so I am getting a sway bar for my Xmas pressie to me,
I have done a bit of research and still cant decide which,
so please if you can chip in your experience and advice i would be greatfull,
It is a daily driver MCS and someday soon will be used for the odd track day,
so which is best?
2 position or 3?
19mm or 22mm?
Alta?
R speed?
H sport?
have read that the H&R bar has maintenance free bushings but is only 19mm and has 2 positions for adjustment,
others have grease nipples fitted and others don't,
I dont want this thing to squeak so which is best?

 

also decided to go w/a sway bar but not till i can afford to do the end links...its makes sence since OEM links are designed to werk w/oem bar.
an aftermarket bar will add more force to the allready weak 'links' kinda defeats the purpose.
a 19mm w/three positions i feel will be best if u think u will be pushin' it real hard on the trck then a 22mm
i've heard of squeakin' problems from most all of them except the H&R
but i would go w/the one w/the best bushings and keep them well lubed i do like the zerk fittings meself but u could put these on jus about any set of bushings...... the r-speed is forged so totaly a different beast here but that also means more weight!!!
oh, and those k00l sleves that come w/their bar is a g00d idea

 

I can't speak for all of them but I was in the same boat as you a year ago. I went with the H-Sport comp bar and am very happy with it. I'm leaving it on the softest setting for now which mantains some understeer for safe street driving. It hasn't made any noise but I plan on greasing soon just incase. All bars will eventually loose their lubrication and start squeeking so the grease nipple on the H-Sport comes in very handy.

(edit) oh, and the stock end links are working fine for me. They should work for street driving but will probably need replacing if you plan on taking it to the track.

 

How about the stock sway bar? Does it need lubrication too? Does it also make some squeaking?

Dont think I heard any problems (squeaking) with the stock sway bars

 

I use a 22mm Alta on my car. It helps keep the car neutral on the soft setting. On the hard setting it gives the car some oversteer.

 

i have an H-sport bar on my car. it's the lightest and has three hole adjustment. i would stick with three hole adjustment and any sway bar can make noise if not lubed. in the end most people go down to price. my first choice is h-sport, my second is R-speed. also the end links are not always needed. i have the stock end links and have raced my car on the track many times without any problems. i also always set the bar in the middle hole for any new installs. that way you can feel the bar working and you have room for other adjustment. after a while on that setting you will love the bar on full stiff. i run a front a read bar all the time. front on smallest lightest setting, rear on the stiffest setting. hope that helps.

chad
Detroit Tuned

 

ur not goin' to get any noise from oem bars they are smaller in diameter, different softer/self lubin' rubber bushings, so not the same thin' those wont need extra care atleast for a loooonnnnggg time

 

00
hey chad how ya doin' ??

 

i am doing good. it's snowing here. another 4 to 6 inches! good times.

 

Mini-Madness.com makes a 22mm 3-position bar that I'm using on my daily driver MCS. It is a better-made piece than others, and has maintenance-free bushings.

As an example, it has a fully-welded "bead" that locates it horizontally in the bushings, rather than just spot-welded washers like the Alta.

 

And, how much does something like that cost?

 

The stock drop links are very strong, stonger then some aftermarket for sure. Stock drop links are just fine with aftermarket bars. Aftermarket links that are adjustable really are not needed untill you go with adjustable struts.
Not sure why anyone would only go with a 19mm bar instead of the 22mm. Just set the 22mm on softest setting and it's perfect as a very streetable car. Add front camber plates or hit the track and set it on the middle. At this point you are at the stiffest setting on the 19, if not beyond, which means you need a new bar once again. Go with a front sway bar and the stiffest on the 22mm is not even quite enough.
This is why I would go with the new Webb bar. If you know you will never add a front bar, then the 22mm is just fine. I like the H-Sport myself and have NEVER had a noise problem with it.

 

Yeh, and if you wanted to use the intermediate setting between the holes on
the swaybar. and if you have a coilover kit which you need to corner balance.


just use the stock endlinks for street/ mild track use. it's fine.

 

Just received my Rspeed 22 mm bar last night. Mentioning this only because they are having a sale on the bar now. Will be installing as a winter project.
JS

 

I have the H-Sport 25mm (22mm effective) hollow bar and very happy with it. Weight is only about 6 lbs. I've greased only once in 10K miles only because I felt it was due. Have been using center hole but, with winter I think I'll soften it up a bit and go to the rear hole. Don't need trailing throttle over-stear in snow.

 

I just got the Rspeed, and I'm happy with it. Read Randy Webb's thoughts here:
http://store.webbmotorsports.com/ind...f3c4a5b3f74ba9

My criteria: value, cost, adjustability

The few pounds difference doesn't bother me (especially for the $$), and at least that weight is in the rear! I like the three position option, and I don't like 'bling' (colored)

I recommend starting in the softest position. You can always change it, and lift throttle oversteer is a b!tch if you're used to driving FWD.

I did a track day at Buttonwillow with the stock bar and was pushing all over the place. Just did Laguna with the Rspeed on softest setting, and it felt much better - much more neutral. I'll probably play with the middle setting, but I'm pretty happy with it now.
(FWIW, another guy had recently installed an Rspeed on the middle setting, and met the tire wall after lifting out of turn 6 at Laguna. )

 

I also had the same questions. It sounds like 22mm on softest settings for my car when I buy one (all street, snow in winter, don't want oversteer). Thanks.

A request: please place punctuation in your postings. I have trouble sorting out the meaning otherwise. I'm not all that great at reading postings sometimes.
Thanks again.

drewffff

 

i do like Webb's bar but who knows when this will be out!!
my next big mod will be adjustable ride height
i would feel much better to get rid of the oem links to fine tune the ride height after its low,
they l00k real cheesy to me too (oem links)
i will not change the front unless its needed

 

 

does the H Sport rear bar have 2 or 3 adjustment holes???

 

It has 3 holes.

 

Same bar/setup, and I can now chirp the back tires in a hard U-turn, something I was unable to do before...

 

Since my '05 MCS is a daily driver in 4 seasons (with a fair amount of wet), I went with the H&R 2-way adjustable 19mm bar. It's actually en route via mailorder. I want to mount it and forget it (no maintenance) like the stock bar. I'm hoping the bar will give the car a bit less understeer, and combined with my Koni FSDs (on hand, but yet to be mounted--Christmas gift to myself ), be the perfect car setup for the real world. I'll probably mount the bar on the stiffer setting. I'm also doubting I'll ever need a bigger bar. If fact, I don't need this one, just wanted to complete my suspension mods all at once and these bars are quite inexpensive as far as mods go. Subtle is good too...bigger isn't necessarily better. Your usage should dictate the direction you go. Anyway, I think it's best to set it up for where the car spends the vast majority of its time.

Question for the owners of bigger bars (20mm+)...does the extra stiffness have any ill affects in the wet?

Cheers!

 

Sway bars add to wheel rate and as such, a large(r) bar will cause a spin faster than a smaller bar. Every race car team in the world will adust sway bars to a softer setting in the wet. Some teams have pre-programmed 'wet' settings for dampers. You'll not find sway bars on modern F1 cars.


Question for the owners of bigger bars (20mm+)...does the extra stiffness have any ill affects in the wet?

Cheers!

 

There's very little unsafe about an H Sport comp bar. The softest setting doesn't maintain any noticeable understeer on my car, in all honesty. It's the most NEUTRAL setting, according to H Sport. Anyways, even on the middle setting, unless you're purposefully being UNSAFE, you're gonna be perfectly safe. Let's be honest...