Sway bar question
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 353
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From: Elizabeth, NJ
Sway bar question I'm thinking of upgrading both my front and rear swaybars soon. My car is a daily driver that makes about 50 drag runs a year at the strip (if not more) and sees occassional "spirited" 
driving on the street. I was looking at the Spohn chrome moly 32mm front and 22mm rear solid swaybars. I know some of the pros to adding these (i.e. increased cornering capabilities, less body roll, less nose dive). Can someone give me any cons of adding these to my car, as well as any other pros I may have missed?? Thanks! 
Side note: I'll be adding a 12 bolt or 9" soon as well, any fitment problems with the 22mm rear bar and either of those rears???
driving on the street. I was looking at the Spohn chrome moly 32mm front and 22mm rear solid swaybars. I know some of the pros to adding these (i.e. increased cornering capabilities, less body roll, less nose dive). Can someone give me any cons of adding these to my car, as well as any other pros I may have missed?? Thanks! Side note: I'll be adding a 12 bolt or 9" soon as well, any fitment problems with the 22mm rear bar and either of those rears???
I'd buy the 1LE bars, they are less expensive (as I remember).
For a street car, the bars are part of the package. The 1LE bars will be a reasonably balanced package for a great price. If you insist on the Spohn, just remember that the 1LE front bar is hollow, it will be much lighter than a solid bar will.
Extra weight is not good for ET's.
As for the 12 bolt, I can't say if it will fit. I'd think it should, but I haven't tried it.
For a street car, the bars are part of the package. The 1LE bars will be a reasonably balanced package for a great price. If you insist on the Spohn, just remember that the 1LE front bar is hollow, it will be much lighter than a solid bar will.
Extra weight is not good for ET's.
As for the 12 bolt, I can't say if it will fit. I'd think it should, but I haven't tried it.
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
From: Elizabeth, NJ
I'm not too concerned about the extra weight affecting the ET's since I remove it when I go down to the track. I should've worded it a little differently (hey give me a break it was 4:30am!). My main concern is what are the pros/cons of the 22mm rear bar at the strip, and what are the pros/cons of the rear bar as far as handling and street driving is concerned??
The larger bars will reduce body roll, this will help the car handle corners much better. There is little impact on the way the car rides (that is the best part). And, the 22mm rear may help the car launch straighter by helping to reduce the tendency for the rear axle to twist up into the body. Though a 32/22 sounds a little stiff on the rear bar, it could be a nice setup with a softer spring (or stock).
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
From: Elizabeth, NJ
Trackbird, you mean the 22mm rear bar could be a nice setup on stock rear springs?? If so, that's what I'm have now. Shocks and springs are both stock (shocks are getting old, fast!).
Yea, on stock springs the 22 may not be bad. The problem is that adding too much spring rate with that bar can make the car "tail happy". Though it may work with a basic lowering spring. I might suggest the 1LE rear or something slightly smaller. Many recommend using the stock rear and a 35mm front from Suspension Techniques. But that is usually done with springs as well. It really depends on what you want out of the car and how you drive it. If it is for street only and you are not running 90 mph around exit ramps, then the 32/22 combo will probably work very well for you. So many things impact sway bar choices. Tire size, width, compound, spring rates, etc can all have an impact on the handling. So you can start with that setup now, you may find that you need to fine tune later. With the larger bar, remember to be careful in the rain. The car may want to "spin" (as in loop the car, not spin the tires) in the wet more than it did.
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Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
From: Elizabeth, NJ
Thanks Trackbird. I think I'll be going with the 32/22 combo from what I've gathered from you. I don't really have any issues in the rain right now since I drvie extra careful, but I'll just have to keep that in mind as well. Thanks again!!
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