I went to a used parts store (really a junkyard). I asked about sway bars. I told him I want a bigger one off an IROC. They other guy said that they all have the same size. I told him that they didn't, then he said all that have 16" wheels. I said that I have a smaller one than an IROC and I have 16"s stock. another guy looked it up and said that the fronts only come in 30mm and 36mm.
and that the rear was the same on all thirdgens.

My questions: I have a 30mm right?
how much will the 36mm help me, how much more does it weigh?
is $45 bucks a good price?
do we all have the same stock rear sway bar?

please help, thank you

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late model 91 rs
fully loaded t-tops, red leather
paint- gm red and yellow blend (light red)
custom painted 16" Camaro rims
305 tbi 14"x3" O.E, computer chip, accel super stock plug wires
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MTX sub and amp, Bose all around
vic_v8@yahoo.com
street kills: a lot of "family" cars, pickups, New v-6 stang, totally killed '86 SC Camaro, 91 z 28 with 305

 

No, we all don't have the same size rear sway bar. The guy you dealt with had some bad info. I have the same car as you, a '91 RS. The stock front bar was 30mm and the stock rear was 20mm. However my stock wheel size is 15". I changed over to a 36mm hollow front bar and 24mm rear and it made a dramatic difference. The stock 30mm bar and hollow 36mm weighed about the same (I lifted them both one in each hand, not exactly accurate, but pretty close). The 36mm might have been even a little lighter. $45 is a pretty good price.

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'91 RS 3.1
SSM SFC's
Energy Susp. Hyper-flex kit
GTA Sway bars
Clarion, Phoenix Gold, JL Audio, etc.
Quote "If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten."
- George Carlin

 

Bad info--some third-gens didn't even have a rear bar. Get the biggest you can find and get a 'set' off the same car--they need to be matched.


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350 with stealth intake, holley carb, 470 lift cam. 700r4 with .5 boost valve, vette servo, tci lock-up kit, B&M megashifter. Richmond 3.73 gears, powertrax locker, timkin bearings, synthetic lube. Custom 3 inch single into 2 2.5 pipes. 1 1/2 drop springs, 1 5/16 solid front sway bar, 1 inch rear bar, custom subframe connectors, custom LCA relocation brackets. Kobel ground FX, current red metallic paint. Lots of other stuff...
82camaro

 

where did you hear that some Camaro's didnt get rear sway bars and that they need to be matched? I dont know about that man, sounds like you might have some bad info. A sway bar is a sway bar is a sway bar, they are all the same (except for the sizes). I took the 34mm(?) front and ?mm off my 92 RS and put on the IROC swaybars which were 36mm front and 24mm rear. Made a big difference. You might also want to invest in the infamous "Wonderbar", also. It'll help your steering by making it more firm. Make sure to meausure they swaybar before you get it. You'll need a Vernier Caliper to do it, you can probably buy it at the auto parts store. Also, goto www.guldtrand.com for bushings, they are the only ones that make poly 36mm bushings. Hope this helps.

 

They are absolutely not all the same. There are 4 or 5 front sizes that I know of, plus the variation between solid and hollow; and at least 3 rear sizes.

They need to be matched because they affect how the car handles in corners. If you have a very stiff front and no rear or a very loose one, the car will put too much stress on the outside front tire in hard cornering, so that one will tend to lose traction first. The car will try to go straight instead of turning. If you put too much sway bar on the rear it will have the same effect, butin reverse; the outer rear tire will be overstressed and lose traction first, and the car will tend to trade ends. Racers call these 2 conditions "tight" and "loose" respectively. These cars have a tendency to be tight from the factory, except they loosen up in a hurry under braking; it's extremel;y easy to back one into a guard rail by stabbing the brakes and cutting the wheel at the same time.

You can "tune" your chassis with sway bar sizes. Typical street drivers tend to like way too much because it makes the car feel "flatter" in corners, but this is not optimum for handling performance. The car will corner the hardest with the minimum amount of sway bars, becasue then all 4 tires will share more equally in providing traction.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

 

Should anyone be interested in a 1LE/WS6 type hollow 36 mm and solid 24 mm set, please see my ad in the classifieds.

JamesC

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I know they need to be matched size-wise, but they do not need to come off the same car as long as you get the sizes you need.

 

Also, you don't need calipers to measure the stabilizer bar diameter... just an open-ended adjustable wrench. Tighten the wrench down on the sway bar (the center's a good spot, don't do this on a curve), then remove the wrench, and measure the gap. It won't be 100% on-the-nose accurate, but you should be able to tell between 30 mm and 32mm and 34 mm and 36mm and etc...


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

should I get the 36mm and look for a 24mm. they don't have the rear sway that came on the roc they have, but said they might have one on another car.

anyway, 36mm+24mm=the right stuff ??????

 

Actually, you don't even need to measure the 36mm bar to identify it. Look on the underside of the swaybar at either end out near where it starts to flatten out for the mounting lugs. There will be a small hole here, since the 36mm bars are hollow. Sometimes it is covered up with crud, but on a 36mm bar, it should be there. If I get ambitious, I'll post a pic of the spare one i've got in my garage.

 

berlinettas dont come with rear sway bars.There so performance oriented you know!

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83 berlinetta currently 350/350 3:42 gear,2500 stal,3inch exhaust,2 1/4
exhaust manifolds,comp cam 268,performer intake
L69 dual snorkle aircleaner 3160lb

 

what? lol. You've got to be joking.

 

Newsflash. Both 34mm and 36mm factory front sway bars are hollow and will have the small holes you've described. So, you're going to need to measure the bars to be sure you know what you're getting.

Lon

 

Iroc bars are 34mm not 36, only the 1LE's and WS6's got the hollow 36mm bar.

 

Considering it's been 5 years, he probably has them already.