Suspension Question

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

03-22-2007, 03:12 PM

#11

CrazyAl

5th Gear Member

Join Date: Mar 2006

Location:

Posts: 2,544

RE: Suspension Question

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Red06

Iâ€™ve bee following sway bar upgrade threads with interest. Most of the advice seems to be â€œget a bigger barâ€. Does one choose a sway bar based solely on the diameter of the bar? Donâ€™t you have to know the spring (torsion) rate of the bar you have versus the one youâ€™re replacing it with? Arenâ€™t there manufacturing processes that might effect the torsional stiffness of bars of the same diameter?

Does anyone know the spring (torsion) ratings of the stock front and rear bar?

You are exactly correct. The point ins't to get a "bigger" bar per se, but a stiffer one.Ideallyyou could chooseyour bar from a selection of them with different spring rates. The thing is that aside from the BMR "drag-race" rear sway bar, all the aftermarket ones are more or less the same. I have worked with the Roush, FRPP, Steeda, and BMR and the bars themselves are of very similar stiffness. The only real difference that I have noticed is the quality of the accessories that may or may not be supplied with the bars. Some of them come with new end-links and some of them do not. So, at the moment you have three basic choices:

1) Stock ("weakest")
2) Typical aftermarket (stiffer)
3) BMR's "Xtreme anti roll bar" which is extremely well made but unfortunatley is too stiff for street or road-course use.