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View Full Version : a good rear sway bar and strut bar


airtak
12-25-2002, 03:50 AM
hi, I am looking for a rear anti-sway bar and strut bar, I really want to get a cusco, BUT.. i heard that they don't make it for my 98 240sx (USA). what can I do? also, what is anti-sway bar, triangle bar, and strut bar, and tower bar, and tie bar for??
I am confused

LanceS13
01-17-2003, 01:13 PM
IMHO, I think it's a waste of money to pay for a cusco strut bar. A $50 bar will do the same thing. The cusco is probably stronger, but the difference is negligible and probably will never be noticed.

Strut bars, tower bars, strut tower bars (STB's), tie bars...they're all the same thing. A triangle bar is just an STB with 2 more arms going to the trunk/hatch floor for the rear bar, or the firewall for the front bar...it has a little more rigidity. All of these connect key structural points on the chassis (usually suspension pickup points), reducing chassis flex, which reduces suspension alignment changes under heavy loads. That said, they are not a suspension piece...they're chassis braces that help the suspension work better.

Anti-roll bars, roll bars, sway bars, anti-sway bars...they're all the same thing, too. These connect the right side lower control arm to the left side lower control arm. As a car takes a turn, the outside suspension compresses (the lower control arm moves up towards the car), and the inside extends (the lca moves down away from the car). The sway bar acts like a spring between the two, making them want to move in the same direction. This reduces body roll, which also reduces dynamic suspension alignment changes. They're a good way to make a car corner flatter w/o sacrificing ride quality (ie. stiffer springs). On purpose built racecars, sway bars are used sparingly, if at all. Springs perform the same function (less body roll) without trying to pull the inside wheel up off the ground. After getting adequately stiff, well-tuned spring rates, a conservative adjustable bar on the non-drive-wheels suspension (front for us) is an easy way to tune balance for different surfaces/conditions. If used in excess, the bar may lift the inside tire completely off the ground, which means that tire isn't working for lateral grip anymore, potentially making the car handle worse than it did without the bar.