Karcepts Sway Bar-2 Thumbs Up!
01-11-2015, 02:01 PM
#1
Karcepts Sway Bar-2 Thumbs Up!
I thought I'd share my experience with this bar.
Karcepts has provided GREAT service to me. I had questions before I made the purchase, after I received the item and during the install. All emails were answered very quickly with thorough explanations and help. The bar and hardware is impressive. The included instructions are very detailed, contain helpful graphics, and made the install go pretty smoothly.
I had a couple challenges with the install. I wasn't able to rotate the tophats as required to allow the shocks to be flipped (right shock to left side of car and vise versa). Instead I chose to dremel the brake brackets off. The bracket causes clearance issues and that's the reason to flip the shocks. The other problem I had was that I somehow over-torqued and stripped out one of the bar shaft collars. I had my wrench set to the proper torque and the first side was tightened without issue but the second was a nightmare. I tried 2 different sets of extractor bits and they failed. I had to remove the bar and dremel the collar off. Thanks to Karcepts, I had a replacement collar on hand.
I have not noticed any difference in the car's behavior on the street. There's zero noise.
I had my first autocross with the bar yesterday. I have the solid bar and started the day on the 3rd softest setting. The course had some icy spots that melted quickly. The conditions improved significantly between each run. I have an AP2, OE tire widths, BFG Rivals, temps around 40 degrees. I bought the car last summer and have only raced it a few times. This was the first time I felt under-steer at all. There was still over-steer but it was much more controllable...or so I thought. I still spun it, twice. I put most of the blame for the spins on the ice/water and my driving. After the spins I put it on the 4th hole but it made the car push a bit too much. As time between runs was limited, I only had time to switch one side back to hole 3. I did a couple runs with 1 arm in hole 3 and the other in hole 4. I was pretty happy with the balance it provided, the adjustments certainly made a noticeable difference, and the bar itself made the car much easier to push. I was far less afraid of spinning it. I beat cars that had beat me at the prior event. I need to practice the quick adjustment as I had a little trouble and it took longer than it should have. They had to run some cars out of order and come back to me. I've just discovered that I can actually see the tie rod and arm if I position my head just right, behind the wheel. Had I noticed that earlier I probably wouldn't have need the extra time. It only takes 1 wrench and it's really quite simple. It not near anything too hot, just watch your knuckles when the wrench frees up.
I was talking to another S2k owner who said he busted a weld on his bar (not going to say which bar) for the second time. This bar (the arms, and the rest of the hardware) is very substantial. The only thing I could imagine failing would be the tie rods, but they look sufficient to me.
Highly recommended.
Karcepts has provided GREAT service to me. I had questions before I made the purchase, after I received the item and during the install. All emails were answered very quickly with thorough explanations and help. The bar and hardware is impressive. The included instructions are very detailed, contain helpful graphics, and made the install go pretty smoothly.
I had a couple challenges with the install. I wasn't able to rotate the tophats as required to allow the shocks to be flipped (right shock to left side of car and vise versa). Instead I chose to dremel the brake brackets off. The bracket causes clearance issues and that's the reason to flip the shocks. The other problem I had was that I somehow over-torqued and stripped out one of the bar shaft collars. I had my wrench set to the proper torque and the first side was tightened without issue but the second was a nightmare. I tried 2 different sets of extractor bits and they failed. I had to remove the bar and dremel the collar off. Thanks to Karcepts, I had a replacement collar on hand.
I have not noticed any difference in the car's behavior on the street. There's zero noise.
I had my first autocross with the bar yesterday. I have the solid bar and started the day on the 3rd softest setting. The course had some icy spots that melted quickly. The conditions improved significantly between each run. I have an AP2, OE tire widths, BFG Rivals, temps around 40 degrees. I bought the car last summer and have only raced it a few times. This was the first time I felt under-steer at all. There was still over-steer but it was much more controllable...or so I thought. I still spun it, twice. I put most of the blame for the spins on the ice/water and my driving. After the spins I put it on the 4th hole but it made the car push a bit too much. As time between runs was limited, I only had time to switch one side back to hole 3. I did a couple runs with 1 arm in hole 3 and the other in hole 4. I was pretty happy with the balance it provided, the adjustments certainly made a noticeable difference, and the bar itself made the car much easier to push. I was far less afraid of spinning it. I beat cars that had beat me at the prior event. I need to practice the quick adjustment as I had a little trouble and it took longer than it should have. They had to run some cars out of order and come back to me. I've just discovered that I can actually see the tie rod and arm if I position my head just right, behind the wheel. Had I noticed that earlier I probably wouldn't have need the extra time. It only takes 1 wrench and it's really quite simple. It not near anything too hot, just watch your knuckles when the wrench frees up.
I was talking to another S2k owner who said he busted a weld on his bar (not going to say which bar) for the second time. This bar (the arms, and the rest of the hardware) is very substantial. The only thing I could imagine failing would be the tie rods, but they look sufficient to me.
Highly recommended.
01-25-2018, 10:28 AM
#5
I also run the STR sized front bar and their rear bar. They work great and are pretty beautiful when you see them under the car.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post