141 replies to this topic

[Plan_B]

Slater,

Do you have a manual boost controller on your car?

[VolFan]

Trust me the stock R bar is HOLLOW! and LIGHT! I remember lying on my back trying to get the *&$#@ IPD bar installed, it gets heavy!

Edited by VolFan, 01 April 2005 - 01:31 AM.

[VolFan]

drill it with the smallest bit you have, my old mountaineer had a huge sway bar but it was hollow (97 model) but on the 98 models they were same OD but SOLID. I replaced my 97 model bar with a 98 model and WOO the difference. I drilled my old bar and it was 3/16"

You beat me to it ;0)

Yeah, the old tricks they are using to try and get better rollover ratings on SUVs...hilarious.

- Slater

Just tap on it with something metal, you can tell.

[beachnut]

Guys, don't dismiss the stock bar being hollow as a bad thing, I think. Someone else with much more knowledge in these matters will hopefully comment, but I'm pretty sure I've read things in the past about hollow bars and how they can actually be stiffer than solid bars if made correctly.

[VolFan]

Guys, don't dismiss the stock bar being hollow as a bad thing, I think. Someone else with much more knowledge in these matters will hopefully comment, but I'm pretty sure I've read things in the past about hollow bars and how they can actually be stiffer than solid bars if made correctly.

Perhaps, but with the type of load pressure that the rear sway bar receives, I can't imagine the stock bar being more rigid.
However I am wrong most of the time, just ask my wife.

[steve s]

remember, ipd's first rear bar was 25 mm...and it snapped like a b*tch on crack. u'll have to ask them/scott if those were hollow or not. iirc, they had so many different types of materials used over the 5 designs they had...and iirc, solid vs hollow was mentioned when i inquired years ago

anyway, well, my ol' wagon didn't come with no sway bars in the rear..so yeah..it made HELLA difference

[Slater]

Guys, don't dismiss the stock bar being hollow as a bad thing, I think. Someone else with much more knowledge in these matters will hopefully comment, but I'm pretty sure I've read things in the past about hollow bars and how they can actually be stiffer than solid bars if made correctly.

Hollow bars are only stiffer if larger diamater.

A solid bar of the same diamater will ALWAYS be stiffer than a hollow bar of the SAME diameter.

That's why you see some aftermarket hollow bars that are HUGE - like giant pieces of pipe. It's because they must be that way to get the same stiffness per inch as a solid bar of a much smaller diamater.

[Slater]

Slater,

Do you have a manual boost controller on your car?

No.

[Meek]

Yeah, I want to get rid of the ridiculous understeer on my R. I can't recall driving a car that plowed more. Feels like my Grandmothers old Buick.

FWIW on my GTi I had the biggest rear bar made, 28MM, and removed the front . I also had Neuspeed race springs and Bilstein sports on it and all kind of braces and it handled incredibly. Many people almost flew off offramps simply by following me off (since I wouldn't slow down). The only car that I have driven that was comparable was the Evo8. Cool car, but needs a some engine modding. Best front driver was an 04 SRT-4 (Quaife) the dealer guy forced me to drive while waiting on my Grand Cherokee to be serviced.

[Slater]

Yeah, I want to get rid of the ridiculous understeer on my R. I can't recall driving a car that plowed more. Feels like my Grandmothers old Buick.

FWIW on my GTi I had the biggest rear bar made, 28MM, and removed the front  . I also had Neuspeed race springs and Bilstein sports on it and all kind of braces and it handled incredibly. Many people almost flew off offramps simply by following me off (since I wouldn't slow down).  The only car that I have driven that was comparable was the Evo8. Cool car, but needs a some engine modding. Best front driver was an 04 SRT-4 (Quaife) the dealer guy forced me to drive while waiting on my Grand Cherokee to be serviced.

Exactly.

For a "performance" car the understeer is as bad as a minivan.

The SRT4 is nice, but stock zero camber in the front blows. Once you dial in some negative camber and tweak the toe in the rear it's niiiice.

[Karlson]

Wow Slater

Thats a pretty strange, i thought R sway bars is almost the same as Turbo one. But may be u can sell your R sways

[Plan_B]

Edited by 8fiddy, 01 April 2005 - 02:41 AM.

[Karlson]

NO!!!


not again, u already asked dumb question last night!

Edited by Karlson_Dc, 01 April 2005 - 02:42 AM.

[Plan_B]

NO!!!


not again, u already asked dumb question last nigh!

Shutit

I found out anyway

[StansMan]

Hollow bars are only stiffer if larger diamater.

A solid bar of the same diamater will ALWAYS be stiffer than a hollow bar of the SAME diameter.

That's why you see some aftermarket hollow bars that are HUGE - like giant pieces of pipe. It's because they must be that way to get the same stiffness per inch as a solid bar of a much smaller diamater.

As long as they're made of the same material. Ah, reading all this takes me back to my statics class

[Karlson]

u shut it!

good for u that u found out

[Slater]

Hollow bars are only stiffer if larger diamater.

A solid bar of the same diamater will ALWAYS be stiffer than a hollow bar of the SAME diameter.

That's why you see some aftermarket hollow bars that are HUGE - like giant pieces of pipe. It's because they must be that way to get the same stiffness per inch as a solid bar of a much smaller diamater.

As long as they're made of the same material. Ah, reading all this takes me back to my statics class

They are both plain steel. The only thing you could do is heat treat it, but you can tell by looking at the bar that it is not heat treated.

- Slater

[Geevs]

I just measured my set of R sway bars - the front is 21mm. It is uninstalled so I was able to check if it was hollow by tapping it w/ a hammer but it did NOT sound hollow. It sounded and felt like it was solid iron. The rears are installed and I recall measuring them before putting them on - they were also 21mm which I surprised me cause it's thicker than the Volvo specs. I agree w/ Slater that this could be from the rubberized paint adding thickness. So there.

[AutoX47]

the way you take the turn makes a big difference in the car's traction, maybe you guys need to take turns a little wider. Of course if you early apex and then try to cut the wheel you are going to understeer

[Slater]

the way you take the turn makes a big difference in the car's traction, maybe you guys need to take turns a little wider.  Of course if you early apex and then try to cut the wheel you are going to understeer

What sway bar configuration are you referring to?

You're exactly right on the apexing...it's harder to do with R compound tires though.