Questions for folks with the front sway bar ( with the rear sway bar I guess).

Is the ride or handling really any better with a front sway bar and the rear sway bar vs. with just the rear sway bar? (not the strut tower bar)

Ed

 

They are supposedly very difficult to install so I would hope any benefits would make it worth the price and trouble to install. I would like to know what people think of their setups with an aftermarket front sway too.

 

sway bars shouldn't affect ride quality, but it does greatly improve cornering ability. both front and rear aftermarket sways will be better than just the rear.

i've heard good things about the "hotchicks" sway bars. you should look into these.

 

sway bars are not really difficult installs. if you can install a strut bar, you should be able to install some sways. only requirements are some jack stands and rachet set and you are pretty much set for the install.

 

trust me, the front bar is a biatch. Anyways, if you use only the rear/front bar of a set and not the other in conjunction, your car will be not be well balanced, and you'll have massive oversteer/understeer problem. I'd just use both bars.

 

I take it that you have installed front and rear on your TC yourself.

 

nope, just the rear. looking at the front. it looks a little bit more difficult than the rear, but i still would not call it a hard install

 

Ive installed the rear on my car - piece of cake! Now the front is another story Im told... I think you even have unbolt the rear engine mount. Read this thread:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=61375

 

^^ havent seen that thread. interesting. i didnt look at the whole setup of the front. ill have a look at it later.

btw, why was it necessary to unbolt the rear mount?

 

i just went outside to have a gander at the front. much much more work then i expected. the way the front is setup require much more work and equipment for a proper install

i stand corrected. the rear is doable for any DIYselfer, but the front will require much more attention.

 

I recently put in the hotchkis sway for the front and rear for my XA. Rear was done in ten minutes. THE FRONT SWAYBAR REQUIRED ME TO PUT IT UP ON A LIFT DROP THE SUBFRAME, THEN DROP MY CROSSMEMBER. There are MANY steps that I just blacked out from trauma. The ends justify the means, Your body roll will become non existant. Granted the sway bars were the last in a long line of suspenion work I did. You might still have the body twist without performance Shocks, Springs, Strut bars (front and rear) but keeping a 90 degree corner under control at 50 mph is priceless. I hear the front for your TC will get just as nasty as my XA so make sure you have a entire day to do it.

 

i have seen a piggy-back strategy used for front sway bar augmentation so you don't have to take everything apart. but then you may have ground clearance issues depending on how low you dropped it.