Well I have done part of my suspension modding by going with 10 Spoke SS wheels and Goodyear GS-D3's. Now its on to something new and it seems that most people like the added handling abilities of better sway bars whether it only be front or both front and rear.

I was just wondering what sizes of front only or combinations of front and rear yeild. Obviously I hear they make a huge difference in cornering and handling through anything but straight line, but what does at 32/21 have over a 35/stock rear setup amoung others?

I would like to go with a low cost but effective route. I dont do AutoX and dont plan to, I drive aggressively but not stupid. I would like to be able to take those merging on/off ramps, amoung other turns with a bit less roll. My friend has a Z3 and that thing zings around curves. I am not expecting a light BMW car performance but something comparable.

I see alot of folks with 35mm fronts with stock rears. Since many people say you need to match them with springs and shocks I have stock Z/28 package with no speed limiter, GSC's, and I think a few other small options. After this I may go shocks, like the Bilisten HD's, but with only 58k on my stockers they are still doing well. Springs will probably stay the same since I dont have much room living in the country with LT's and a Mufflex Y. Other future steps include SFC's and LCA's. Thanks.

-Dustin-

 

Do you have the new tires/rims on the car yet? If so, how do you like them?

You are correct that you need to keep things matched. With stock rear springs, you can go with the 21mm rear bar. A good match for that bar up front is the 35mm bar. This is all assuming that you have stock springs. I have the 35mm front bar, stock springs, and Bilstein HD's and I felt like I needed a little more sway bar in the rear. I am getting the 21mm rear bar. This is a great combination if you are staying with stock springs.

In my opinion, the 32mm/21mm combo lacks a little in the front, with stock springs.

Just call Sam Strano and he will tell you the best setup for what you want. www.stranoparts.com By the way, he is the one that gave me my recommendions and it's great. He recommended the 21mm rear bar with my setup.

My setup:
Stock Springs
ST solid 35mm front bar
21mm rear bar
Bilstein HD Shocks
SS ZR1 Rims with 275/40-17 Gooyear F1 GS-D3's

I don't have the 21mm bar on yet, but I know it's going to help a little compared to my stock 19mm bar.

Dan

 

Well not trying to copy but I am heading in the same direction with my car.

I have a full stock suspension except an ADJ Hotckis PHB.

I love the wheels and tires. Much better than the stock wheels and balding tires. Handles and rides much better. I think the 35mm front would help out on my handling alot, but I want to make sure its what I need/want. Thanks for the input, I'll be calling Sam in the near future.

-Dustin-

 

hmm, i've got the eibach pro kit and zr1 11&9.5's. anyone help with bar sizes?
sfc, lca's and panhard have been done, plan on a stb soon.

mike

 

the 32/21 works fine for me , i remember the day i had them put on with sfc and OMG what a diff it was,
if u dont plan on autox then 32/21 will be fine
some say 35mm is overkill if not autox

hey man whatever u do good luck
also we are having a car show in rocheter april 30th was wondering if u were in on it??ill go but the weather depends on if i have my car out or not

thanks bobby

 

I have BMR springs (100lb/in stiffer, 1" drop) with a ST 35mm solid front bar and ST 25mm solid rear bar. It's primarily a track setup though. I would recommend a slightly different combo for the street.

The more rear bar you put in it, the looser the car reacts. If you are skilled enough to use off-throttle oversteer and have the throttle control to keep yourself from spinning out, a stiffer rear bar will help knock down lap times.

For a street car on stock springs, I like the 35mm solid front bar and stock rear bar. I think this combo gives the best cornering ability possible to drivers that don't push their car to the limits.

 

And some would be wrong IMHO..... 32 front is an improvement over a stock 30 bar, but not a lot better than a stock 32 on an SS, WS6 or 1LE.... As good as a 32 is, a 35 is MUCH better. Ask anyone who has tried both.

 

The Strano Hollow, how much lighter is that than the solid or the stocker? Also it says it comes with poly bushings, that means all I need are poly end links and its ready to intall right?

-Dustin-

 

My Hollow 35 bar vs. a solid 35.... Mine's 13.5-14 lighter.
Compared to a stock 30mm (and all GM front bars are hollow), it's about 2.5 pounds heavier. Compared to a stock 32mm bar (SS, WS6, 1LE) it's about 1 pound more.

In short you don't save weight vs. stock, but also don't really gain any which you do with any solid bar. But it's also a much stiffer bar due to the diameter, much more so than say a solid 32mm bar, which is also heavier too.

And it comes with all new hardware for installation.

 

I was going to say the same thing. For the street, he'll want not much body roll but still an understeer-biased setup. A 35mm front and stock rear will do just that. Bilstein shocks, I've heard, also make a big difference. These are on my list if I can manage to stop spending money on my 9C1....

 

I have this setup

285/40/17 17x9.5
BMR STB
Blistein revalves
35mm soild front bar
stock springs
stock 19mm rear bar