Wow, I just read all 7 pages of this thread! I am very interested in buying a pair of these for my 86 GT when I get some more money.
Would these bars work well on my suspenison setup?
Eibach 1" lowering springs Kyb's all around Fresh rubber bushings New tie rods / ball joints
I am sort of confused about the adjustability of the sway bars. Ok I know that you can buy more bars to fit your driving needs but there are also holes so you can adjust the bar that comes with the kit? Could you possibly elaborate more on the holes and how much of a difference they make on the bar rates?
After I get used to the bars would I still be able to grasp when I am reaching the limits of my car or would I just spin out without warning?
I have a steep driveway that I have to pull into at a sharp angle, would the "sport" or "performance" bars be so stiff that it would cause one of my rear wheels to lift off the ground? For example, I saw an old school VW Golf at an autocross have too stiff of a swaybar in the rear that when he went around a tight corner, one of his rear tires would lift off the ground.
Can anyone else chime in and report their driving experiences with these bars? I saw a few but it would be nice to have a detailed before and after experience.
Sorry for all the questions but I really like to research a product that I am interested in so I don't waste any money.
Thanks for reading, this looks like an awesome product and I will keep my eye on it!
Would these bars work well on my suspenison setup?
Eibach 1" lowering springs Kyb's all around Fresh rubber bushings New tie rods / ball joints
Yes they would. Any model year. What year / model do you have? Your setup sounds very similar to my 87 GT daily driver except I have poly everywhere.
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I am sort of confused about the adjustability of the sway bars. Ok I know that you can buy more bars to fit your driving needs but there are also holes so you can adjust the bar that comes with the kit? Could you possibly elaborate more on the holes and how much of a difference they make on the bar rates?
The holes allow you to fine tune. They are mainly intended to tune the front to rear balance of the car under heavy lateral acceleration however they improve the feel all the way around if you ask me. Just my opinion. If you like the rear to hook up more in a turn you can adjust the bars that way. If you like the front to hook up then you can set them to do that too. The holes only adjust the bar rates through a range of about 25 to 50 lbs in the front and about 100 to 200 lbs in the rear. Switching the bars moves your "balance" point higher or lower making the car lean more or less but still maintaining balance front to rear. Refer to the chart on page 1. Where the lines cross is the basic "balanced" point.
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After I get used to the bars would I still be able to grasp when I am reaching the limits of my car or would I just spin out without warning?
Sure. How close you get the limit withouth warning is dependant on may things. Tires are first a foremost. If you are running a street tire you will feel the side wall start to roll under the rim some. There are other indicators as well but it would be a long explanation. However, the best advice I can give you is to practice with the coaching of a qualified instructor. I highly recommend Autocrossing with the SCCA. Simple and the best bang for the buck as far as learnign the limits of your car. Track days are the next best but involve higher speeds. With an autocross, you can't hurt anthing but your pride. I will say that any time you increase the stiffness of a suspension, the limit of adheasion of the car will seem to be more sudden. It is much worse on race tires. That is why I recommend getting to know the limits of your car. You will enjoy it more in the long run.
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I have a steep driveway that I have to pull into at a sharp angle, would the "sport" or "performance" bars be so stiff that it would cause one of my rear wheels to lift off the ground? For example, I saw an old school VW Golf at an autocross have too stiff of a swaybar in the rear that when he went around a tight corner, one of his rear tires would lift off the ground.
That is possible but it depends on how steep and how fast you take the turn. The sway bar will resist lowering the wheel more than the stock setup. I have not really had a problem, but the again, I'm in the car and not looking at the wheels.
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Can anyone else chime in and report their driving experiences with these bars? I saw a few but it would be nice to have a detailed before and after experience.
Please.... I hope some one does because I would rather you get as many opinions as possible and not just take my word for it.
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Sorry for all the questions but I really like to research a product that I am interested in so I don't waste any money.
Who does!?! They are good questions. Thank you for asking. I hope that helps.
Thanks R Runner! I have one more question. About how much do the swaybars weigh as a kit?
I appreciate your help!
They are pretty heavy. It depends on which stiffness level you get because some of the competition bars are solid vs. hollow.
A front and rear kit will add about 40 to 45 lbs to the car. I know, very heavy. The bars are spring steel and the arms are mild steel, but are 3/4" thick.
