Suspension Techniques 35mm Sway Bar

[viper98885]

Hey guys,
I just installed a Suspension Techniques 35mm front sway bar last weekend. This made a world of difference when hitting the corners hard. I would strongly suggest this mod for anyone who is sick of the body roll that the F-bodies put out. These are also the same bars that RKSport sells and mark as their own.

I thought that the subframe connectors made a huge difference, but these are awesome.

[Dominic]

where did you buy it?

[viper98885]

www.racesearch.com . Part number 50080 for $126.23 and free shipping right now with the word FREE in the coupon entry screen. When I noticed the low price, I couldn't believe it and jumped on it immediately. I am gonna order the rear bar on Monday...part number 51055 for about $119.

:cool:

[whtefbrd96]

how hard is the front bar to take off and put on ?? i would like to get the front bar and a STB at the same time. Did you pt it on yourself ??
thanks

[V6Bob]

I feel like a broken record. If I'm bothering people, let me know and I'll go away.

The swaybars on a 98-01 are 28/15. If you replace the front with a 35 (35/15), you'll notice considerably improved steering response (front rolls less, turns faster) and, at the limit, lotsa understeer. Safe and fun to drive at normal speeds, not the fastest for, say, autocross.

When you now install their 25 rear (35/25) you'll get a _very_ large increase in oversteer, now the car will be substantially more oversteery than stock (even more than the 32/21 1LE('93) combo), and maybe way too much. Be careful out there.

The 21 1LE('93) rear bar and the 35 Suspension Techniques front _might_ be a good pair with a lot of roll control (will quicken response) and more oversteer than stock, but less than the other combos (35/25, 32/21). It would be very similar to the 1LE('94 up) setup of 32/19.

All depends on other suspension mods (especially springs), and where and how you drive. But 35/25 is a _really_ extreme setup.

A guy in the business named Sam Strano hangs out on the handling board on camarov8 and owns a performance parts shop, www.stranoparts.com. He seems like a real pro and may be able to recommend a good set of bars for a V6. They'll likely be different for 98 and up and 93-97; different springs. He (like many) knows a lot more about this stuff than I do.

Edit - I see the original poster has a '93 V6. The sway bars on that one are 30/17, but nothing I've said changes very much.

[ December 29, 2001: Message edited by: V6Bob ]</p>

[94-3.4]

balance is everything. If you don't have a balanced suspension you will have some probs. Just get a swaybar matched set. Good way to go.

[Dominic]

You're not bothering us V6Bob, sometimes people dont read every post - so whatever you feel like typing will help us. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Some people enjoy understeer, others prefer oversteer, I personally like a nice balance. My goal with swaybars is more to reduce body roll than change the handling characteristics, although more oversteer would be greatly appreciated - my car understeers really badly in a hard corner, only way around it is with throttle. [img]graemlins/fluffy.gif[/img]

Anyways, thanks v6bob for your help.

[V6Bob]

Cardinal - Thanks for the post.

"If you don't have a balanced suspension you will have some probs. Just get a swaybar matched set."

The problem is that the Suspension Techniques 35/25 combo is not "balanced". It will strongly oversteer. Other "matched sets" like the 1LE were designed for very different springs and weight distribution. It all needs to work together.

Cardinal - If you want to reduce roll, but keep the balance, the Suspension Techniques 35 front and a V8 19 rear will be balanced close to stock 35/19 = 1.84; 28/15 = 1.87 (the actual stiffness is diameter to the 4th power, but if the ratio is close enough...). Going to a 21 rear will oversteer noticeably more (the 4th power deal). You gotta decide if and how you want to experiment here.

I'll take Cardinal's advice and repeat myself from another thread. If you want to mod springs and/or bars, it's better to understand what the springs and bars do than to just go by something you see on the net (including my stuff). You can educate yourself (many good books like How to Make Your Car Handle) or go with a complete suspension package (designed for a V6) from a pro (SLP, Strano, Global West, etc.).

