Ok,
I'm sure this is already on here but I can't find it...searching for rear sway bar bring up a ton of posts.

so..what are the thoughts on the best rear sway bar for the $$?

thanks
~R

 

This is kinda like asking what the best color is... (Pepper white, of course! )

I like the H-Sport Comp bar that I put on Jango... big bar, stiffest of the bunch (without going to a full racing bar like the Webb Motorsport full adjustable), 3-point adjustable, Zerk fittings for easy lubrication of the bushings, heavy-duty bushings and hardware, hollow for light weight.

I've heard many people (that I respect) say that this is too much bar for daily driving (and they are probably correct). They generally recommend the larger Alta bar that costs about $40-60 less. I got a great deal on the H-sport at the Dragon, so I couldn't pass it up... I figured that I could just leave it on the softer setting.

 

You have asked a rhetorical question and most likely everyone will tell you that the BEST bar is the one THEY bought. So ... it will be just a bunch of opinions because I doubt no one person has tested every bar on the market.

They all basically do the same thing and unless you going racing for real, I doubt it really matters. If anyone can find ANY aftermarket sway bar (not the end links) that have actually broke, please post. Bottom line ... IMHO read what each vendor has to say and form your own opinion ... thats what I did.

 

Here's a general discussion from last year
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...light=sway+bar

And a link to Randy Webb's thoughts on them here (scroll to bottom)

For the $, I'd say Rspeed off of ebay is a brilliant decision. Hey, that's what I did!

 

I'm with Agranger, same deal at the Dragon... Best Mod, ever!!!

 

The H-sport has a real nice advantage in being hollow . It offers the same performance increase but with a lot less weight. In the soft or even middle setting you will be fine for most driving applications.

Mark

 

If you are in a Cooper, it's a nice modification to find someone with an MCS who has upgraded and replace your stock bar with their spare MCS bar.

 

I'm not a big fan of this advice...

If you optioned the Sports Suspension Plus on your Cooper, you already have the swaybars that come on an MCS.

Even if you didn't, I'd say that if an MCS owner wants to give you their take-off for free, sure, go for it. But I wouldn't pay much for one. If you're going to go through the labor of changing your rear swaybar (admittedly not much, but still) you might as well spend a few dollars more and get an adjustable one instead of someone's MCS leftovers.

IMHO.

 

Forgive me for confusing the issue. One of the things I don’t like about stiff anti-sway bars is the reduction of independent suspension travel. In certain stock racing categories modifications to the rear suspension are not allowed so to counter wheel lift out of tight turns the front sway bar is swapped for a smaller diameter one. For an MCS that would mean trading for a standard cooper bar. Just think you get to keep stock independent suspension action, reduce understeer (for the most part a function of the relationship between front and rear stiffness), and wheel lift, all at the same time, by going smaller up front instead of larger out back. I took a ride in an MCS set up like this on an autocross course and the car was not sloppy.

Now for the original question; the best sway bar for the $$ (or less), stay stock.

 

I didn't know this! You learn something new every day! Thanks.

 

On one of the threads, someone posted pics on his install of an RSpeed swaybar. The description of the install included grinding of the area of the body that contacted the bushing and covering the grind with silicone...did anyone else have to grind at the body? Are there rubbing issues with any of the major choices (Rspeed, ALTA, H Sport)?

 

I've installed 2 H-sports, an Alta and a couple of bars from eBay that were from an Australian company (bars were painted grey). None of them required grinding for the install.

 

I've installed at least 8 different brands of rear swaybars and never had to grind anything. Some must have went wrong with that install.

 

The grinding may be dependent upon the build date of the car. There were some changes made in the rear of the car in the suspension area, remember. For instance, for a long time the JCW suspension was not allowed on early cars because there wasn't clearance for something back there without grinding something away.

 

whiteline?

 

I had the first and second H-Sport Comp production runs. Both had contact issues of some kind (not confined to the bushing bracket); very little could be done about the first version, for both early versions some relief could be had by slotting the bushing bracket holes. My build has a disparity between the mounting holes from one side to the other so that was partially to blame, but I have seen minor body contact at the bracket in another early build install.

 

I have the H-Sport Comp bar and haven't had any problems with it. It works great with the JCW suspension. I've used the softest and middle settings and both were fine for daily driving. The middle setting does lose a lot of rear wheel independence and also can have liftoff/braking oversteer when pushed hard. I've settled on keeping it at the softest setting for now.

If I were to do it all over again I would probably go with the H&R rear sway bar. They offer both 18mm and 19mm sizes with bushings that don't need to be lubed. They aren't hollow and as stiff as the H-Sport, but they would give more independent wheel travel and would be plenty for street purposes.

I think the reason most change the rear bar is because it is easier to change than the front.

 

I seem to remember a yellow and white striped box. Everyone just brought their bars over to the house and we did a 6 car install day.

 

hmm, i didn't get it in a box, i got it from a mate, but it did have "whiteline" in yellow written on the bar...

 

If you want an infinitely adjustable swaybar, but dont want to spend big loads of cash, you should check out the Ireland engineering bar. It comes with the end links and is infinitely adjustable...all for a low price

(and it isn't even the one i have...i have the h-sport and like it, but i think the infinite adjustability would be awesome)

 

I think this is a great option for those on a limited budget. It's a nice little bump up for very little cash.

 

That's a great bar. The adjustment is what one would want for the track. The only problem I see is that those hiem joints can get very loud on a street driven car. I have an H-Sport that works very well for me too.

 

yah it definitely makes a little noise because of the joints it uses

 

I got a similar swaybar from a local MINI shop (while I was in Montreal) called BimmerShop. It's a MINI-Mania Ultrik. It looks the same but in silver.

It includes 19mm swaybar and adjustable droplinks.

It's a great swaybar and makes the car handle a lot better!!

 

WMS extreme sway if you can get it.

Love mine and such an increase in adjustablility over the Alta.

Comes with drop links too