R34 Gt-T Swaybar Choice

[r34davE]

Hi guys,

I've tried searching but I can't seem to find any specific answers...

My R34 GT-T is running standard shocks, bushes, swaybars, etc with a set of Tein S-Tech lowered springs.

I was happy with the handling until recently I discovered the car is extremely twitchy in the rear under heavy cornering and powersliding. Body roll is a nightmare and it seems to "snap back" with unpredictable results...

I noticed that Whiteline have 2 levels of front swaybar available (heavy duty and extra heavy duty) and three levels of rear swaybar (heavy duty, x-heavy duty and xx-heavy duty) - I'm assuming there is a reason for this!

Seeing as my main problem is in the rear, should I go HD front and XHD rear? I know too big a difference can cause extreme oversteer...

Car is a daily with occasional track work.

Any advice would be appreciated

[34GeeTeeTee]

When i first searched for answers i couldnt get an exact answer but a quick PM to Gary (SydneyKid) soon sorted me out.

I now run 27mm front blade adjustable and 24mm rear blade adjustable bars and the car handles like it is on rails, it sits dead flat!

[r34davE]

Cheers man, so you've gone xhd front and xxhd rear - I'm guessing you do a lot of track work?

[34GeeTeeTee]

The car is planned to do a lot of track work, to date it has done very little!

In terms of the ones you are looking at, i am not sure if they are comparable... The advantage of having the adjustment is the ability to set the car up how you want it, rather than buying a fixed set.

Send Gary a PM and see what info he can offer, he has been nothing but helpful with suspension in the past

[au55ie]

I run a 27mm front 22mm rear whiteline swaybar in my 34

im extremely happy with the improvement over standard.

i do have the adjustable rear bar- but i will never play with it. it was more wank factor than anything.

as 34GeeTeeTee said his car looked like it was on rails at the Texi, so flat and so much tyre smoke...

[Shoujiki]

I run what 34GeeTeeTee has too. 27/24 adjustable and i've set mine fairly stiff (i think middle at the back and stiff at the front). Same Tein S-Tech springs I think that you have too. Handles like a train with minimal body roll. It's a firmish ride but firm in a comfortable way, if that makes sense. I highly recommend it!

[34GeeTeeTee]

I run a 27mm front 22mm rear whiteline swaybar in my 34

im extremely happy with the improvement over standard.

i do have the adjustable rear bar- but i will never play with it. it was more wank factor than anything.

as 34GeeTeeTee said his car looked like it was on rails at the Texi, so flat and so much tyre smoke...

oops

I run what 34GeeTeeTee has too. 27/24 adjustable and i've set mine fairly stiff (i think middle at the back and stiff at the front). Same Tein S-Tech springs I think that you have too. Handles like a train with minimal body roll. It's a firmish ride but firm in a comfortable way, if that makes sense. I highly recommend it!

I set mine in the neutral position and am happy at this stage, until i get some decent rubber and push the car i wont know what is best! BUT once again, it is the advantage of adjustable over solids as it can be changed to suit...

[r34davE]

Wow I'm really surprised by the response to this thread - thanks everyone!

I really don't want to get adjustable if I can avoid it. I have a few reasons for this:

1. Price

2. I have no intention of adjusting them for different scenarios - I want to "set and forget"

3. Adjusting the link position is the equivalent of buying a thicker or thinner fixed bar?

The 24mm rear is rated "motorsport" on the whiteline website - surely this indicates that it is a little too hardcore for daily use? Does it constantly kick up a wheel on driveways etc?

Considering no-one has set the adjustable 24mm rear to stiff, am I to assume a 27/22 fixed arrangement would be the best?

[34GeeTeeTee]

Well i set and forgot mine a long while ago and the car feels fine, but unless i am pushing it i wont know how it really feels (If that makes sense lol)...

I guess the downside to the fixed is if you make the call to go 27/22 and find you are not happy, there is no easy way out then?

What pricing are you talking? (PM if you like)

[r34davE]

Can get the fixed ones brand new for about 200 a pop, adjustable closer to 260 a pop.

Totally agree about being stuck with them - hence why I wanna gauge what people consider to be a matching pair... Looks like people either go one stiffer for rear or same as front?

[34GeeTeeTee]

Yep so its not a huge difference in price... See if you can get a few more opinions and then make the call

I would recommend something similar to mine simply because they feel amazing, BUT i dont have a direct comparison so i am biased lol

[au55ie]

27/22 you cant go wrong! car is so much more settled through corners- but still has a good ride quality.

i would have gone non adjustable rear but for some reason my local supplier told me whiteline were no longer doing a fixed 22mm rear- hence i now have the adjustable unit.

yes mine does pick up a rear wheel over some driveways, but i live in a shitty country town with shit house roads

[34GeeTeeTee]

27/22 you cant go wrong! car is so much more settled through corners- but still has a good ride quality.

i would have gone non adjustable rear but for some reason my local supplier told me whiteline were no longer doing a fixed 22mm rear- hence i now have the adjustable unit.

yes mine does pick up a rear wheel over some driveways, but i live in a shitty country town with shit house roads

Oh forgot to answer that, yes mine will pick up a wheel too!

