I just got a new 9 bolt im putting into my 88 IROC. The new axle supposedly has a WS6 swaybar on it. Id like to know if the WS6 bar is any better then the stock IROC bar thats on my car or not. Also, is there any way to tell if it really is a WS6 bar by lookin at it or doing some measurments??? Thanks a lot.

 

just measure the bars, the bigger the better

 

It should be a 24mm sway bar if its a WS6. If you use it I would suggest getting the 36mm for the front.

 

not only is it recommended, swaybar matching is needed to make the car neutral when you turn hard. if they swaybars aren't matched then you will encounter under/oversteer, depending on the front/rear combo. make sure you get polyurethane endlinks

 

FYI, my '88 Iroc came with the 34mm/24mm bars, so the 34mm would work for you also. I think the 34s are good bars and they happen to be easier to find than the 36s.

Ed

 

Thanks for the info, but so far I havent gotten a definite answer on what I should do today. Are the WS6 bars supposed to be bigger???? I dont have the time or money right now to go hunting for a matching front bar so im using the stocker which I would assume is the 34mm one. Also, I think I remeber hearing that the WS6 bars are solid whereas the IROC one is hollow. Thanks again for the help. Im a suspension newbie.

 

today you should measure the diameter of your bars, the rear should be a 24mm and it would be best if your front was either a 34 or 36. do you still have your old rear swaybar? i would use whichever is thicker between you old and new one. if you don't have a micrometer you can go to a hardware store and get one for $3-10.

 

The "WS6" bar measured 25.5mm and the IROC one measured 23.4mm You can tell just by lookin at the WS6 one that its thicker. I checked the thickness with 2 different digital mics and at 3 different points on each bar and they were consistant all across. Just goes to show the advertised thickness isnt always true. So anyway, im gona run the WS6 one. Thanks for the help guys.

 

FYI, the WS6/1LE bars are the same: Hollow 36 mm front and solid 24 mm rear (or thereabouts). The front bar, of course, is larger, but another way of checking is that it will have a small hole on both ends near the end links (it is hollow after all). Also, these bigger bars are powder coated black. Unil 89, IROCs, I believe, typically had a 34/24 combo.

JamesC

 

You can use a crescent wrench and a ruler as a "micrometer"... like these guys are trying to say without coming out and saying it, don't bother with "codes", and worrying about whether it's a "WS6" this or "1LE" that, just measure it directly and be done with it. Quicker, easier, more accurate, and more certain than fooling around with a bunch of "supposedly" installed "code" parts and which is "better". Find out what you really have, and if you want different results from what you're getting now, get the parts that will deliver it.

I have the 34/24 combo on my 83, it understeers bad enough already thank you, I hate to think how much worse it would get with more front bar.

 

yeah good info in hear!!

glad you make up your mind and went and did the measuring and found out that the ws6 bar is bigger than the iroc one..

 

So are all WS6 bars 36/24?