ANTI SWAY BAR MODIFICATION

Reason:

I installed the Neuspeed sway bar after hearing about how well it worked to reduce body roll. As far as modifications go the $200 bar was reasonably inexpensive given the amount of change it was supposed to give to the feel of the car.

Options Available:

• UUC Motorwerks – Not available
• Neuspeed

Decisions:

I decided to go with Neuspeed. The Neuspeed bar had the best reviews and widest usage of the systems available when I was looking to purchase a system.

Satisfaction:

After installing the bar I took my car out and did some slow speed weaves to ensure that all of the bolts were tightened adequately. My initial impression was one of disappointment since I did not feel any difference from before. This trend continued during normal driving where I could not tell any difference. The first time I noticed a change in the way the car handled was during a quick right turn through an intersection. Normally my car felt very grounded in turns, even at quick speeds. On this occasion I took a corner at a higher than normal speed, but within the limits of which I had established for the car. I was surprised to find that the rear of the car felt like it was getting close to losing contact with the road.As I read more about sway bars I began so see what was taking place. The sway bar probably reduced body roll some, but it also reduced my ability to pull hard in a turn. Because my suspension was already upgraded with a set of Coilovers I was not able to realize much of an improvement in the area of reduced body roll. What I was experiencing more of was the loss of traction in a turn.

I decided to sell the sway bar and go back to the stock bar. After putting the stock bar back in the first thing I did was drive the car and see if I could tell a difference in the body roll. My first impression was yes, the car did have a little more body roll. I also took one of my favorite corners at a speed that normally would leave me feeling like the car was nearing the edge of its hold. And this time it felt solid.

My conclusion after being stock again for a while is that the difference in body roll on a car that already has a coilovers suspension upgrade is minimal when you add a firmer sway bar. In fact I can not tell any difference in body roll now that some time has passed. I can tell that the car corners more confidently. The thicker sway bar may give more noticeable changes to a car with a stock suspension, but in my case, the loss of cornering strength was more pronounced than reduction in body roll and that was a tradeoff I was not willing to live with.