I know the 36mm hollow has a weight savings advantage, but is it actually stiffer than the 34mm solid? One would think not, but I am not an engineer. Any input would be helpful. Thanks.

 

As long as the hollow bar doesnt have really thin walls, it will be stiffer because of its larger diameter.

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-Justin-
T-Top '86 5.0L LG4 700R4 WS6
T-Top '92 5.0L TBI 700R4
My '86 Firebird Homepage
The F-body Model Kit Pictoral Archive (updated 9/18/00)

There can be only one!!

 

It all depends on how thick the walls are, somebody needs to cut one apart.


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82 camaro--original steering wheel, brake/gas pedals, seats--everything else modified
82camaro

 

Listed from stiffest to softest, front bars came in the following flavors: 34mm solid bar, 36mm hollow, 34mm hollow, 32mm solid, 30mm solid and 28mm solid. Rear bars, all solid, start with the ultra-rare 25mm bar found only on a few Pontiac Firebirds. Moving from the stiffest to the softest, rear bars were also available in flavors of 24mm, 23mm, 21mm, 18mm and 12mm.


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"Only in Britain could it be thought a defect to be “too clever by half.” The probability is that too many people are too stupid by three-quarters."

John Major

 

Thought there was a 19mm bar out there for the rear. I bet that ultra rare 25mm rear bar was rusty lol

 

Hot tip of the day:

You too can buy an Ultra Rare 25mm rear solid swaybar - funny thing is, they are fairly mass produced.

 

I was going to ask this question on a new thread but will in here. Can you go to big on the sway bars? I mean can is there a point when the car doesn't roll at all? Is that a good or bad thing? I would do a search but wouldn't exactly know what to put. I will try sway bars and something I don't know. if anyone could point me in the right direction i would appreciate it.

Jason

 

swaybar size is partly determined by your spring rate, and desire of what the car will do.

Of the swaybars made for our cars, I doubt you can buy to big.


As for which bar is stronger, from a previous discussion, 36hollow and 34 solid were same.

 

The reason I ask is I just bought sportlines and bilsteins. I am going to rebuild the front end with the ES kit and was wondering what sway bars would be optimum.

 

IMHO, out of the stock ones, I would go with the biggest rear I could find; and not the biggest front. Exact numbers would depnd on which springs you have, which engine, other weight changes, etc.

But, that will tend to make the car neutral, i.e. do away with the built-in factory understeer; which means, when the car reaches the limit of the tires, if you do what you're accustomed to do with a stock-suspension car, you WILL swap ends and back yourself into the kitty litter. But the car will be faster up to that point.