alone_and_insane

I've recently been in the market for upgraded sway bars, so I'm trying to do my homework before making a decision. I already have a few suspension mods, so sway bars seem to me like they're the next step. Current suspension mods:

SLP Bilsteins
Springs: Summit lowering springs front, stock springs/heater hose mod rear
STB
Founders LCAs & relocation brackets
Founders adjustable panhard
LS1 front brake conversion

For tires I have Nitto NT05 all the way around, 275/40-17 front 295/35-18 rear.

I guess my questions are the following:

1. What sizes front/rear would give me good balance?

2. Would a 32mm aftermarket front sway bar be any upgrade over a 1LE/WS6 32mm front sway bar?

3. Other than ease of installation, what difference does having a solid or hollow sway bar make? With our cars (especially iron block LT1s) being nose-heavy as it is, my first reaction is to not add 25 extra pounds of unsprung weight to the front, but is it really worth it to pay the extra cash for hollow bars?

I plan to do some occasional autocross with this car, but nothing too intense. In my mind, an all around better-handling car is a more enjoyable car, so the suspension mods are at least worth that much to me.

BMR Tech2

iTrader: (5)

One of the keys to our aftermarket bars are that they are hollow. This offers a really nice savings over stock that, by comparison, feels like a feather. Our bars are 35/25. There are many cars out there that have been very pleased with this setup, including the GM High Tech project STi Killer. The combo works well on the street, the drag strip, and especially the road course.

- Kevin

UMI Sales

iTrader: (1)

Our 35/22 combo is tried and true and provides a sweet road course and daily driver handling balance. While our bars are solid, on a daily driver they work great and are a nice, lower cost option.

The front bar is minimal unsprung weight as most of the weight is felt by the chassis (the bar is chassis mounted). The rear bar is much smaller and lighter and of course is unsprung, as it lives on the differential housing and the springs and dampers have to control it.

ramey

alone_and_insane

I think I had the front/rear confused as far as the unsprung weight comment goes.

Aren't the stock sway bars hollow as well? If that's the case, I still don't think I understand the benefit of getting an aftermarket 32mm front bar rather than an OEM 32mm bar.

What's important to consider when sizing the rear sway bar? I've seen other posts recommending to go no larger than 23mm, but what difference does going bigger/smaller make?

Also, with the different springs front/rear, what affect will that have on which bars to get to ensure proper balance? I've been told that I'll get more understeer with the stock rear springs.

00transamws6

iTrader: (4)

alone- its simple call Same Strano have him set u up with a set of his bars. They are lighter then most and offer a very balance feel. I just placed my order for my (know from driving my buddy's car that has Strano bars). I'm going from Spohn solid 32/22 bars.

Element

iTrader: (5)

I'm not 100% sure, but I know my stock bar weighed a lot more than the hollow front bar I put on. Don't see any point to swapping to a hollow 32mm front bar, even if the stocker is solid.

The rear sway bar needs to be sized properly to work with the front - in general, the larger the diameter of the sway bar, the stiffer it is, which limits body roll more than less stiff sway bars. An overly-stiff sway bar won't allow enough weight distribution to the outside wheels in a tight turn, so you'll "skate" through the turn; a sway bar that's too soft will allow too much body roll and weight transfer away from the inner tires and you'll "plow" through the turn (as I understand the terms).

Having mismatched bars means the car won't behave nicely in a turn, as the front may stay flat while the rear rolls quite a bit, or the front rolls while the rear attempts to stay flat. You'd be better with a matched set of sway bars, even if they were too soft or too stiff, over a mismatched pair.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

This.

Here is a man who has 32/22 bars, has driven mine, and opted to spend his money on upgrading. What more can I say?

You will get a lot of responses, other folks make sway bars. They aren't super hard to make. Getting the details right is the hard part. Of the previous responses, the first guys used to made 32/21 bars did for years and of course claimed they were the best. They they went to a 35/25 setup. I don't know why the change, I don't care because the 25mm bar is still too large IMHO. UMI has 35/22 solid bars which I used to make. I never wanted to drag the weight around of solid bars. They are cheaper and easier to build that's why most folks do it. I sell UMI bars because they are a touch less money. But the price difference between them and by set which are both hollow (and some 20 pounds lighter because of it) is around $40 and some of that cost difference is offset in shipping due to less weight. Now, think about what CM options on say SFC's cost, can be $100 or more to save LESS weight than you'd save with my bars for $40.

And yes, the OEM front bars are hollow.

Finally, let me remind you how my bars came to be and were developed. I wanted a big front bar, but the sets that had them used a rear bar I found to be too large (1" or 25mm). I also wanted hollow at both ends, the only one that was like that was Hotchkis, and not only was the rear bar too big vs. the front, they are a LOT of money. I felt I could offer a better balance, for a better price. I developed the sizing and the wall thickness on my own car, which I won numerous SCCA National Championships with. This is stuff that nobody else here can say.

And fwiw, way back in 2007 I also did a project with GMHTP magazine, which was only Strano Bars, Strano Springs, Koni shocks (long before anyone else here carried the line) and a PHB. And ultimately with that suspension the car went some 7 seconds a lap quicker on a short road course *AND* was daily driven across NYC.

alone_and_insane

After talking to somebody who's experienced autocrossing and road racing Mustangs and Camaros, I've decided that it's important to get some more seat time in my car in these situations to get a better feel how it behaves in its current setup before making a decision on sway bars. He also did mention that the rear axle can "bind" if the rear bar is too stiff. But even though I won't be doing bars right now, you guys have given me a lot of really good information, and I'll surely keep it all in mind and refer back to it when the time comes to buy.

Second_Infinity

I also have the Spohn 32/22 bars on mine, and while a huge upgrade from stock (many years ago), Sam mentioned I might want to try his bars when I spoke to him when ordering my Konis. Would they help with some of the nose dive I still have, or are the koni settings + my WS6 springs the main culprit?

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Bars don't do anything for pitch motions. So.... no, it won't do anything for dive. The Koni's will slow the pitch rate down, which might seem to have cut out some dive, but ultimately, stiffer front springs, shorter rears (lowering springs basically) are where you need to go there. But you can never cut it all out. If you did you wouldn't like how it drove since you'd have no suspension anymore.