Sway Bar Opinions?

Grandavi

Grandavi

Active Member
Sep 25, 2008
2,664
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Calgary, Alberta, Canada
I have to replace my rear and front lower control arms so I can get a wheel alignment. Figuring this is the time to do sway bars.
So far I have looked at:

Godspeed swaybars - (from reading below... these are not considered any longer.. lol)

Tanabe - http://www.tunersports.com/tanabe-sustec-stabilizer-sway-bar-tsb033f_p20063.html
and http://www.tunersports.com/tanabe-sustec-stabilizer-sway-bar-tsb033r_p20089.html

Whiteline - http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/partdetails/Whiteline/suspension/sway_bars/-/17307

ST Suspension (choosing to ignore these, they look good, but cheap...)

From everything I have looked at, whiteline looks to be the best overall, but wondering if anyone has any input to help me choose (doing front and rear).
 
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AbsoluteSpeed

AbsoluteSpeed

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Aug 8, 2007
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Edmonton AB
With swaybars the bigger the diameter the stiffer the bar will be and, having just installed mine, I'd say go with the strongest your wallet will allow. It will make for smooth, flat cornering without added harshness.

ST swaybars are 28mm front and 24mm rear
Whitelines are 30mm front and 22mm rear (plus they are adjustable)
Tanabe are 30.4mm front and 25.4mm rear

So Tanabes should be the strongest plus they are chromoly meaning they are lighter (I believe the others are steel) but they are also the most expensive.

I'm happy with my ST swaybars. I got an amazing price on them otherwise I would have gone with Whiteline or Tanabe. Godspeed is cheap ebay junk.
 
Grandavi

Grandavi

Active Member
Sep 25, 2008
2,664
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Calgary, Alberta, Canada
It looks like Tanabe would be the ones then... I like the idea of lighter.. and 10 bucks or 100 bucks is not a great deal of difference... really in the grand scheme of things. Just getting my car aligned is going to cost me almost 3000...

I think Whiteline is probably the most used one (probably just better marketing...)

Is there any drawbacks to actually using thicker swaybars, in regards to comfort, longevity, overall car feel? I know they help in cornering, but does it come at a price of something else? (sometimes there is a tradeoff.. like with my HSD Coilovers. Great for variety of settings.. good quality... allow me to lower the car but I lose some of the GT feel in trade off for increased handling. I have the HSD's on at 7/18 front and rear right now trying to find the sweet spot...


lol.. you have 666 posts now!
 
Grandavi

Grandavi

Active Member
Sep 25, 2008
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Calgary, Alberta, Canada
I think what I'm wondering about is, how stiffer the car will feel with heavier sway bars. Do you notice any difference on bumps with shock transferral from one wheel to the other compared to stock? I sacrificed a fair bit of "comfort" just with coilovers, so wondering if I lose even more of the GT feel if I upgrade these sway bars.
 
Atlas

Atlas

You call this a sandwich?
Aug 22, 2012
102
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Clovis CA
I have ST sways (grey version) front and rear. The rear is adjustable, the front isn't. I autocross my supra and noticed a nice change in dynamics afterwards. The car is more predictable and you can gauge the weight transfer better. Grip is slightly enhanced, but will be way more dependent on tires. I didn't notice a huge difference in daily drivability. I'm on eibachs and Tokico blues, so my experience will vary since your on HSD coilovers. I'd recommend STs, they're pretty local to me, and I got a great deal when I ordered a set through a vendor on here.

Also, newer stock ST sway bars are grey, while the older versions were green I think..

In any case, good luck with whatever you choose!
 
Silver MK3

Silver MK3

New Member
Jan 24, 2011
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Madison, AL
Grandavi;2015727 said:
I think what I'm wondering about is, how stiffer the car will feel with heavier sway bars. Do you notice any difference on bumps with shock transferral from one wheel to the other compared to stock? I sacrificed a fair bit of "comfort" just with coilovers, so wondering if I lose even more of the GT feel if I upgrade these sway bars.
Click to expand...

I've always wondered if aftermarket sway bars affect ride quality as well. I'm interested to see what some people have to say.
 
Grandavi

Grandavi

Active Member
Sep 25, 2008
2,664
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Calgary, Alberta, Canada
The ST swaybar is probably the best price wise. I have to see what is available locally because shipping willbe pretty expensive on a single order due to weight.

From what I'm reading, white line seem to be the most used on MA70.
 
3p141592654

3p141592654

90T
Oct 11, 2005
3,816
16
38
Thousand Oaks, CA
I have the Tanabe's. They are extremely light as they are hollow. I believe the others are solid. I installed them along with Tanabe springs and Illumina IIs, so I cannot say how much the bars alone changed the ride. Overall, the ride is stiffer than stock, but not ridiculous. I also have 35 series 18 inch wheels which adds harshness. The only scenario where I really feel the stiffness is on concrete freeways that are in need of some repair (such as the 405 near LAX for anyone in LA). Otherwise, it corners very flat and inspires confidence.
 
gats

gats

Rebuilding... Slowly!
Mar 3, 2009
182
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Sydney, NSW
Something to note is the mass difference between OEM and aftermarket too...

Stock MA70 front (hollow): 3.6kg (7.9 lbs)

Whiteline Adjustable front: 8.8kg (19.4 lbs)

Note these figures are not my own...
 
Dylan JZ

Dylan JZ

一番 King
Oct 18, 2007
2,220
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湾岸せん
The Tanabe bars are lighter than stock and are stiffer than ST and Whiteline. What's there to not like? haha

I have them, and they are pretty amazing aside from the lame rubber bushings that they come with. Replace those with poly and you're good to go.
 
3p141592654

3p141592654

90T
Oct 11, 2005
3,816
16
38
Thousand Oaks, CA
I like the Tanabe bars as well. All these bars stiffen up the rear a lot which reduces understeer but makes the inside rear wheel pick up a bit, which can make the rear end a little more prone to breaking loose under power in a turn.
 
scottiedawg66

scottiedawg66

New Member
Apr 1, 2005
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the whiteline ones do not have adjustable end links. there are 3 different holes in the bar that the end links attach to. I have them and noticed a nice improvement. If I was going for a road race / track car I would definately remove the rear bar. I have never tried to mess with the adjustment, but probably will next year when I am back to drifting.
 
yhatzee89

yhatzee89

Joe Yantz
Aug 31, 2012
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San Antonio, TX
Dylan JZ;2028362 said:
The Tanabe bars are lighter than stock and are stiffer than ST and Whiteline. What's there to not like? haha
Click to expand...

From that chart it looks that the whiteline are the stiffest?

I just got mine and I'm excited to see how much differently the car behaves over stock
 
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