a bit and corner flatter. If the outer tyre pushes the front, you can rotate about it a touch and get lift. It's marginal and from my experiments, the large camber on the Scooby means a zero or parallel toe is best up front.

The rear is always interesting. A zero toe there doesn't give much wandering or float, but it does definitely feel very benign and unsporty. A small toe in gives a grippy and sharp back end that digs in and just makes the car come alive.

This on my Hawkeye BTW. Lots of time spend playing.

Firstly ,get in checked out for wear. It is 19 years old!

The tyre wear, using rear toe-in on a classic, is good. As it's still toeing out under braking - particularly on oem bushes; less on group n.

Rear toe-in, on a classic, also increases high-speed straight-line stability and stability under hard braking.

You could use 0.04mins toe-out, per side, at the front - if you find the steering too responsive/twitchy.

Wow cheers that's a wealth of information. Ok will get checking those bushes. So on your hawk you found 0 toe on front and slight toe on the rear have best handling?