Sway Bars: What did you choose & why?

[MattJ2020]

So Stillen Sway bars and Swift Springs are a great duo!

 

[Katum68]

I can vouch for the sway bars.

 

[MattJ2020]

Which springs have you got? Start with the sway bars then!

 

[Katum68]

Stock Performance Springs and Stillen Sway bars. My Nissan mechanic recommended NOT going with the coil-overs. he ha worked on my 370Z Z1 twin turbo car for 15 years and now owns it. The 2024 Z is now what I am working on.

 

[MattJ2020]

Coil overs are the same as just Springs?

 

[Katum68]

No. Coilovers have the dampers inside them. A slightly different set-up than springs and shocks. I just drive on the streets and highways and do NOT track the car. Some people like coil-overs, I'm not one of them. Coil-overs are just springs and shocks in a single unit and more easily adjusted. Good for the truck but my track is the Eisenhower highways. .

 

[VR30Infection]

All “coilovers” are not created equal. The Bilstein offering and the KW offering would be nothing like a Tein or something like the HKS R variant. (Not talking about quality or craftsmanship). Stuff for the track and not for the street are due to spring rate choices. There are plenty that are going to both out perform stock dampers with lowering springs plus you get the benefit of ride hight adjustment. The factory dampers are not great, thats for sure.

 

[VR30Infection]

Hotchkis front sway bar, no rear bar. Why? It's proven to be the best bar in the 370z community and the front 100% fits the RZ34.

More detailed comparisons vs other bars

Link to Hotchkis Product page
Features:
• Lightweight, Durable 1 3/8" (35mm) Tubular Front Bar.
• Lightweight, Durable 1.125 (28mm) Tubular Rear Bar 3 Way Adjustable
• Premium mounting hardware including, greasable polyurethane bushings and heavy duty brackets.
• Finished in durable anthracite powder coat.

Benefits:
• Brings handling excitement to your 370Z, G37 or G35
• Dramatically improves steering and chassis response
• Increases stability, improves traction, reduces body roll by increasing front/rear roll stiffness
• Easy bolt-on installation.

Specs:
Front Sway Bar 35mm (Ø1-3/8") Hollow
Rear Sway Bar 28.5mm (Ø1.125") Hollow 3 Way Adjustable

Photo of the bar installed on my RZ34

Just wondering how it’s proven to be the best?

 

[zRedBaron]

Just wondering how it’s proven to be the best?

You could start by checking the threads I posted. Most Z34 racers have been on a Hotchkis bar and to this day nobody has made a better performing one yet. If anything other manufacturers have just copied the design and specs.

Only thing better would be a massive custom bar with a switch blade design, something like what the Doran Racing 370Z race cars used to run in the Grand AM Continental Tire Series.

 

[VR30Infection]

For some reason the 370 forum doesn’t work on my phone. It sounds like you’re maybe saying that it is the stiffest one and people are saying the stiffer the better? The eibach and the Z1 front bar are also 35mm but are adjustable. Maybe the wall thickness is different? An anti-sway bar is a bar that increases roll stiffness without increasing spring rate. A bar is a bar. It doesn’t really matter what the design is, it just matters what the stiffness at the wheel is. My Z is an understeer queen. If I added a stiff bar up front and took off the rear then the front would wash out even quicker. I’m going to bet the guys running the Hotchkis up front and no rear bar are running wide tires like 305’s or 315’s square and are mostly running Scca small track stuff?

 

[Will-Stillen]

Hit me up if anybody needs any sway bars!
Discounts for all the members

 

[zRedBaron]

For some reason the 370 forum doesn’t work on my phone. It sounds like you’re maybe saying that it is the stiffest one and people are saying the stiffer the better? The eibach and the Z1 front bar are also 35mm but are adjustable. Maybe the wall thickness is different? An anti-sway bar is a bar that increases roll stiffness without increasing spring rate. A bar is a bar. It doesn’t really matter what the design is, it just matters what the stiffness at the wheel is. My Z is an understeer queen. If I added a stiff bar up front and took off the rear then the front would wash out even quicker. I’m going to bet the guys running the Hotchkis up front and no rear bar are running wide tires like 305’s or 315’s square and are mostly running Scca small track stuff?

