How much handling improvement with sway bars?

[OSOLMIO]

Would the addition of front and rear sway bars appreciably add much performance handling improvement? Have added lowering springs and struts but would sway bars significantly add to improved handling? In short, are they worth it? Can I expect a slight improvement or significant?

Thanks

[Xeryon]

depends on your driving.

 

if you were an auto crosser the prevailing thought is to skip front sway bars and put the tightest rear sway bars in place that you can. this would cause you to have a loose front end, which would bite into turns better, but have a really tight ass and shift the car from front end pushing understeer to a rear end pushing oversteer, which is easier to drive out of. trouble with this setup is it can make a car unstable for street driving.

 

if you want all around more ridged street handling a front and rear bar will help you, but the car will still understeer just as bad as it always did. the only difference is you will be able to carry some additional speed into the corner before it becomes uncontrollable.

 

the prevailing ricer mentality is to install only a front end sway bar. performance wise this is the worst thing you can do. as it causes the front to be tigher with a loose back end. this setup looks great in the engine bay, but will cause you to understeer even worse when cornering.

[OSOLMIO]

depends on your driving.

 

if you were an auto crosser the prevailing thought is to skip front sway bars and put the tightest rear sway bars in place that you can. this would cause you to have a loose front end, which would bite into turns better, but have a really tight ass and shift the car from front end pushing understeer to a rear end pushing oversteer, which is easier to drive out of. trouble with this setup is it can make a car unstable for street driving.

 

if you want all around more ridged street handling a front and rear bar will help you, but the car will still understeer just as bad as it always did. the only difference is you will be able to carry some additional speed into the corner before it becomes uncontrollable.

 

the prevailing ricer mentality is to install only a front end sway bar. performance wise this is the worst thing you can do. as it causes the front to be tigher with a loose back end. this setup looks great in the engine bay, but will cause you to understeer even worse when cornering.

 

I just want improved street handling, like on rails but do not plan to autocross. I had read that strut bars in the engine compartment do not add much to improved handling. I suppose it adds some sort of support but then I wonder about the loss of nut to thread ratio by adding a strut bar with a 3/16 thick mounting plate? Hmmm maybe the sway bars underneath might detract from the neon lighted undercarriage. Maybe remove the neon and just twirl purple light sticks in my pomade greased fingers.

[Xeryon]

if you are going to add something, look into front and rear frame bars/braces or a rear sway bar rather then strut tower bars. in any case if you want street make sure to get front and rear else the car may handle unusual.

 

not the greatest pic in the world, but you can see the rear frame bar in white where it bolts to the frame bracket that the control arms use. I don't have a pic of the front one.

 

Edited July 23, 2010 by Xeryon

[OSOLMIO]

if you are going to add something, look into front and rear frame bars/braces or a rear sway bar rather then strut tower bars. in any case if you want street make sure to get front and rear else the car may handle unusual.

 

not the greatest pic in the world, but you can see the rear frame bar in white where it bolts to the frame bracket that the control arms use. I don't have a pic of the front one.

 

 

I like that. Who makes it?

[Xeryon]

I bought the Carbing set. At the time ran me around $160.

 

to further inflate my self worth: from this view you also get a hair of a glimpse of my SS brake lines, F&F coils, cheapass blox control arms, WS2 exhaust and not visible due to low light - my rear discs on a dx sedan.

God, i look at these pics and I am reminded as to how much has went into this thing already....jeesh.

Edited July 24, 2010 by Xeryon

[SpeedDemon]

the front and rear strut tower bars added some rigidity to my hatch. but not much.

 

what i would do is a lower rear frame brace like pictured, rear LCA's, and maybe an X bar for the back if you dont mind losing the rear tono cover(i think thats it).

 

this is just ME thinking, but in a FWD car i would want to create as much oversteer as possible.

[Xeryon]

you are right david, which is why you want little to no rigidity in the front end. soft suspension in the front will allow the front to flex- hard suspension in the back will not allow the back to flex. you end up with a scenario where the rear end rotates around and reduces understeer. on a hatch the rear strut tower bar is relevant, as is an X brace. But he has a del sol, so neither of those items would have much use.

[SpeedDemon]

you are right david, which is why you want little to no rigidity in the front end. soft suspension in the front will allow the front to flex- hard suspension in the back will not allow the back to flex. you end up with a scenario where the rear end rotates around and reduces understeer. on a hatch the rear strut tower bar is relevant, as is an X brace. But he has a del sol, so neither of those items would have much use.

 

ah i see.

 

so for your del sol i say get the following:

 

(all of this you can get from great sellers on ebay at reasonable price.)

 

Benen Lower Rear Tie Bar

Blox LCA's

Skunk 2 Camber kit

 

and if your not already lowered then do that. tokico blues and ground control coilovers would be good

 

all in all this is well under 1000 and its well worth it

[Xeryon]

Unless you are extremely lowered, greater then two inches, the camber kit isn't going to do a whole lot for you. You can get it and dial the camber in perfectly, but not necessary.

 

Not really sure on how much the LCA's help. I put those on there because at the time I bought the pair for less money then I could buy oem bushings for the original stock control arms. I wish I could say they had any effect. Unfortunately, at the time I was installing about fifty other suspension and steering parts so I have no idea what fraction of the change in handling was due to the control arms. They were cheap though. I think I got them for around $80-90 shipped.

[SpeedDemon]

they run aorund that for blox. good deal if you ask me. better than oem. and not as ugly lol