[viper98885]

Well, either way, this sway bar kicks *** and I can handle corners much faster now. I wasn't looking at making this a huge tech issue, just stating teh fact that this is an awesome mod and I wanted to let everyone know about the special at racesearch.com right now. I understand everyone's need for the balance issue and completely agree, but this was just a post to say that this is a great suspension upgrade.

[V6Bob]

Josh - I'm with you. I think a big front bar will make the car more responsive and fun to drive.

Just be careful if you put the big rear bar on. Different kind of thing, and the 25 rear is not safe for the street, in my opinion. But I'm no expert.

[Jack]

V6Bob...your comments are greatly appreciated. At some point I hope to autocross my car and your experience is beneficial. It is important that people understand balance and the effects of just putting stuff on their car. All mods have to be thought out carefully. Setting a car up for straight line runs is totally different than setting one up for corners. I am glad to see a member here who understands the needs for balancing the suspension to the task. This is my first FBody and I have been paying close attention to what you have been saying. I hope everyone realizes that you can make a car very dangerous if you do not do some homework first.

Keep the info. coming...some of us are listening. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[viper98885]

So, V6Bob, which rear bar would you suggest for my car where the front sway is now 35mm and the rear is stock 19mm. BTW, my suspension mods are listed below.

H&R springs
2000 Camaro SS Shocks
Energy suspension:
front upper/lower control arm bushings, sway bar bushings, end-links, tie-rod bushings, rear swar bar bushings, end-link, torque arm bushing, shock eye bushings
Prothane rear control arm bushings.
LG Motorsports G2 STB
BMR Tunnel Brace
Edelbrock Subframe Connectors
MAC Panhard Rod
Suspension Technologies 35mm front sway bar
Spohn Performance LCA Relocation Brackets

[V6Bob]

Josh - The only truth I have for you is it depends on a lot of other things. And I'm not an expert, I just know some stuff. That's why I recommend to people that they educate themselves through books and make their own decisions. Two good ones are How to Make You Car Handle and Tune to Win (very advanced).

The big one is your springs, which strongly affect balance. The spring manufacturer may be able to give you the best advice on bars. Other things that affect balance include tires, wheel alignment, shocks, even your LCA brackets.

Also, it's a matter of taste and tolerance for risk (to yourself and others). Do others ever drive your car? They could get surprised if the balance/steering responsiveness is unusual. This just isn't as easy as some people seem to think.

Here are a few thoughts.

1. If you really like the handling now, you might leave well enough alone.

2. Are you sure the rear bar is a 19? Stock '93 V6 is a 17, according to the technical database on this site. You might want to actually measure it to be sure.

3. The pros actually do sway bar selection by trial and error, since it is so complex. And it's the last mod they do, since everything else affects balance. If you have a 17, a 19 from a junkyard V8 would be peanuts to try. If you have a 19, a 21 1LE is about $75. Stiffness goes up with the 4th power of the diameter (a fundamental fact that many people modding bars don't know, and should know), a 2mm change is about a 50% increase in stiffness, which should be very noticeable. For a '93 to '97 V6 going from a 17 to a 25 would be about a 500% increase in stiffness, which would be _very_ drastic.

4. I'm thinking about writing a piece on understeer/oversteer for the board. The bottom line is that oversteer can turn a near miss into an accident and a fender bender into a serious wreck. People really need to be careful about big rear sway bars, or, more so, disconnecting the front bar for drag racing and driving that way on the street. That is just not smart.

bob

[Liquid Silver]

Wow, I'm glad I caught this thread before I ordered my swaybars...

&gt;&gt;MENTAL NOTE&lt;&lt;&lt; 35mm front and a V8 takeoff for the rear

Thanks everyone on that matter... now I have to wonder... would it be wise to get poly bushings for the rear sway bar?

[V6Bob]

Poly bushings are fine if used on both ends. In general, anything that takes slop out of suspension linkages will make the car more predictable.

Just do the bushings/endlinks the same way at both ends, at the same time. If one end has slop and the other doesn't you're in for some very strange handling that varies in a fraction of a second.