s346k

iTrader: (4)

...and holy ****, my 3,500lb pig REALLY rolls side to side now. it's like driving my 71 chevelle all over again, but worse. i did this reading that it would improve my car's ability to launch, is there any truth? i'm still on my radials, so trying so on the street was a wash. does anyone have any REAL gains from removing the sway bar? the car feels like a bowl of soup now, i still have mixed feelings about it..

Krab

iTrader: (28)

I don't know if I'd want to drive around without my front swaybar unbolted/removed. I haven't tried it myself, but I would imagine it would feel just like you're describing, extremely sloppy. Maybe do it just for track night, but not on the street unless you plan on not taking any aggressive turns. From what I've read, removing the sway bar is supposed to help with weight transfer, so your launch should be improved.

johnpate01

iTrader: (3)

The sway bar is called an "anti-sway bar" for a reason. Removing it is something that you would do for a drag car or a car with only VERY limited street use. It may be good for helping weight transfer, also cutting weight, but not a real good idea for street use. Imagine what would happen if you had to make an emergency lane change - not pretty. Since you said that you were still on normal tires, not DRs, I would assume that you are not an every weekend racer, so I would put it back on for now. Maybe take it off when you get to the track.

MountainMotor

iTrader: (2)

I took my front sway bar off last year and didn't notice hardly any difference. I don't take corners very hard though. It really didn't do much to my car either way, the front lifts a little quicker and body rolls the slightest bit more but nothing real noticeable. I too was worried about bad body roll after I took mine off but about two days after I took it off, I was driving down the highway and something flew off of a truck in front of me and I had to swerve pretty hard into the left lane and I was impressed at how it responded. I've heard some people say that they have a lot of body roll after removing it and I've heard people say that they really don't notice a difference. I didn't really notice a difference but if it bothers you then I'd go ahead and put it back on or it'll bother you everytime you drive your car.

s346k

iTrader: (4)

actually i drive the car maybe 50 miles a week. i put more miles on it going to track nights than i do driving it on the weekends, it's not a daily driver by any means. i'm not real sure if removing the sway-bar helped my launch or not, i went back to the track tonight and didn't see any real improvement. i think i might put it back on just because i miss being able to turn a corner over 20 mph without my cell phone flopping out of the console cupholder. thanks for the input..

TWS

iTrader: (63)

The front swaybar for my '94 Z28 hasn't touched the car for years.

And I drive it on the street at least once/week.

No big deal as long as you remember it's not there and don't try to autocross your way around town.

My '94 is set up for drag racing, so the benefits of not having the bar on are more than worth it to me. It's pretty much a "standard" mod for a car that is going to be drag raced.

ninetres

iTrader: (35)

WTF? Wow, some of you guys have had a real rough time without it. I couldn't even really notice when I removed mine (as far as rocking side to side) and I would feel 100% safe.............not 99%..........100% safe making a quick lane change on the freeway in an emergency.

Definite increase in weight trasfer, and I try to remove evry once that doesn't help me go straight.

keliente

iTrader: (22)

I barely noticed mine being gone..the car just lifted more around turns. No big deal, just don't do 60mph on tight on ramps. I had to change lanes quickly many times and I'm still alive.

TWS

iTrader: (63)

The nervous guys who were posting that it would be horrible without it are people who have not done it.

Is it noticeable? Yes. Would I do it on a street only car? No. Would I do it on a car that sees the track regularly? EVERY TIME.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Driving around without a front bar is stupid. For those that say it's no big deal, I'm not really sure what your are smokin', but it must be good. The cars are unstable, and very prone to oversteer without a front bar. And hell, look at the folks who go even a little bigger on the bar and their reactions--they all find it much better. Going from a 30 or a 32 to a 32 or 35 is a big change in stiffness, but nowhere near as much as the change from 30 or 32 to NOTHING.

It is dangerous. I know how to handle a car, and I've had a front endlink fail while autocrossing and spun the car instantaneously. As for evasive moves, if you think the car is ok, then you've never really tossed the car as hard as it is capable of. Hopefully you never have to. But if you do have to minus a front bar, you'll be in a lot of crap very fast.

jerflash

hey i have had the sway bar off my 2002 since 2003 and never put it back on

it helped my launch out and with it out the car still drives better then most cars on the street

now my car is not a daily driver anymore and have hals all around and now i really dont need the sway bar...the hals with out the swaybar handle better then stock with the sway bar

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

To each his own..... I wouldn't be near a car like that personally.

