sway bar

Bryan · Post by **Bryan** » Sun Sep 21, 14 4:26 pm

ive noticed sway bars come in different thickness (7/8, 1" & 1 1/8") . I need to order one for a small block in a charger sized car.

Any idea which one or is bigger better.

Adrian Worman · Post by **Adrian Worman** » Sun Sep 21, 14 7:38 pm

Depends on the manufacturer. Some really good bars are hollow and are huge but light, but most solid bars are stiffer the bigger the diameter.
Ain't most things

Bryan · Post by **Bryan** » Sun Sep 21, 14 8:45 pm

Thanks Adrian. A big stiff one for me then.

Dave-R · Post by **Dave-R** » Mon Sep 22, 14 8:56 am

Adding a sway bar increases the spring rate and when you do that at one end of the car only will effect the handling of the car.

If the car is under-steering, adding a sway bar to the rear will help.

If it is over-steering adding a sway bar to the front will help.

paolo_mangusta · Post by **paolo_mangusta** » Mon Sep 22, 14 12:24 pm

also depends on how stiff your front torsion bars are already. you might want to think about stiffer T-bars if your car is under-endowed in this area and as Dave says, if you fit a heavy bar, balance it with a read as well.

My old Dart had front and rear bars and HD T-bars and handled pretty darn well for something of it's size

Most other makes (and some Mopars) came with front bars from the factory,

Don't bother with Addco unless you are a dab hand with a welder and want to make your own brackets.

Bryan · Post by **Bryan** » Mon Sep 22, 14 4:10 pm

paolo_mangusta wrote:also depends on how stiff your front torsion bars are already. you might want to think about stiffer T-bars if your car is under-endowed in this area and as Dave says, if you fit a heavy bar, balance it with a read as well.

My old Dart had front and rear bars and HD T-bars and handled pretty darn well for something of it's size

Most other makes (and some Mopars) came with front bars from the factory,

Don't bother with Addco unless you are a dab hand with a welder and want to make your own brackets.

Its a 68 fairlane and they don't have torsion bars.

paolo_mangusta · Post by **paolo_mangusta** » Mon Sep 22, 14 6:25 pm

sorry, just an assumption cause it was on the mopar site! substitute coil springs for torsion bars then, the same is still true.

Bryan · Post by **Bryan** » Mon Sep 22, 14 7:51 pm

Thanks Paolo, i was looking at the addco but i think i'll look elsewhere, how about hell wig

paolo_mangusta · Post by **paolo_mangusta** » Mon Sep 22, 14 11:48 pm

I've only got experience of the Addco bars, and it's not worth the saving as although the bars themselves are ok, the bracketry and bolts are all the cheapest rubbish you'd get from a hardware store, and not designed at all well, so by the time they've fallen to pieces (and in my case ruined a weekend when I was supposed to be enjoying a music festival!) and you've re-engineered them you'll wish you'd spent the extra on a decent product.

Hotchkis and hellwig tend to get very good reviews for their Mopar products, so would assume they were also quality across the range