V8 VOL

My current suspension set-up:

Sportline Springs
GT500 Shocks/Struts
Edelbrock Panhard
J&M Lower Control Arms
Strut Bar
A-Arm Bar
Nitto 555 255/45/18

I am eyeing sway bar upgrades, but dont really want to spend much to do it. Which set up would be the better choice to have my car handling spirited driving well...

1 Upgrade the bushings in the stock front and rear sway bars (34/20)

2 Upgrade the bars to the 2011 stock front and rear. (34.6/24)

Thanks for your input!

Sam Strano

How about spending $349, getting bigger (and well matched) bars that are hollow, and both 3 way adjustable?????? And for that price you also get new bushings too.

Please don't tell me it's too much, I look at the list of mods and many cost as much or more as the bars, and won't have nearly the effect day to day. Sure, you could buy take off 2011 bars for less and you'll have bars that have no adjustment, and a rear that weighs a ton (and frankly it too big IMHO). The first mod I made to my '11 GT was my front bar (run in the middle setting), and once I opted to autocross in a class that allowed the rear bar changed, that is what I did, to my 22mm adjustable (also currently in the middle).

V8 VOL

I appreciate the input Sam and you are right about me going to say its too much $$$. Believe it or not most of my mods were bought on the cheap as either used or helluva good deals. With that in mind, I know I can get bushings for next to nothing and get somewhat of an improvement. I can also get my hands on some 2011 bars for less then $100.

Perhaps there needs to a C option, which is do nothing and keep eyes open for better bars at a good price.

I do try to be as economical as I can and I feel I have built up a pretty good car with that mind set, just as an example:

Sportline Springs - $100
GT500 Shocks/Struts -$70
Edelbrock Panhard - $100
J&M Lower Control Arms - $free (AM install guide paid for these)
Strut Bar -$20
A-Arm Bar - $50

Pretty good for about the same price as your bars (which I actually have some friends with them and would love to get my hands on some)

So, yes I would like to spend $350 on sway bars, but it just doesnt make sense for me right now.

CamOnlyWS6

All those suspension mods won't be effective unless you get some DRs.....just sayin.

UPRSharad

Everything's relative... the options you listed aren't bad for the money. Neither are the Eibach Swaybars we sell at UPR Products, or Sam's adjustable bars that he wants you to buy.

But you asked "Which set up would be the better choice to have my car handling spirited driving well...", and do you know what the first thing was that stood out in my head? You're running 255/45 NT555s all the way around, and tires are consumable items. To me, a bigger improvement would be swapping to some wider stickier tires the next time around.

That said, I have both the upgraded swaybars on my 06 GT and a set of 275/40-18 NT-05s. They substantially improved grip on my car.

Sam Strano

Well, don't know what to tell you. FWIW, I'm not one to just recommend parts because I sell them, in fact if you actually ask around about me I'm often telling folks they don't need a lot of things they initially want (and that I sell).

And I also sell other bars, like Eibach, Hotchkis, Hellwig, Steeda... and having used those is what led me to build my bars, because I felt I could do better on the size, weight and adjustablity.

Honestly, GT500 struts and shocks are a little better than stock, and $70 I guess is cheap... but then I kind of figure if I'm upgrading then doing it right the first time is a whole lot less hassle. Sportlines are not good springs, you probably got those for that because someone wanted rid of them. $100 for an adjustable PHB is no screaming deal. Strut brace for $20 is, that's a pretty simple part that's hard to screw up.

To each his own. Honestly I see the bars as 6 tanks of fuel. You burn that pretty fast, the bars are there forever and don't get used up.

MustangFirstCar

Interesting way of looking at things. When I started budgeting my money every thing I bought I would have to rationalize with "well, 20 bucks is 100 miles of driving or a movie with a snack". Everything I bought that was not gas or school stuff had to be more useful to me then spending that money on gas to go cruise with.

350 dollars is pretty easy to come by, especially if you are not as limited in your income as a 17 year old who has to save money for college, insurance, gas, fixing his car, etc and works for minimum wage. I can't make you buy the adjustable bars, but really, they are worth it. Also, the 24mm rear bars sounds kind of stiff for the rear. Maybe you can get just the front bar and get a slightly smaller rear bar somewhere else?

V8 VOL

Sounds like I need to just chill out and scour the classifieds and rethink my sway bar plans. I had the chance to get your bars from someone a month or so ago and perhaps should have gone ahead and bit the bullet at that time....

FWIW, the springs/shocks combo just kind of happened, I wanted the springs more for looks when I first got the car and the shocks were out of necessity since my OEM ones were gone and for the time being the GT500's fill the void.

ryan1112

Sam's bars are great. I've been using them for a while now they are light, adjustable, and balanced. Not to mention they come with mounts and bushings for that price.

Don't the sportlines have a really big drop? If they are the one's im thinking of, your camber curve is really messed up. Those have to be hard on shocks as well.

Switching to the bars mentioned and going with some different springs would be the best bet.

You'll be right on track with just a couple changes.

V8 VOL

The Sportlines are over 1.5 in front and 2 in the rear. Perhaps my future goal should include new springs, especially now that I can change these out and not have to pay someone to do it.

My camber was at -1.75 on both sides, so they are a bit "tilted", but definitely not too extreme. My buddy runs his at like -3 (autocrosser)

hmmmm.....new bars and springs.

Would new springs, lets say the Pro-Kit, make the car handle better than the sportlines?