Have a question guys -

Since my S has rear end damage and the suspension on the right rear will be replaced, I was considering upgrading the rear sway bar with one of the aftermarket ones. I looked at the (on line) offering by Tanabe, Comptech and Mugen. There is not too much info on these on-line, i.e., diameter vs stock.

Does anyone have experience with any of these?

Comptech ad shows both front and rear sway bars as a set, and the others are purchased individually.

Thanks for your input in advance.

John

 

I've been using the Comptech set (front and rear), but I'm going to go back to the stock rear bar. Here's why...

When used with an otherwise stock suspension and stock S-02s, the Comptech kit preserves the stock handling balance pretty well. However, there's little reason to use them that way, since the stock bars are sufficient to prevent the stock suspension from bottoming.

So, in practice, swaybar upgrades usually accompany a switch to, say, R-compound tires, which can load up the suspension quite a bit more. Now (stick with me here), since it also makes sense to get as much rubber on the car as possible, most people end up with 225s in front and 245s in the rear. The trouble is that the stock "225" rear S-02s have as much tread as a 245, while the front 205's are "legitimate" 205s (in terms of contact patch). So with the 225/245 setup, the car suddenly has way too much front grip and it oversteers heavily. The solution is to use ONLY a front aftermarket swaybar (plus the stock rear bar), which cures the handling balance and is usually sufficient to keep the stock coilovers from bottoming.

So that's why you'll see (if you search) all those posts saying "don't ever get a rear swaybar!!!"

 

Thanks that helps