Great info on this thread! And from what I hear there an awsome product I want a set for my 86gt but I just got layed off at my job haha so now I'm counting pennies! Its lame! I hope you still have them when I have 100,000 pennies haha it dosent look like I'm gonna have my car done by spring! I just want to race! Anyways thanks for explaining so in depth how swaybars work! I tryed to explain it to a friend the other day and he dident get it so I just went to this thread with his computer and 30min later he was like ohh I get it! Lol
Great info on this thread! And from what I hear there an awsome product I want a set for my 86gt but I just got layed off at my job haha so now I'm counting pennies! Its lame! I hope you still have them when I have 100,000 pennies haha it dosent look like I'm gonna have my car done by spring! I just want to race! Anyways thanks for explaining so in depth how swaybars work! I tryed to explain it to a friend the other day and he dident get it so I just went to this thread with his computer and 30min later he was like ohh I get it! Lol
Sorry to hear about your job. I'm actually concerned about mine as well (automotive). My plan is to keep making them for whoever wants them so they should be around when you are ready.
I'm still trying to save my pennies. Just wondering if the bars are an inch thick or 1 and 1/4 inch? if you were to upgrade bars later for a higher rate, would they be thicker?
I'm still trying to save my pennies. Just wondering if the bars are an inch thick or 1 and 1/4 inch? if you were to upgrade bars later for a higher rate, would they be thicker?
They are all 1.25" thick. So when it is time to upgrade to a stiffer (or softer) rate, it can be done with a simple change of JUST THE BAR. You can run one setup during the week for daily driving and then run a race setup on the weekend just bey swaping the bar or bars.
Sorry if I missed this somewhere in the thread or if it's common knowledge, but...
If I had a good bit wider tires in the rear (and maybe a few more pounds from a 3800 swap, not sure how much heavier it is than a 2.8), would I want more or less rear bar to balance the car out? I'd like to fit 245-285 wide 17s back there some day... most likely 215 17s up front.
I was thinking a sport bar for the rear and maybe performance for the front, next summer hopefully. Just curious how widening the rear will affect things.
Sorry if I missed this somewhere in the thread or if it's common knowledge, but...
If I had a good bit wider tires in the rear (and maybe a few more pounds from a 3800 swap, not sure how much heavier it is than a 2.8), would I want more or less rear bar to balance the car out? I'd like to fit 245-285 wide 17s back there some day... most likely 215 17s up front.
I was thinking a sport bar for the rear and maybe performance for the front, next summer hopefully. Just curious how widening the rear will affect things.
If this is for an '84 to '87 suspension, a matched front/rear set (ie both performance or both sport) should be fine. The rear bar has quite a bit of adjustability. The 3800 is not that much heavier and the wide range of the rear bar can compensate for these modifications.
another happy customer I was able to get Clayton's bars on his car yesterday with one minor tweak on the front.
this is the second set I have installed and I would recomend them to anyone that wants the best from their car. I can out corner a Porshe now. I will be getting another set for my new 88 as soon as I can swing it. D.
I received your email and I am working on filling your order as quickly as possible.
Also..... I am working on more improvements. Currently I am testing some Rodney Dickman endlinks. If it works out, I will be offering them as standard equipment with my sway bar kits. I will also be looking into retrofit kits for previous customers.
Again.... this is what I am working on, but I don't want anyone getting too excited yet.
I received your email and I am working on filling your order as quickly as possible.
Also..... I am working on more improvements. Currently I am testing some Rodney Dickman endlinks. If it works out, I will be offering them as standard equipment with my sway bar kits. I will also be looking into retrofit kits for previous customers.
Again.... this is what I am working on, but I don't want anyone getting too excited yet.
Making a great product even better if you do start using Rodneys endlinks I will take a set. I would even be willing to offer up my 88 as a tester D.
Yes you are correct. I just added another steering dampener using a longer bolt and some endlink bushings I had laying around. BTW..... I finally got a Suburban to tow with!
IVANNATINKLE....
Pricing is listed on the first page. There is a slight price break for ordering them together due to shipping ($20). I know it does not seem like much. The materials are expensive and I have about 15 hours in fabrication time in each set.
what shock's are those if you dont mind me asking mine is so rotted its almost gone and that looks like a pretty solid setup i would like to do it if you wouldn't mind,
the price thing i meant no offense your products look TOP notch and i would have no problem paying the price for them. just trying to figure out if i should order one at a time when i have the money or do both at once.
what shock's are those if you dont mind me asking mine is so rotted its almost gone and that looks like a pretty solid setup i would like to do it if you wouldn't mind,
the price thing i meant no offense your products look TOP notch and i would have no problem paying the price for them. just trying to figure out if i should order one at a time when i have the money or do both at once.
