New sway bars

metload1 · 05-16-07, 11:55

Hey,

The front sway bar on my car cracked, so I'm going to be installing a new one. I'm getting this.

My question is, will it be bad to just replace the front sway bar? The new one is going to be stiffer, so does anyone recommend replacing both instead?

Thanks

Wetwerks · 05-16-07, 12:15

do both. Sways cut down on body roll, and front and back pitch from acceleration and braking. Changing out just the front will make the rear feel "loose" on hard cornering with the stock in place. You will also put more stress on the stock rear due to less "play" in chassis flex.

Regards

Walter

metload1 · 05-17-07, 06:47

Sweet, thanks for the reply. That gives me a great excuse to order both! I'll let you guys know how it works out.

paul34 · 05-18-07, 10:38

Just be careful though... if you make the bars too beefy and tighten up the chassis too much, not only will ride quality (over rough roads where the suspension can't take the bumps all at the same time) suffer, but your car will be too prone to oversteer.

Yes, it can be fun... but you don't want to suddenly start oversteering on a gentle corner, in the rain, with a lot of people around you

Accumulator · 05-18-07, 06:03

Yeah, just replacing the front bar with a bigger/stiffer one will make your car's built-in understeer *worse* and you'll be plowing all the time, especially in the rain.

AFAIK, those bars come with rubber bushings- you might want to use some polygraphite ones from Engery Suspension to use instead while you're doing the job anyhow. Get greasable ones for where it bolts to the unibody or you get squeaking. Those polygraphite bushings have the rubber ones beat hands-down IMO and are very inexpensive.

And remember that some bars need to be torqued with the car's weight *on* them and some need to be torqued with the weight *off*. Find out which way is correct for your car before you do the work

porcupine73 · 07-11-07, 09:53

Do these stabilizer bars use endlinks? If so could upgrade those too. Sometimes upgraded/stiffer/larger diameter stabilizer bars will break the factory mounts under heavy use. Not sure about your vehicle. Sometimes there are mounting upgrades available.

Danase · 07-11-07, 10:19

For sure do both and if you can get an adjustable rear one. I love Progress sway bars if you can get them for your car.

kaval · 07-12-07, 05:08

+ for doing both! My buddy just did his rear after doing his front not too long ago. He also got an ASR subframe brace to accompany his Progress sway bar and the difference is NIGHT AND DAY!!

corvettecrazy · 07-12-07, 08:15

Both since the rear is cake to install compared to the front.

Personally though, i like the handling of a stock front bar and stiffer rear bar.

velobard · 07-13-07, 08:34

Just an FYI for anyone who has a car with the second generation Chrysler LH chassis (Dodge Intrepid, Chrysler 300M, Concorde, 300M). You can buy the stiffer rear sway bar from the police Intrepid or the 300M special for only ~$20 from the dealership. Kinda crazy since the "regular" bar cost several times as much. Along with a couple of cheap bushings and an easy install and you're in business. More info here:
DodgeIntrepid.Net Forums - 300m Special Sway Bars

ZeusCGP · 07-19-07, 07:07

The GMPP Handling Kit is one of the best bang-for-the-buck mods for the W-body.

You can also get them here:
PACE Performance-Your Complete Source for all GM & Aftermarket Performance Parts 888-748-4655
GM Parts Direct: Your direct source for Genuine GM Parts

MikeTyson8MyKid · 07-22-07, 07:16

Quote:

Sways cut down on body roll, and front and back pitch from acceleration and braking.

How exactly does a sway bar effect front to rear pitch?