OakToddler

Hey everyone-

I am gonna be making the effort to get new Energy Suspension bushings in the front.

But if I also go for it and get a front sway bar, like a Hotchkis, is there any downside to it?

Will the car be too stiff or will I barely notice a front sway bar.

I guess I am looking for any negatives. Odd things, etc.

thanks in advance

bB384

Upgrading to the front sway bar will give you better response but the sacrifice is you may get a bit of understeer, it mainly depends on how you drive. I track the xB a lot and I would rather have a front sway bar because I can trail brake into the corner and use the steering response gained from the FSB. I say go for it and get the front and rear sway bars.

OakToddler

I did read up a little about understeer.
SWAY BARS 101 thread .
I have a TRD rear bar coming.
Now I am wondering if a good deal can be had on a front.

Any threads on installation of a front sway bar?

thanks again bB.

jct

heres a DIY for the front sway bar

http://groups.msn.com/Sorensonbrian/...isswaybar.msnw

OakToddler

JCT

You are my Bodhisattva lately, that is true.

thanks again

OakToddler

Wow, the DIY guy claims to have gotten both the rear and front bars for $165!

bluebox_02

Easiest way I found to install the front sway bar is to jack up the front of the car. Then unbolt the three nuts on both sides. Then step on ur wheel so it pulls the strut tower down place one side of the strut on the strut tower and let go of the wheel, then do the same for both side and tighten the bolts up.

burstaneurysm

I don't really know how necessary it is. The stock sway bar is fairly beefy. An H-brace might be just as good. Additional bracing and no added understeer.

365Motorwerks

On tight and twistys especially poor roads I have found the the front bar does not allow the wheels to react enough and the extra stiffing will actually allow wheel spin on the inside my conclusion is a good rear bar only on fwd. Bushings all around is defiantly a good idea and a quality set of springs, shock/struts along with an alignment will get you where you need to be.

jct

he's talking about sway bar not strut bar

bB384

What shocks and springs/coilovers are you using? I found that trailbraking into the corner keeps the front wheels loaded, by transfering the weight of the vehicle to the front thus creating oversteer and rotating the car easier.

365Motorwerks

S-Techs and newer OE fronts w/monroe rears.
I can keep these planted just fine I don't run anything larger than the OE front bar w/poly bushings but I had a prior car where I bought front/rear upper/lower & caged the whole chibang car was so stiff I could jack 3 tires off the ground with one jack..oh yea it was a older GTi and yes those are know for their funky dog leg cornering habits! But my ideals go back to German style tuning where they would rather run a proper coilover setup with no bars so each wheel get a chance to interact independently with the road surface whereas a sway bar will apply to force to counter act roll and actually start to lift the inside tire if your springs were stiff enough to stop this from happening then the car would be un-driveable on the streets.

mr_bb2u

its possible i got both front and rear hotchkis sway bars for $150 shipped off ebay a year ago...

bB384

I get what you're saying, the xB's suspension design is pretty similar to my buddy's 2002 GTi (Mk.4 right?). But his car handled well with front and rear sways, but then again he and I drive almost identical so that could be why. Regarding the inside wheel picking up, my rear does that, and from what I understand if you're trying to achive oversteer thats good. Since most of the weight of the chassis and engine is at the front, I don't see how the inside wheel in the front would pick up, so wheel spin shouldn't be an issue, especialy when you trailbrake.

...We totaly went on a tangent here, sorry to thread jack.

365Motorwerks

Mine lifts the inside rear too in fact the driveway to the office picks it up about a foot every time you get some strange looks!
The inside wheel front doesn't actually lift but gets unloaded under extreme conditions yes trailbreaking or loading by chopping the throttle before entry will transfer weight to the nose and help but up in the mountain roads the choppy conditions coupled with everything else that is going on allows for loss of traction, a smooth track is much different I never really experienced it on the track and with the complete set the car would actually slide out at the limit very controllably that is to say evenly and you could control it by feathering the throttle. BTW tangents are good a bulk of info gets put out!

bluebox_02

mybad I misunderstood him

jct

those are some sweet wheels