CrawlinWS6

iTrader: (41)

Don't have one on mine. And I can honestly say I did not really feel any difference in mine.

jerflash

except for very hard cornering the front sway bar is usless on are cars
dont get me wrong i liked my car with the swaybar in it and have thought about putting it back a few times but after putting the hal "R" shocks up front and the 325 springs i ahve the best of both worlds...get handling and any setting over 5 without the swaybar and with the set on one...my car does wheelies

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Oh my god. Please, PLEASE stop. Bars work anytime the body of the car is moving left and right relative to the ground. Bars work in cross winds. They work during lane changes, they work quite often and not just around corners.

I have to speak frankly now and flat out say that you guys are downright scaring me. And what's worse is that you are letting folks think it's ok to do this. It's not. The car isn't designed to work minus bars, the Z28 has more bar than a V-6, the SS more than the Z28, etc.

As for the the 325 springs. So? That's right in the ball-park of stock springs, and the term "handling" that HAL uses to descibe them is laughable. 1LE springs are 360 w/preload. Even the softest of the lowering springs like LS1 Pro-kits are 400 in front, and most are 500-600.

Your car does wheelies. That fine. But it doens't handle. If that's what you want, then ok. But get smart and disconnect the bar when you get to the track, hook it up on the road. Launching and handling are 180 degrees apart. The flopping you want to get (and do) by unhooking the bar is just what you can't have for control. By definition the car can't handle as well.

Silver99Z28

iTrader: (1)

This is a really good example for the subjective perception of humen beings, isnt't it?

The thread starter was anxious about the way his car is driving after he removed the front sway bar. He not only felt a difference... he is so unsecure about the bad effects that he is asking here for comments...

On the other side, there are board members, who never felt a difference at all without the sway bar...

Funny... Isn't it?

One of my first cars (twentyfour years ago) was so rusty, that the front sway-bar mounting-points were gone... This was a hell to drive!

Even if you think a sway-bar is only good for hard cornering (what is not what I'm thinking):
If you ever have to avoid a running child or anybody else coming in your driveway... you are hard-cornering... even if you never wanted it.

This is what the swedish guys name: Elk-Test Your 1700kg boat without a front sway-bar would never pass!

We have a responibility here... Please don't give such an advide.

Just my personal opinion... Holger

keliente

iTrader: (22)

Sam I see where you are coming from, but obviously those of us without sway bars up front aren't autocrossing like that, or taking on-ramps at high speeds, etc. I know I'm not the only one who went 6 months+ without a bar. Quick lane changes, swerves to miss something in the road, the car might not have handled as good as it could have, but in my opinion it was not 'dangerous' at any time or situation, either.

Just my .02 though.

TWS

iTrader: (63)

Let's introduce some reason into this thread.

For those who think disconnecting the bar for the heck of it is a good idea: that is probably "wrong". Your car will not handle as well, but it does not instantly turn it into a death mobile. If you go to the track often and do not daily drive the car in question, in my personal experience you will be fine. Just always remember it is not there, so do not attempt to see how many G's you can generate in a turn.

If you go to the drag strip pretty infrequently, or daily drive the car, I would keep it on and just remove it for those rare dragstrip outings.

I drag race my '94 Z28 typically a couple times a month and drive it on the street at least once/week to car shows/meets or I drive it for the hell of it if it hasn't made it out of the garage for a while. I got sick of swapping the front sway bar on and off years ago... and I think the last time the sway bar was ever on the car was in early 2003. I put it back on because I was driving the car from Chicago to Texas.

As long as I drive reasonably and remember that the sway bar is not there, I have absolutely no problems.

People who tell you there is no handling degradation are wrong. On the other hand, people who tell you you just turned your car into a death trap are equally wrong.

There is a trade off: some handling/cornering degradation in exchange for greatly improved weight transfer at the drag strip.

SladeX

I'm with Sam on this one. You shouldn't be advocating removing the bar for everyday use. It's quite irresponsible to give the impression to new car drivers and enthusiasts that the sway bar "doesn't do much" or it will still handle just as well. Sure YOU can handle it because you've driven worse, but what about the generation that hasn't touched an old car that rolls with the wind? You can easily find yourself in a situation where a sway bar is the difference between life and death. One needs not remind anyone here of the inherent dangers of driving on a road.

JoeyAnderson

iTrader: (20)

I've had my front bar removed for ~500 miles, and I'd be lying if I said that I didn't notice a difference. I drive the car aggressively and spiritedly on the street, and I do feel that removing the bar has limited my ability to do that somewhat.

That being said - I won't put the bar back on. The car transfers weight better, and that is what I was after. I just have to be a little more cautious when turning/maneuvering at speed, that's all.

...And I certainly won't be winning any autocross events any time soon.