[GTSBoy]

The problem with following other people's settings and bar choices is that the amount of anti-roll bar that is correct depends on how much spring rate is available. Or more to the point, the balance of roll bars depends on the balance of the spring rates front to rear. So, in my case (R32) I have Kings springs front and rear, which should be notionally balanced to each other (assuming Kings know what is good for an R32) and yet I have 24mm adjustable bars at both ends, and it is perfect. The front bar is set stiff, the rear bar is set soft. But my bars' stiffnesses will be much closer to each other than the 27/24 or 27/22 combos that R34 owners above have said that they have.

On that basis, I would DEFINITELY RECOMMEND that you get adjustable bars. The ability to start in the centre adjustment of each and add or subtract a little from each end can make a car that just doesn't feel right feel much much better. Imagine how pissed you'd be if you bought a 22mm fixed bar but could really have used a 24. If you'd bought the 24 adjustable, you could have 24, or you could dial it down to about 22 equivalent. All for not much more cost.

[34GeeTeeTee]

The problem with following other people's settings and bar choices is that the amount of anti-roll bar that is correct depends on how much spring rate is available. Or more to the point, the balance of roll bars depends on the balance of the spring rates front to rear. So, in my case (R32) I have Kings springs front and rear, which should be notionally balanced to each other (assuming Kings know what is good for an R32) and yet I have 24mm adjustable bars at both ends, and it is perfect. The front bar is set stiff, the rear bar is set soft. But my bars' stiffnesses will be much closer to each other than the 27/24 or 27/22 combos that R34 owners above have said that they have.

On that basis, I would DEFINITELY RECOMMEND that you get adjustable bars. The ability to start in the centre adjustment of each and add or subtract a little from each end can make a car that just doesn't feel right feel much much better. Imagine how pissed you'd be if you bought a 22mm fixed bar but could really have used a 24. If you'd bought the 24 adjustable, you could have 24, or you could dial it down to about 22 equivalent. All for not much more cost.

Kind of what i was getting at in more of a Noobish sort of way

[darksky34]

The problem with following other people's settings and bar choices is that the amount of anti-roll bar that is correct depends on how much spring rate is available. Or more to the point, the balance of roll bars depends on the balance of the spring rates front to rear. So, in my case (R32) I have Kings springs front and rear, which should be notionally balanced to each other (assuming Kings know what is good for an R32) and yet I have 24mm adjustable bars at both ends, and it is perfect. The front bar is set stiff, the rear bar is set soft. But my bars' stiffnesses will be much closer to each other than the 27/24 or 27/22 combos that R34 owners above have said that they have.

On that basis, I would DEFINITELY RECOMMEND that you get adjustable bars. The ability to start in the centre adjustment of each and add or subtract a little from each end can make a car that just doesn't feel right feel much much better. Imagine how pissed you'd be if you bought a 22mm fixed bar but could really have used a 24. If you'd bought the 24 adjustable, you could have 24, or you could dial it down to about 22 equivalent. All for not much more cost.

GTSBoy to the rescue. Sometimes i think of you as SK's spiritual successor.....or son....or something

i've got sway bars on mine...er possibly 33/30mm (according to my measurements) and i 3 wheel going up my driveway. it is annoying. but when i take turns, the car is so nice and flat, it is amazing.

[34GeeTeeTee]

GTSBoy to the rescue. Sometimes i think of you as SK's spiritual successor.....or son....or something

i've got sway bars on mine...er possibly 33/30mm (according to my measurements) and i 3 wheel going up my driveway. it is annoying. but when i take turns, the car is so nice and flat, it is amazing.

Errr man, that is a bit big.... What you measuring boi?

[GTSBoy]

I would like to see how such big bars go anywhere near the body mounting locations!!

FWIW, it pays to remember that bar stiffness goes up with the 4th power of diameter. On that basis a 33mm bar is more than twice as stiff as a 27mm bar, and a 27 is already more than twice as stiff as a 22. Ergo, a 33 would be simply massive stiffness on a road car. Massive.

Check measurement with proper vernier required.

[34GeeTeeTee]

I would like to see how such big bars go anywhere near the body mounting locations!!

FWIW, it pays to remember that bar stiffness goes up with the 4th power of diameter. On that basis a 33mm bar is more than twice as stiff as a 27mm bar, and a 27 is already more than twice as stiff as a 22. Ergo, a 33 would be simply massive stiffness on a road car. Massive.

Check measurement with proper vernier required.

I recall even the bars on mine set normally were something like 300% stiffer than stock? I could be wrong but i am sure it was something like that!

[GTSBoy]

Dunno. Probably not. I had standard 16mm (auto) rear on mine and apparently standard 22mm front. If it wasn't that, then the 16 was 18 and/or the 22 wasn't standard. Anyway....a 24 is only 40% stiffer than a 22, so my front bar is in the same range as the old one. The increase at the rear is more like 250% extra though! 300% increases on stock are pretty hard to fit.