Well thats unfortunate for you that the links don't work on your phone, but the evidence is there.

Not sure if you realize this but the car already washes out from the factory and very badly I might add. And no, a bar is not a bar as not all bars are made equally. There have been some cases of Whitelines breaking and to this day I've not heard of a single Hotchkis bar breaking or malfunctioning. That stiffness you were talking about is detailed in those links. But since you can't look at them or won't be bothered to I'll help and spoon feed the info.

This data is not hearsay, it's track proven. I am one of those guys. I run stiff front, no rear bar on anything from a 265/18 to 295/18 square tire setup and have put down many laps at every single road course here in California except for Sonoma (Streets of Willow, Big Willow, Buttonwillow, Chuckwalla, Fontana (RIP and thanks NASCAR for killing this track), Laguna Seca, Thunderhill Raceway). I've even run this configuration at two tracks out of state, High Plains Raceway in Colorado and Atlanta Motorsports Park in Georgia. It works and it works well.

Granted this setup probably wont work so well on a Z with stock suspension or just some springs, it is meant to work best with coilovers, a track alignment and a grippy square tire setup. Which if you're serious about tracking or competing, this is the route you typically end up going anyway.

Why bother playing around if you have a known good working formula that has been analyzed, beat on, tested and raced from grassroots to pro-am levels of motorsport?

I'm simply providing the info, take it or leave it. Google is a thing and much of this info can be corroborated by doing a quick search.

 

[trackratZ]

For some reason the 370 forum doesn’t work on my phone. It sounds like you’re maybe saying that it is the stiffest one and people are saying the stiffer the better? The eibach and the Z1 front bar are also 35mm but are adjustable. Maybe the wall thickness is different? An anti-sway bar is a bar that increases roll stiffness without increasing spring rate. A bar is a bar. It doesn’t really matter what the design is, it just matters what the stiffness at the wheel is. My Z is an understeer queen. If I added a stiff bar up front and took off the rear then the front would wash out even quicker. I’m going to bet the guys running the Hotchkis up front and no rear bar are running wide tires like 305’s or 315’s square and are mostly running Scca small track stuff?

Thicker front bar do work better ONLY when coupled with lots of negative camber on track scenarios, for quicker turn-ins and canceling understeer, which can be lots worse on typical street alignment. I would guess the rear bar removal or at softest setting stabilizes the rear during high G corners, i.e. eliminates hop and chatter. I disconnected the rear when had my E46 M3 at Auto Club Speedway and Willow Springs.

 

[Katum68]

Well thats unfortunate for you that the links don't work on your phone, but the evidence is there.

Not sure if you realize this but the car already washes out from the factory and very badly I might add. And no, a bar is not a bar as not all bars are made equally. There have been some cases of Whitelines breaking and to this day I've not heard of a single Hotchkis bar breaking or malfunctioning. That stiffness you were talking about is detailed in those links. But since you can't look at them or won't be bothered to I'll help and spoon feed the info.

This data is not hearsay, it's track proven. I am one of those guys. I run stiff front, no rear bar on anything from a 265/18 to 295/18 square tire setup and have put down many laps at every single road course here in California except for Sonoma (Streets of Willow, Big Willow, Buttonwillow, Chuckwalla, Fontana (RIP and thanks NASCAR for killing this track), Laguna Seca, Thunderhill Raceway). I've even run this configuration at two tracks out of state, High Plains Raceway in Colorado and Atlanta Motorsports Park in Georgia. It works and it works well.

Granted this setup probably wont work so well on a Z with stock suspension or just some springs, it is meant to work best with coilovers, a track alignment and a grippy square tire setup. Which if you're serious about tracking or competing, this is the route you typically end up going anyway.

Why bother playing around if you have a known good working formula that has been analyzed, beat on, tested and raced from grassroots to pro-am levels of motorsport?

I'm simply providing the info, take it or leave it. Google is a thing and much of this info can be corroborated by doing a quick search.

Why so hostile? We're just talking about sway bars on a car, not world peace.

 

[Katum68]

Why so hostile? We're just talking about sway bars on a car, not world peace.

BTW, the NISMOs were breaking and useless.