Hey guys,
I just ordered my Saner front sway bar from the S2ki marketplace... my first mod, yeah! I'm trying to run a more competitive B-Stock setup. I'm hunting for cheap stock wheels (let me know if you have any leads), and I've settled on the Victoracer V700's for tires. I'm trying to figure out my timeline for everything. I figure I'll install the bar, and do a semi-agressive alignment. I may still be on the S-02's at that time, so I'll go with the least stiff bar setting. So let's say the new wheels/tires come in a month later, and I need to stiffen the sway bar up to mee-jum or the hard setting. Will adjusting the sway bar foul up my $100 alignment job? Should I just set the bar to full stiff, align from there, and accept that I will push with the S-02's?

 

Installing a swaybar won't alter your alignment. It may change what you want the alignment to be though.

 

I know in theory it shouldn't. But I think in reality, it does. I've read where folks have checked alignment, installed a bar, rechecked alignment, and their alignment has moved...

 

I've come to the decision to align on a regular basis due to the car's tendency to change alignment. Of course, this is from one who's used to lack of adjustability. I doubt seriously that the installation of the bar changes the alignment - I've installed mine multiple times and it's nowhere near the adjustments.

 

You lost me on the above quote. You mean you have to change the endlink lengths everytime

 

Sorry - not clear. I meant that the swaybar attachments are nowhere near any of the suspension adjustment points. That is, you don't need to touch the camber/caster/toe adjusters or anything attached to them. The endlinks (I'm still using the stock ones, knock on wood) and sway bar brackets are the only things that have to be disconnected.

 

you might not need an alignment after the bar but you will need one when you change to the khumos. as a rule i believe you should do the alignment with the tires you will be using.

 

From what I've read, alignment readings are not very repeatable on this car. You can align it, drive it off the rack, put it back on, and the alignment specs will be different.

 

I thought all three alignment measurements are based off of the wheel, not the tire? I didn't think tires would make a difference? Jeff, thanks for clarifying.

One other question: If I install the swaybar with the wheels off of the ground, won't I be pre-loading the bar once the car is set on the ground? It seems to me like the bar needs to be installed with the wheels in the normal, settled suspension position. This seems impossible with the amount of ground clearance on the car.

 

It doesn't matter whether the car is on the ground or not during the installation. It will settle the same either way.