The shocks are nothing special. I think I got them from Advance. I asked for steering dapener shocks.
As for the price, no offense taken. I know the price seems high. I even get sticker shock looking at it, but when I do the math, they turn out to be very reasonable for the amount of labor in them.
If you purchase only one kit, I recommend having some other sway bar to balance it. With only one kit, no matter if it is front or rear the car will be unbalanced in any performance type of driving unless you have something else to balance it on the other end. What did you have in mind? What do you currently have.
Well, right now I have stock front struts and kyb rears, however im putting kyb in the front this week should be here tuesday im pretty sure it's the stock sway bars, I didn't really have a plan, quite yet I knew that your sway bars were some of the best on the market if not THE best, I was wondering what you would suggest seeing as how your car is meant for the track.
Well, right now I have stock front struts and kyb rears, however im putting kyb in the front this week should be here tuesday im pretty sure it's the stock sway bars, I didn't really have a plan, quite yet I knew that your sway bars were some of the best on the market if not THE best, I was wondering what you would suggest seeing as how your car is meant for the track.
It all depends what kind of driving you want to do with your car. I have a sent on my daily driver. Currently it is the Competition setup. Too stiff for some, but I like them. I can make a set of bars for you that will keep your car balanced front to rear and still be close to the stock stifness, or I can make it pretty darn stiff. I can set you up with bars anywhere in between too. Let me know what mods you have planned and what type of driving you had in mind and I am sure we can figure it out. ... even if you don't end up with a set of my bars. IT just depens on what you want to do and what your budget allows.
BTW... I have KYBs on my daily driver and I like them.
well i daily drive the car however i like to corner hard and fast, and do plan to take the car to the track, both drag and auto X. my budget is well however the part is expensive i just would need to save up the money for the part, i was wondering what your suggestions would be. its an 87 fiero gt with a 3.8 sc, i have about 310 whp now and plan to have about 430 when im done if its a blower build if not 430 the 500 for a turbo build.
well i daily drive the car however i like to corner hard and fast, and do plan to take the car to the track, both drag and auto X. my budget is well however the part is expensive i just would need to save up the money for the part, i was wondering what your suggestions would be. its an 87 fiero gt with a 3.8 sc, i have about 310 whp now and plan to have about 430 when im done if its a blower build if not 430 the 500 for a turbo build.
I would go with poly in all of the suspension members, a 1" to 1.5" drop (I prefer spring replacement over cutting a coil... but that's me), decent "low" profile tires/rims (50s are fine on 16" rims but you can go with less side wall and a bigger rim if you like), and the Performance level of my sway bar kit. If 2 kits are too expensive, you could go with an Addco front bar and my sport bar in the rear. The tire profile will influence your ride quite a bit. It would also be a good idea to move your front bump stop up slightly if you lower the car.
thanks a lot, i do plan to buy both your kits when the money is there, and as for the drop i would only do new springs i couldn't cut them i would feel wrong. but my car is also my DD and i cant have it to low in the winter =( i appreciate the help with everything what length bolts did you use on the steering dampeners? and how much for the sway bar bushings to go between them?
thanks a lot, i do plan to buy both your kits when the money is there, and as for the drop i would only do new springs i couldn't cut them i would feel wrong. but my car is also my DD and i cant have it to low in the winter =( i appreciate the help with everything what length bolts did you use on the steering dampeners? and how much for the sway bar bushings to go between them?
i am an old new/owner and your sway bars look hot. you are turning the fiero into a coil over/tourtion bar car. the best of both worlds.it works on dirt cars in the north east. like sprint cars thay come manny ways. anything to keep the tires on the road. i will be saaving my cash.
i am an old new/owner and your sway bars look hot. you are turning the fiero into a coil over/tourtion bar car. the best of both worlds.it works on dirt cars in the north east. like sprint cars thay come manny ways. anything to keep the tires on the road. i will be saaving my cash.
I am a supporter of the softer spring / stiffer sway bar theory.
I will say that any time you increase the stiffness of a suspension, the limit of adheasion of the car will seem to be more sudden. It is much worse on race tires. That is why I recommend getting to know the limits of your car. You will enjoy it more in the long run.
