New Chassis Mounted Sway [Anti-roll] Bars

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Canon_Mutant

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Aug 15, 2015
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So, by their design, I get how these clamp to the axle bolt up to the frame bars are going to help keep the frame and thus body tied to the rear axle but don't they also, by their design, inject about every single bump, divot, [pebble?] the rear wheels see directly into the chassis?

Anyone who is running these please chime in on how you feel they have impacted your ride quality?

Yes, I want this 442 to turn AND hook up all this big block power better but I don't want to turn an Olds into a M1A1. Right now, I am leaning toward new rear control arms [boxed lowers with front poly - rear roto and adjustable uppers], Eibach 1" lowering springs and UMI shocks, and just hooking my F41 sway bar to the new lowers.
 

L92 OLDS

Comic Book Super Hero
Mar 30, 2012
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So, by their design, I get how these clamp to the axle bolt up to the frame bars are going to help keep the frame and thus body tied to the rear axle but don't they also, by their design, inject about every single bump, divot, [pebble?] the rear wheels see directly into the chassis?

Anyone who is running these please chime in on how you feel they have impacted your ride quality?

Yes, I want this 442 to turn AND hook up all this big block power better but I don't want to turn an Olds into a M1A1. Right now, I am leaning toward new rear control arms [boxed lowers with front poly - rear roto and adjustable uppers], Eibach 1" lowering springs and UMI shocks, and just hooking my F41 sway bar to the new lowers.


I've been running the Hellwig bar you see below. It bolts up to the body of the car, not the lower control arms like the crappy F41 set up. It's not the biggest bar on the market but bigger isn't always better when you consider under / oversteer and the rest of your suspension set up. I have an 34mm hollow IROC Camaro bar in the front and they work very well together. Ride quality is better than the factory F41 set up and cornering is much improved. The car has new Energy Suspension body mounts, factory 442 springs, all the extra frame and chassis brackets, UMI rear control arms with roto joints.


Amazon.com: Hellwig 55809 Tubular Rear Sway Bar: Automotive



 
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pontiacgp

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Mar 31, 2006
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Kitchener, Ontario
I have a GTA rear bar on my GP. I bent the arms in to clear the UMI LCA and used a 3" u bolt on the 8.2 axle shafts with the stock mounting hardware. On the lip on the frame cross member there was a hole conveniently placed to mount the stock sway bar link. I have the 36 mm hollow F body sway bar in front. As far as handling my son with his BMW 335xi had to work to keep up to me going around corners. My other son riding with him asked me what I did with the car to keep it so flat going around corners. I had a builder of G body circle track cars in my car and he said my car was the most stable G body he has every been in. The 660 lbs front springs and 170 lbs rear spring along with Bilstein AK linear shocks also help the handling
 

GuysMonteSS

Royal Smart Person
May 21, 2011
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Kentville,Nova Scotia,Canada
I find that the heim joints on mine rattle a lot on rough roads.
Other than that the ride is fine and it handles real nice.
Guy
 

Canon_Mutant

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Aug 15, 2015
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Thanks for all the input.

Sounds like the new design is at least worth a try. And, compared to all the other changes I will be making, the cost of the new rear sway bar is actually minimal. Though I can see how the new design allows for at least some sway bar articulation as the suspension works, when you look at how it attaches, it is hard to see how especially bumps or even rebounds following divots/holes aren't going to inject right into the frame making the ride MUCH harsher.
 

Canon_Mutant

Royal Smart Person
Aug 15, 2015
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Wow, a cleaner rear end than mine . . . lol. Looks really good!

Steve, a friend of mine, said a while back after looking under mine . . . bleep you could bleeping eat off of this and mine isn't this clean. If I ever get the bleeping electric antenna changed and fender back on [don't get me bleeping started on that!] I will be getting it out in the sun and uploading NEW pics. I just realized recently that what few pics I have are film hardcopies . . . shows you it how long it has been?

And, I intend to picture-document this whole transformation. I'm a bit disappointed I didn't do that with the engine/transmission build projects but too late now . . .
 

pontiacgp

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Mar 31, 2006
29,270
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Kitchener, Ontario
Thanks for all the input.

Sounds like the new design is at least worth a try. And, compared to all the other changes I will be making, the cost of the new rear sway bar is actually minimal. Though I can see how the new design allows for at least some sway bar articulation as the suspension works, when you look at how it attaches, it is hard to see how especially bumps or even rebounds following divots/holes aren't going to inject right into the frame making the ride MUCH harsher.

sway bars do not make a ride harsher, a sway bar adds to the spring rate when cornering and adds stability to the car
 

Canon_Mutant

Royal Smart Person
Aug 15, 2015
1,159
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[Thanks] I understand what sway bars are supposed to do and that "conventional" between the control arms sway bars don't make the ride harsher . . . just worried about the ones that effectively just clamp the rear axle directly to the frame. Now it sounds like everyone is saying that the ride is still OK with these new ones so I am willing to give one a try as it is certainly easy to see how clamping the rear axle to the frame will control body roll better.

Since I am approaching 60, I want to do some auto-x with this car but it is going to be a [for example] drive 4-500 miles to a car show and back and go have some fun on a track while I am there. But, in the process of making this 442 hook up, turn, and stop better, I don't want to turn it into something that will punish my aging kidneys the entire time during the trip. Sounds like I am hearing . . . it won't.
 

GuysMonteSS

Royal Smart Person
May 21, 2011
1,449
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Kentville,Nova Scotia,Canada
Canon,I think you are worrying too much.
My Monte has had this style of sway bar on since the late eighties and I have put many tens of thousands of miles on it.
A couple of years ago my wife and I made a 2500 + mile trip and she never once complained about rough or harsh ride.
Guy
 
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