dipherentdesign

I'm thinking of lowering and considered a front sway bar to keep it nice and smooth-but there are so many numbers and brands. what should i look for?

also, some companies say that their manufacturing process is better than others. IE: [these are direct from manufacturer quotes]

BMR "Made from cold formed steel to better resist torsional fatigue and retain their "memory" far longer than conventional hot formed bars."

Sphoon: The bars are entirely heat formed and coined as one piece. We put our bars through this extensive process to insure that the final product will be the strongest, most durable bar on the market, and that it will be the most resistant to form alteration. Most aftermarket anti-sway bars are cold-bent, making them weaker at the bends, and more vulnerable to shape alteration."

so which is better?

May Spin

IMO... size and weight play a far more important factor. BMR and Spohn make 32mm solid fronts. If you have a WS6 you already have a 32mm hollow. So you'll add a lot of weight without that much more roll control. I have found that these cars respond well to a big bar up front. Offerings from Sam Strano and Hotchkis (front only) will yield bigger gains than what you've mentioned.

Scott.

dipherentdesign

whao, wait...i need that translated to lamens' terms. are you saying the the stock bar should stay or go?

May Spin

If after you've lowered the car and have replaced the shocks (a must IMO) and you feel you need more roll control, replacing the swaybar up front will help. The size of bar is going to ultimately make the difference. Again... I'm guessing you have a WS6, if so replacing your 32mm hollow with a 32mm solid (Spohn/BMR) will net some gains, but not huge, just alot more weight. Sam Strano (Stranoparts.com) makes a 35mm front and Hotchkis a 36.5mm, both hollow. Either will be better choices.

Hope that helps.

Cal

iTrader: (1)

Unless things have changed, the Hotchkiss bar will have to be ordered from "Steve" at tirerack.com. If you order it directly from Hotchkiss, they will force you to buy the rear bar with it, which is way too large unless you have lowered the rear roll center (very few people do this.) The Strano bar is cheaper and easier to order, and almost as stiff as the one from Hotchkiss. The Hotchkiss bar is powder coated if such things mater to you.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

I can order just the front Hotchkis bar as well. And if you want to pay an extra $50+ for the Hotchkis bar, I'm happy to sell it to you... BTW, I don't believe Steve works for TireRack any longer (at least that's what I heard). And not only can I get you that bar, but I'm happy to get you 32mm solid, 35mm solid, 32mm hollow front bars as well. I have them all. And I make a point of having them all, that way you know I'm not building my own because I don't have other options. I build my own because I feel it's what the car can best use, in 99% of the cases.

I've already spoken to dipherentdesign about bars and shocks. I don't know there is much more I can tell him. I think he might feel I don't know what I'm doing, because he contacted me back when his mechanic told him that lowering the car using the lower perch on Koni's would cause problems, which we all know it completely not true.

My bars are made of 1045 CF steel as well. Two points: Note how Spohn says that they "put our bars through this extensive process to insure that the final product will be the strongest, most durable bar on the market, and that it will be the most resistant to form alteration". Basically they heat the bars to make them easier to bend, and then have to use those processes to restrengthen the metal. And I don't have any problem with bars yielding, or losing shape....

dipherentdesign

sam, i meant no offense. i'm simply gathering information to make a decision. We only talked shocks and springs then b4 the conversation ended you mentioned i should consider a sway bar and/or bushings-but i wasn't aware you built one.

I had no idea that there was a 32mm hollow sway bar on my ws.6 in stock form; as may spin educated me on. I dont understand the benefits of certian #'s, manufacturing techniques, etc. My examples were just that-examples. I know we spoke and i've taken everything you said as truth-you've completely convinced me to ditch the LCAs and STB [saved me about $350 too!!] I'm just trying to gather more info, hence my post.

dipherentdesign

so back to my original question:

what are the benefits of certian manufacturing techniques

hollow VS solid and sizing; which works for what application?

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

You are thinking about this WAY too hard. It frankly doesn't matter. Both methods work, and the descriptions are just sales hype. Just like you look on a window sticker of a car and they tell you what's standard. Stuff thats on EVERY car, but they list it.

Worry about the size of the bars, that's where the strength is derived. Worry about the weight of the bars and ask why you'd want to drag solid bars around if you don't have to. Worry about the pedigree of the bars and how the sizing/rates were determined.

Worrying about the manufactuering process is like worrying if something was MIG or TIG welded when both get the job done.

Hollow vs. solid is simply a matter of weight and ease of building. Hollow is more costly and more time consuming to make. Solid is cheaper and quicker.

May Spin

Remember.... At the end of the day there is nothing spectacular about a swaybar just a bent tube of metal. Consideration shouldn't be on durability. I can't see any manufacture lasting longer than another. Bushings and endlinks take the beating. Size being equal a solid bar is stiffer and will offer slightly more roll resistance than a hollow, but like Sam said you'll sacrafice a lot of weight.

Cal

iTrader: (1)

I agree with what others have said here, but another way to explain it is most of the stiffness of a bar is near the surface of the metal; the core does little to contribute. Therefore, the best bars will always be hollow because they are nearly as stiff but much lighter than a solid bar.

I totally agree with what was said about manufacturing technique hype. There are a few different ways to do this, and it makes little difference which way they did it. Steel is easier to work with in the "anealed" or soft state, but after it is formed, it has to be heat treated to become spring steel.

The best bar will be the largest hollow bar you can find. For a long time that was the one Sam designed. He could have went slightly larger, but he wanted to use standard sized bushings. The Hotchkiss is a large hollow bar also, just slightly larger than the Strano bar and powder coated. Of course the powder coat doesn't make it perform any better and it will still be covered with dirt after a while. I got that one because there is a ton of salt on the roads around here.

dipherentdesign

thanks for all the input, fellas!

mbraun

iTrader: (3)

Hi my name is Michael, I run a 98 z28 m6 and have Sam Starnos' front and rear antisway bars (the hollow ones for weight savings), springs and PHB bar on my card. Sam knows his stuff. I run my car at local road courses and she handles GREAT. If you want to know how to make a F body handle listen to Sam. He races them and win. Kudos to you Sam.