I've seen a few people claim it's best to just use the biggest front sway bar you can find for our cars, which is Belltech from what I've found. I'm a little skeptical of that idea and would like some opinions from people who autocross their cars or at least built it for handling. Right now, I'm considering a Beltech front with a UMI chassis mounted rear bar but wanna make sure I'm making the right choice before I buy them.
Aftermarket Sway Bar Selection
- Thread starter ElkySS89
- Start date
anything larger than the stock 7/8'' is a step in the rite direction.i don't know if you'll see a diffrence from say a 1-1/4 stock monte ss bar to the 1-3/8" bell tech you're referring to.there's a rabbit hole to be had with it all.i do agree with running the chassis mounted rear bar vs the LWR control mounted version.
The F body 1LE front bar which was 36mm is bigger and works great. Might be harder to find now a days though. Be careful on the rear bar though. You don't want the largest rear bar you can get if you care about cornering at least. If you get a BMR front bar, buy the matching rear bar from them as well. Same with UMI, which is who I would personally go with.
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I agree with the 36mm bar choice. Mine came from a Pontiac Firebird GTA and I also think it works great. I'm sure they're much harder to find these days.
The 34mm front bar would more than likely be easier to find.
I have used a 2dr Blazer rear bar and currently have a CPP rear bar. I like both and I have the hollow 36mm F body front bar. The CPP bar is adjustable.
The problem with putting a MASSIVE front bar on is often a car can turn a corner better with some body roll. If the front is super stiff it can pull the inside tire off the ground in a turn if you are applying power and don't have it paired with a stiffer rear bar. A stiff rear bar can restrict the car from leaning and keeping both tires on the ground.
What tread ware and size tire do you have? Is it set up to turn a corner aggressively?
The problem with putting a MASSIVE front bar on is often a car can turn a corner better with some body roll. If the front is super stiff it can pull the inside tire off the ground in a turn if you are applying power and don't have it paired with a stiffer rear bar. A stiff rear bar can restrict the car from leaning and keeping both tires on the ground.
What tread ware and size tire do you have? Is it set up to turn a corner aggressively?
I'm still new to building a car for handling so I'm figuring it out as I go along. I'm running 17s with 245 front and 275s rear Nitto 555s, which I believe is 300. As of now, It just has UMI braces front and rear with poly body mounts and KYB Gas-a-just shocks. It handles surprisingly well for what little is done to it. That said, I have BMR upper and lower control arms for the front and the back, Viking coilovers for the front with 450 springs and UMI 1in springs and Viking shocks for the rear about to go on.
If all else is equal. Just as expected. More diameter is probably a stiffer bar but where it mount on the control arm and how long the tail of the bar are also a factor.
The stiffer you make the suspension, the closer you approach to not having a suspension. The main function of suspensions is to allow the wheels to articulate independently of the body to maintain wheel contact with uneven surfaces. Real stiff suspensions work best on nice flat race tracks but you need a little softer for public roads. A stiff suspension reacts to road deviations more slowly and thus more prone for the wheels to lose contact with uneven surfaces. Body roll produces an anti wheel jacking force which helps prevent loss of tire contact with uneven roads. Also stiffer sway bars restrict how much either the two front or rear wheels can articulate independently of each other which isn't good for uneven roads.
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