bigger sway bars

[bowlofturtle]

Recently while i was pulling my coilovers all for the winter, i found one of my rear swaybar endlinks to be unbolted from the sway bar itself! Nut was missing. Probably for the last year least.

It just so happens that i was looking at them because i was considering going bigger sway bars to get minimize the body roll, while not lowering the car anymore. I'm going to be running stock suspension on the G35x from now on. Driving a lowered car isn't my thing anymore. As much as i love the handling characteristics, i'm done with the scrapes and avoiding dips, potholes and speed bumps. I'm going with a .5 inch lowering spring all around and then i'm looking to get sways.

I never had upgraded sway bars on any car i've owned. So how do they perform? Are they worlds better? When i was big on the camry and maxima forums, a lot of people loved just getting the rear sway bar.

 

[bigjl]

Didn't you here some kind of banging noise?

It might not have been off for that long.

My wife had a '97 Accent a few years ago and it was prone to the drop links snapping, when they did there was a constant noise from the loose end of the anti roll bar.

And it tended to roll a fair bit more, obviously!

Whiteline do too uprated anti roll bars and drop links,they have a good range especially Japanese cars.

They are a good improvement without the compromises of lowered suspension.

 

[yonyon]

The problem with super-sizing a rear swaybar and leaving the front as-is on some cars is that it can contribute to oversteer which can be dangerous. On something that tends to plow out in stock form, it can be just the way to go. If you do some other work to get a better front/rear weight balance that works out better.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: yonyon
The problem with super-sizing a rear swaybar and leaving the front as-is on some cars is that it can contribute to oversteer which can be dangerous. On something that tends to plow out in stock form, it can be just the way to go. If you do some other work to get a better front/rear weight balance that works out better.


+1

Make sure to research options and reviews on G35 forums prior to ordering. I was apprehensive prior to buying new sways, but eventually gave in after reading so many stellar reviews on the Race Competition Engineering hollow bars.

Pro:
Adjustable handling characteristics - sways affect spring rates, which allows the transfer of grip between front and rear. Done properly, adding sways can reduce body roll and balance handling.

I love the reduce over steer.

Con:
Reduce suspension independence - the sway works by requiring the opposite-side spring to compress, through the sway, as the loaded side is loaded up (the thicker the sway, the more-connected the two sides are, and the more load will be transferred to the unloaded side.

I don't like that I lift a wheel off of the ground every time I make a turn onto a steep incline and engage the VDC. I'm happy with my setup, both front and rear on the "soft" setting. If I ever auto-cross again, I can induce a little more over steer in 15 minutes by setting the rear sway to the "hard" setting.

I love that

The key: you HAVE to match the spring and sway rates! Stiffer springs AND sways could result in a very impractical setup and worsen handling (even if it feeeels) sportier

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: yonyon
The problem with super-sizing a rear swaybar and leaving the front as-is on some cars is that it can contribute to oversteer which can be dangerous. On something that tends to plow out in stock form, it can be just the way to go. If you do some other work to get a better front/rear weight balance that works out better.
+ 1

 

[bowlofturtle]

Hotchkis makes a AWD set for my car. Its a different front bar designed compared to the RWD cars. I've only found RWD guys with the sways and they love them. But AWD guys haven't spoken up about them.

The Rear bar is the same as RWD and adjustable, 3 holes. The front is just beefier but non-adjust. They had to redesign it to clear room for the front shafts.

The AWD kit is about $450. I can normally find a rear bar for $150 used. I've never seen a front or USED AWD sway bar kit for sale yet.

 

[bigjl]

He says he is considering "going bigger sway bars", it is just one drop link that has come loose.

From the above quote I think he intends to do both.

But certainly very good advice for anybody considering similar modifications.

 

[IndyIan]

Do the lowering springs have a published rate? I put the rear sway bar from the sport model on which was an improvement, but then I got some stiffer springs and it became quite loose.

 

[Shannow]

With Oz' roads, my preference was always standard springs, and heavy bars...last one went from 16mm front to 25, and 12 rear to 20, and made a massive improvement in cornering (not good on corrugated roadsb however)...

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Do the lowering springs have a published rate? I put the rear sway bar from the sport model on which was an improvement, but then I got some stiffer springs and it became quite loose.


What do you mean when you say it became quite loose?

 

[SteveSRT8]

^^^He means oversteer like crazy!

VERY tricky stuff. Chassis tuning is a black art and very tough to do in a driveway.

Playing with springs and sway bars is great fun but can easily put you in the weeds if you're not careful!

 

[mechtech2]

Simply fixing the old one should give you a nice boost in feel and stability!

Watch out for rear bars! Increasing them can make the car let loose in wet or marginal traction conditions while turning. Esp turning and braking.

Stiffer [urethane ] bushing vs. stock rubber will help a lot - no nee for a bigger bar. But you have to lube urethane every now and then.
You can do the same for the front.
By far, for that nice car I would go this route instead of new and larger bars.

 

[bowlofturtle]

I guess there is a little confusion.

My car stock has 33mm fronts and 20mm rear sway bars.

When i was removing my coilovers (had about a 2.5-3 inch overall drop), i found one of the 13mm nuts in the ties the sway bar to the swaybar linkage to be missing, thus making the sway bar somewhat pointless, since the back isn't bolted to the frame like the fronts. No idea what that happened because i didn't think to look there nor did i ever have noise issues.

Now i'm thinking of going just a lowering spring (1/2 inch) and pair that up with bigger sway bars. Hotchkis has a set bring 33mm/F and 27mm/R. I cant find a review from a AWD guy, only RWD guys are buying it. Seems like now a days everyone is only interested in slamming their cars and stance-ing the wheels. The better handling guys seem to be almost gone.

http://www.hotchkis.net/sport-sway-bar-set-0406-v35-g35xawd.html


In the past, i've upgraded front swaybar bushings and endlink bushings using Energy suspension poly bushings on that maxima and found little to no difference. But noticed a whole world of difference when i lowered it about 3/4 inches with adjustable tokico struts.


I'll upgrade the bushings on my G35 for the time being, since most of the bushings are rather cheap.

 

[mechtech2]

Lower the car with good end links.
Then see if you really want bigger bars.

This is important:
Big bars feel great for normal driving - nice and flat.
But they can hurt in extreme conditions, for sure. All of a sudden, something can let go.
Big bars negate more of the independent suspension - there are trade offs.
Racers tune with springs, shocks, and bars are last to fine tune.

 

[dailydriver]

By "stance-ing" do you mean that CRAZY negative camber (like > 3-4 degrees!!

) to BOTH the front and rear suspensions that ricers do to get their rubber band profiled tires which are stretched over WAAAYYY too wide a wheel, to fit into their tiny wheelwells??

 

[Smokescreen]

Usually factory backed suspension upgrades are a bit more safer to live with as they have taken DD and condtions into consideration while they fully back the parts. NIsmo, TRD, HFP that kind of thing.

 

[IndyIan]

That hotchkis before and after video of their sway bars was a bit amateur... Zig-zagging on a public road? You could tell he was taking it easy and trying to keep the car flat after they put the sway bar in.
Is there a G37 forum with a racing/autocross section? If folks are autocrossing these cars semi seriously there's probably a track tested upgrade path for the car.
Or you can atleast discuss what the effects of a mod should do with people driving the same car.