1 1/8" solid Vs 34MM hollow front sway bar

[G_Body_Enthusiast]

so i picked up a hollow sway bar of a camaro some years back (it does have the holes at the ends) and while i cant get an exact measurement since my adjustable wrench only goes to 32 MM i'm pretty confident it's a 34mm and not the 36mm. anyway, what i'm wondering is it worth yanking out the 1 1/8" solid bar for the 34mm? it's not a big deal to get the bushings but i am questioning if the change out is worth the time and effort. because it is hollow and that offers a weight savings plus the bar being bigger than the solid one, though not by much, i'm leaning towards the idea that it's most likely worth the effort and time to put it in.

i know the 36mm is the one to look for between it and the 34 but i got the 34mm pretty cheap and i hate to not use parts i buy but i also dont like wasting my time on putting parts in where i wont notice a difference between it and the previous part. if i did the math right the diameter increases by about 1/4" with the hollow bar and i know the solid one was a heavy bugger so i'm shaving pounds off with the hollow one. i have no idea about the wall thickness so i cant exactly come up with the numbers to tell me if i will have enough gains to justify it so i'm wondering if anyone can shed more light on this.

cliffnotes: is it worth upgrading from a 1 1/8" solid bar to a 34mm hollow bar?

 

[shotgun]

The short version, stick with the hollow one.

Longer version, a solid bar is "stiffer" then a hollow of the same diameter.

You are comparing bars of different diameters. I did all the math years ago, my swag is the slightly smaller solid bar will have a slight edge.

But, then there is the weight difference.

My opinion is the slight gain you get , say 5% "stiffness", is not worth the 50% weight gain. Those numbers are swag but you get the point.

The flip side, 20 minutes and a set of bushings will give actual results.

 

[G_Body_Enthusiast]

The short version, stick with the hollow one.

Longer version, a solid bar is "stiffer" then a hollow of the same diameter.

You are comparing bars of different diameters. I did all the math years ago, my swag is the slightly smaller solid bar will have a slight edge.

But, then there is the weight difference.

My opinion is the slight gain you get , say 5% "stiffness", is not worth the 50% weight gain. Those numbers are swag but you get the point.

The flip side, 20 minutes and a set of bushings will give actual results.

see i know a solid is stiffer when they're the same diameter and while this is just less than 1/4" larger than the solid a hollow bar can be as stiff as a solid bar of smaller diameter but that also depends on the wall thickness for the hollow bar, and of course the larger it is over the solid bar the stiffer it can be but again this is dependent upon the wall thickness.

i did read that a 10% difference in stiffness wont be noticeable to most drivers and while i'm sure the two bars are of similar stiffness i am also obsessive compulsive about the suspension and every mod i notice a difference even just replacing the back springs with regular OEM ones, not even better OEM springs from a different application so i'm concerned i might actually notice it and be angry about it if it's not as stiff.

i somehow doubt the hollow bar is less stiff, i really do. however, the bigger problem is i cant find 34mm sway bar bushings with zerk fittings to grease them. i really would like to be able to grease them to help reduce the chance of binding and squeaking. that's the bigger concern. i dont know about this at all but i'm thinking, and i could be wrong, but wouldnt a bigger bar be more apt to binding or am i thinking in reverse? a bigger diameter means a larger circumference that means a larger area of contact between bushing and bar. in my mind without lubrication that means more chance of bind or simply extra wear and tear on the bushings period which isnt good. correct me if i'm wrong.

 

[pontiacgp]

I had the F41 bar on my GP with 660 lbs springs with afco shocks....switched out the bar for the hollow 34 mm sway bar and the 34mm is definitely stiffer

and

"the bigger problem is i cant find 34mm sway bar bushings with zerk fittings to grease them. i really would like to be able to grease them to help reduce the chance of binding and squeaking. that's the bigger concern."

drill a hole slightly smaller then the diameter of the zerk though the steel bracket and through the bushing and then install the zerk....or I can do it for you and sell you a modified custom geasable brackets and bushings for a "slight" markup..lol

 

[jrm81bu]

Or just use the energy suspension bushings for the 33mm bar.

 

[G_Body_Enthusiast]

Or just use the energy suspension bushings for the 33mm bar.

wouldnt that be too tight of a fit? yeah it's just a mm but still.

 

[jrm81bu]

Or just use the energy suspension bushings for the 33mm bar.

wouldnt that be too tight of a fit? yeah it's just a mm but still.

Well the reason I said that is that I have the 36mm bar on mine and I got the bushings from energy suspension. On their website they only list up to 35mm, so i'm thinking that's what I ran. I'll look around here for my reciept and get back with ya as to what part number I got for sure.

 

[pontiacgp]

the difference between 33 mm and 34 mm is roughly the thickness of 2 sheets of 20 lb paper

 

[jrm81bu]

I checked, and I did use the 35mm bushing on my 36mm bar. Works just fine.

 

[G_Body_Enthusiast]

ok 33 mm it is then. what company and color do i want? not all urethane has the same hardness/stiffness/durometer.