custom sway bar

[shishcabobers]

Does anybody know where and how much it would cost to get a sway bar fabricated?

[frosty]

Do they not make ones for your car?

[shishcabobers]

They do but its sold as a set, I just want a rear sway bar.

[frosty]

From when I've seen from a shop that designed their own sway bar to sell, there is a good chance that it will

1) cost you more to get one fully custom made
2) be inferior in design / quality (due to mass production and testing)

I know that in autox, the most common first mod told to a beginner is "get a rear sway bar." I'll bet that the people who came up with the set of front/rear designed them to work together. I'll also bet that most (if not all) cars at last the regionals had front sway bars.

Have you talked to people who have similar cars to yours, and what they are modifying?

[MX5bob]

What car are we talking about?

As for which bar is most important, that depends on a few factors. Front or rear drive, under or over steer, and Stock or ST or SP?

[shishcabobers]

FWD. I just want a bigger rear sway bar to offset understeer, because I think the set that is sold for my car is very moderate, I mean the rear isn't [B]that[B] much bigger thant the front. Also I think I would be running in the street touring class because I have lowering springs, slotted and drilled rotors, aftermarket brake pads, ghetto fab short ram, and exhaust.

[j_rho]

I've put together a couple swaybars myself using pieces sourced from here:
http://www.1speedway.com

[DelSolBurrow]

what car do u have?

[woodrufj]

FWD. I just want a bigger rear sway bar to offset understeer, because I think the set that is sold for my car is very moderate, I mean the rear isn't [B]that[B] much bigger thant the front. Also I think I would be running in the street touring class because I have lowering springs, slotted and drilled rotors, aftermarket brake pads, ghetto fab short ram, and exhaust.


Hmm.. I don't think this will accomplish what you want. Bigger bar will typically push the end its on. I'd suggest working on getting the back end around. My first guess is stiffer springs and maybe shocks in the rear.

Jay W

[dwkfym]

he builds nationals winning car(s)

Look up excel spreadsheets and find out what sort of roll resistance you want to put in your car. Then you can probably figure out how to make that swaybar from components sold at the website above. If you don't want to figure that out, look for data on existing bars. Good luck!

[shishcabobers]

Hmm.. I don't think this will accomplish what you want. Bigger bar will typically push the end its on. I'd suggest working on getting the back end around. My first guess is stiffer springs and maybe shocks in the rear.

Jay W


What do mean by push? Wouldn't a bigger rear bar aid understeer? There is a problem for springs and shocks; I dont think I could buy stiffer springs and they dont make aftermarket shocks or any kind of shock for my car (suzuki forenza). My car has a terrible aftermarket, so it is really hard to find parts.

[frosty]

Maybe it'd be better to focus on learning to drive the Suzuki and wait to buy another car in a couple years or something (a used miata or civic that are both cheap and have lots of after market parts).

You can do tricks to make up for understeer other than sway bars. My car used to understeer like crazy. The stock air pressure is 32 front, 29 back. I race with 38/40, which causes the rear to oversteer. No sway bar required. :D That, and I got better at driving...

[nalbar]

Alex,

Forget about this for now. Sways are not going to make the slightest difference in your driving.

Forget about doing anything to your car.

Come out on the 5th and it will all be made clear in person.



nalbar

[DelSolBurrow]

+1 above

but on FWD bigger rear bars reduce understeer but not a bigger front bar, and the front and rear bars need to work together.

[woodrufj]

You can do tricks to make up for understeer other than sway bars. My car used to understeer like crazy. The stock air pressure is 32 front, 29 back. I race with 38/40, which causes the rear to oversteer. No sway bar required. :D That, and I got better at driving...
Yeah, these are stock car tricks, because you're not allowed to change suspension. There's a well known national champ that actual used to run 60psi in the rear of a FWD car. In non-stock classes you can play those games too, but the 'right' way is to adjust your suspension.

For a newbie, don't put any money into mods just yet. Maybe better tires if you need new tires anyways or better shocks if you need new shocks anyways. There's a lot to learn about driving before you KNOW what's wrong with your set up.

BTW, there's ALWAYS parts for any car, you just might have to build them yourself though.

Jay W
505/287 Dakota

[shishcabobers]

Sorry guys, yeah... you guys are right. Sorry for being such a noob.

[frosty]

Sorry guys, yeah... you guys are right. Sorry for being such a noob.

From one noob to another, there is no reason to be sorry for being eager to make your car faster. :D

[chapmanr]

Guys, guys, guys....

A stiffer rear bar is an excellent way to help a FWD car turn in. Especially if its a dual purpose car, because you won't have to deal with high spring and damper rates on your morning commute.

And, most tuner sets for FWD cars which include a front swaybar have gone too stiff in front, at least for ax. They are looking to generate flat cornering and responsiveness for the street, but at the limit they will generate fairly serious understeer.

The suggestions to work on driving are excellent. But, a good setup involves making a car easier to drive fast as well as increasing its ultimate grip.

For a specific recommendation, pump up the fronts to the maximum on the tire sidewall. Try some runs with 5-8 lbs less than that in back, and some with 5-8lbs more in back. Both adjustments will "trim" the car- reduce understeer by reducing grip in the back. The amount of communication from the tires will be quite different and a matter of taste as to preference.

Then, before you spend money on a bar for the back, try loosening or even disconnecting the front swaybar. Remember, virtually every street car is tuned with a heavy understeer bias, and for a fwd car that means a thick front sway bar.

The last thing to consider for a rear bar- you can mess with the front bar all you like in stock, but a change in the rear bar will send you up class.

And, never feel about being a noob...everyone else responding to this post was a noob in my memory. Including me!

[wildlylz]

Try John at Revenge Motosports in El Cajon (619-258-8968) He has fabricated everything from a custom roll cage to lower control arm bushings for my car. You won't find a better fabricator in San Diego and yes, he does make sway bars.

[Sebastian R.]

You could experiment by disconnecting the front bar.

[D Rex]

Try John at Revenge Motosports in El Cajon (619-258-8968) He has fabricated everything from a custom roll cage to lower control arm bushings for my car. You won't find a better fabricator in San Diego and yes, he does make sway bars.


+1 on this. John can whip up anything you need. He's a Honda guy and tracks a civic and a Nsx for fun/research. Check out www.revengemotorsports.com Located in Santee.