32/15 Sway bar combo?

[nitetime_pr]

Happy Holidays everyone. I have read that our stock v6 f bodies have a 28mm front sway bar and rear 15mm sway bar.
If this is true, would there be any benefits to going 32mm up front and back remain stock? Would I want to get a rear 19mm?
Does a daily driver even need bigger sway bars? I put on 275/40/17 on all 4 corners if that makes a difference.

Thanks for any help.

[pace2006]

Re: 32/15 Sway bar combo?

93-97 had a 30mm front sway bar. 98-02 had the 28mm front sway. As far as running a 1LE front and stock rear, you should be fine. The front alone will make a noticeable difference in handling in the corners and rolls. I wouldn't think of changing out the rear sway bar while running stock shocks and springs.

I've been running a 32/15 setup for a little over a year now and it's been fine.

[TheGr8Schlotzky]

Re: 32/15 Sway bar combo?

Pace is right with the front sways, but I'll also add that the 93-97 had 17mm rear bars and the 98-02 had the 15mm rear bars. Personally, on stock springs and kyg agx shocks, I found the 17mm rear bar with a 32mm front to be a bit too mushy for me. This was probably mostly due to the front having all energy suspension components and the rear with worn out stock stuff, but IIRC there isn't a ES upgrade for the 17, so I went to 19mm. Fits my taste better, but that's kind of what it is; taste.

[nitetime_pr]

Re: 32/15 Sway bar combo?

Thanks guys. If it matters, I have aftermarket KYB shocks in the rear and bilstein up front.

Pace, you have the 32/15, what is the handling like? What size tires do you have and any suspension mods?

Schlotzky, what characteristics does your 32/19mm have in regards to handling?

Thanks!

[pace2006]

Re: 32/15 Sway bar combo?

Thanks guys. If it matters, I have aftermarket KYB shocks in the rear and bilstein up front.

Pace, you have the 32/15, what is the handling like? What size tires do you have and any suspension mods?

Thanks!

My car currently has Strano springs paired with Koni SAs, along with Moog rear LCA bushings. Everything else other than those and the front sway bar is stock, including the panhard bar. Tires are the stock 235/55/16 sizing. So far, I've been pretty happy with the 15mm rear bar, especially with the sub-par tires I've got right now.

Handling was improved through corners and turns with the front swaybar. It feels like the car has better control through the corners and is more responsive, steering-wise. I haven't yet experimented with a larger rear sway, but may do so at the beginning of the year.

If you still have your stock springs with the KYB and Bilstein shocks, I'd stick with your current rear sway bar size until you change spring rates.

[TheGr8Schlotzky]

Re: 32/15 Sway bar combo?

I'm with Pace on this one.

I have hotchkis springs, kyb agx shocks, J&M 3-piece poly ball lcas, stock panhard with Energy Suspension bushings, subframe connectors, shock tower brace, and 275 low pro tires. I felt like the back had to "catch up" with the small rear bar. It's very connected feeling now, maybe just a tad more tail happy than some might like, but that can be adjusted with the shocks.

[pv-camaro]

Re: 32/15 Sway bar combo?

hi,

I replaced my stock swaybars to SS-swaybars (32/19) and replaced the shocks with Koni -SA (front and rear).
It's a great upgrade, and i replaced my stock tires 215/60/R16 to 245/50/ZR16.

it is definitely worth the money, you get a complete other car.

2001 3.8V6 Camaro (European, Netherlands)

[Hib Halverson]

Re: 32/15 Sway bar combo?

Keep in mind that bar rate goes up with the square of the diameter so, going from a 28-mm to a 32-mm front bar adds a lot of roll stiffness in the front.

Yeah, at speeds below the car's handing limit, you'll think the lower level of body roll you experience with a 32-mm front bar means you gained a lot in handing.

But...at the limit, with a 32 in the front and only a 15 in the back, you're going to find that the car understeers...or, for you NASCAR fans, it's "tight."

For balanced handing, you need more bar in the rear, too. A larger rear bar will probably work better with the 32 front.

I read above about a car with KYBs in the back and Bilsteins in the front. There again, you may have an odd handling car at the limit because of the shocks' differences in damping curves.

Lastly, when selecting stabilizers you also need to consider the spring package. Springs contribute as much or sometimes more to roll stiffness than do stabilizer bars. Depending on the spring rates front and rear, you may want to add more rear bar or take some rear bar out.

With my 01, which has Eibach springs and Bilstein shocks, I run the Z28 30-mm front and 19-mm rear bars. With that, my increase in roll stiffness is split between the stiffer springs and the bigger bars which, IMO, makes for a nicer ride than would stock V6 springs with the big 32/21 bar combo off Z28 SSes or cars with 1LE. I run those springs and bars with Goodyear 265/40ZR17s, normally used on the front of a C5 Z06 Vette.

I admit that, if I was going road racing or autocrossing, I'd go to bigger bars but for performance street use, the Eibachs an the 30/19 bar combo works very well.