Could not find the answer from the search engine so I'll just ask this:

Will my handling (and alignment specs) be way off if I swap out just the OEM non-sport suspension front sway bar for an aftermarket one (i.e. Hotchkis, Stillen, etc.)? In other words, I'm thinking of messing around with the front sway bar only and not the rear sway which is OEM. The situation here, is that my front sway bar is corroded with rust and is in need of replacement soon, while the rear sway was replaced under warranty last year.

 

You won't effect your alignment and you won't kill the handling, try the lowest bar setting first and experiment with a higher setting to see what happens or if the change is to your liking or not.

You don't have a whole lot of aftermaket choices where you can buy just a front bar, Progress in one of them and 350EVO is another. If your picking a brand that comes with a rear bar too, you might as well install it too.

You could alway's just locate a used oem front bar, someone trying to sell one will be delighted to actually find someone that wants one lol.

 

I had Stillen install my sway bars and they were set on med. This install has
zero effect on ride, stiffness etc. If you're planning on just doing the front
that's a mistake. By getting the front/rear you'll have a very balanced car
kinda like you're on rails. This is one of the better mods I've done to my
G35 Coupe!

 

I've tested a setup that is pretty much equal to what he want's to try, it worked fine, though wasn't what I wanted at the limit, but it's not the sort of thing one can call a mistake. I had a Cusco front bar set on soft and my 350EVO rear bar set on soft. Setting the rear bar on soft equaled the oem bar stiffness.

One thing we didn't ask was what year his sedan is. 05/06 sedan's have a stiffer front sway bar, meaning the low and mid stiffness levels in the aftermarket front bars won't be that much greater depending on brand.

 

I have Stillen sway bars front and back, medium all around...car handles like a dream!

 

+1 - Me too!

 

Doug, check out this website and call these guys to see if they have oem sway bar for your car:

http://www.turbo-toys.com/homepage.asp

 

I would change both of them to have a better matched set. Try the front on soft and rear on med first.

Also it will change the ride a little but not much.

 

Lexusk8 - how many miles are on your car & has the car always been owned/driven in FL? I'm shocked that your sways have rusted & need replacing...that ain't right....

 

IMHO, just getting the front bar on a car that has some understeering built in isn't the way to go.

If I had to choose one, I'd get the rear only.

But really the best way is to get both and tune them the way you want. Used ones are cheap enough anyway.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys. Mine is an '03.5 with 52K miles on it. The G originally came from Maryland (the Northeast) so it's been through some rough winters and that's the reason why the front sway is deteriorating. I've taken a couple sharp turns and lately noticed a clicking/creaking noise under the front at each turn. Methinks it's definitely time to tune the suspension, and I'm thinking of getting the Stillen front/rear sway bar set from their corporate site ($299 and no shipping charge, August monthly special)

 

Stillen is a great kit.

 

Their are elements designed into the oem suspension on this platform that makes stiffer rear settings not the best choice to start out with. Starting at med/med is a much better choice. Adjust up or down from that starting point. I've tried front stiffer rear oem, front oem rear stiffer (the worst) and med/med. In the end sway bar's should be used to fine tune the car's at the limit behavior to suit your setup and what you want out of the car's at the limit behavior. Glad to see that the OP will be doing a rear bar too.

 

Stillen sways (med F & med R) works well for me

 

I thought you would want the stiffest setting in rear since the car is rear wheel drive.