CAMJAG

iTrader: (34)

What can we do to our Fbodys to minimize body roll without lowering the car? I know it makes a big diffrence when you lower it but my 87 GTA hit everything lowerd 1 1/2 inch and I dont want to lower my 02 Z.
Thanks

DONAIMIAN

iTrader: (18)

35/36mm swaybar

chupr0kabra

iTrader: (10)

I upgraded to the 1LE swaybars (32F/21R) and it made a very nice difference.


-Mike

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

A set of bigger swaybars.... But you want to make sure you are getting a well matched set of bars. While bigger is generally better up front, the rear you have to be more careful with. Too big hurts ride and makes the car too prone to oversteer.

We have our own bars made because I was fed up with the "kits" that were out there. Those that used big fronts had too large of a rear bar, and those that had good sized rears were too small on the front bar...

My bars are 35mm front, 22mm rear. They are also both hollow which makes them lighter as a set than the stock bars on the car. The front bar gives almost twice the roll stiffness of a stock 30mm bar and about 1/3rd again more than a 32mm bar like the 1LE or a number of aftermarket bars. Let me put it more simply.... to get the same change in roll stiffness is you just added springs, you'd have to double you stock spring rate, which effects the ride much more than the bars do (which is almost nothing).


As for the rear bar, we opted for a 22mm bar because I feel the 25mm bars are just too much. They cause excess wheelspin out of corners. Because those bars are too stiff any bumps encountered with one rear wheel tosses the whole axle, hurting traction and ride at the same time. Also, the rear axle doesn't lose camber and therefore tire contact patch like the front does when the body rolls. You just don't need to go BIG on the rear bar, and don't want too.

BTW, the Strano bars are $379 for the pair and come complete with new endlinks and all new urethane bushings. You need only supply the lubricant for the bar mount bushings.

jRaskell

iTrader: (1)

If only you had that kit when I was buying bars Strano. I'm happy with the choices I made either way, but it's reassuring to see that your own package runs the same size bars, although neither of mine are hollow. It's my understanding that the solid bars aren't noticably stiffer than the hollow bars though, just significantly lighter.

Camjag, add a set of good shocks with those swaybars, and your car will handle significantly better than stock AND ride better than stock (unless of course you like that wallowing unplanted feeling the stock shocks provide), all while still using the stock springs.

joblo1978

iTrader: (14)

Sam! Any possible gains in the 1/4 from the setup above? What is street comfort like with those bars?

Mike 01WS6

I've thought about adding these bars to my car for the sole purpose of saving weight. lol The handling would just be a bonus.

Would these hurt 1/4 mile ET's or decrease straightline traction on the street?

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

The time came to have my own bars made because of the hassle of putting two different bars from two different companies together. You opted for a Spohn bar, which is a painted Addco bar (and for the record would have sold to you for less....).

Regardless, the fact the pricing of the ST was rising, and the cost of shipping two bars was also increasing, teamed with the fact I could save some weight off the car (and in the rear it's all unsrpung weight too), I felt it was time to pull the trigger.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Ride isn't really changed at all by more bar unless you hit an ungodly huge bump with one wheel. The effect is *MUCH* less than set of lowering springs on the whole.

Gains at the track? What you want for handling is quite the opposite for the drag strip. A big front bar is no help, and can hurt if you have a lot of traction because it lessens the weight transfer. Most folks don't have that kind of grip to start with, and if they do you can simply unhook the bar at the strip. A larger rear bar helps keep the car more square on the launch and more effectively puts power to both rear wheels. A larger rear bar is more effective here, but again you have to have a lot of power and traction to need something really big, and that'll hurt you on the street as far as grip in corners and powering out of them.

The rear can be a help at the strip. The front, not so much but also likely not to hurt you either. If you do get a big bar, mine is better than say the ST because if you leave it or unhook it, mine is still 14 pounds or so lighter.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

The weight savings vs. stock bars is around 5 pounds total. Not a lot since the stock front is hollow already, and the rear isn't huge. But it's still a savings, and the rear is also unsprung weight which helps the ride too. The Handling is what these bars are all about. That's what I built them for.

They won't hurt traction on the street as you don't have enough to start with to get the kind of weight transfer that the front bar would limit. At the strip, the front wouldn't help, but also most likely won't hurt either. The rear bar would help at the track, likely not much change on the street in terms of launching unless the grip is out of the ordinary.

jRaskell

iTrader: (1)

Ya, I had spent some time talking to you on the phone about matching suspension components, and I ended up buying the front bar and shocks from you, and held off on the rear bar till I'd put some ride time on with just the front bar. A few months later I ran into the Spohn bar local sale and grabbed that and the strut tower brace for 100 bucks total (I probably would never have purchased a strut tower brace otherwise). He had Spohn LCAs dirt cheap as well, but they were poly/poly so I passed on those.