I was talking about going w/ sway bars for better handling, but was told that I should also get coilovers to maximize the handling... coilovers are too expensive for me at this point--so my question is whether or not it will still be worth it if I get teh sway bars alone and leave the rest of the suspension stock?

THANKS!

 

Larger diameter Adjustable rear sway bars are the most cost effective suspension mods, followed by premium adjustable shocks, Stiffer springs always come in dead last as the 1" lowering [lower C of G] has at most 1.5% effect.

The front sway bar is already too stiff but becomes just right with a stiffer rear bar!

Many times more aggressive initial misalignment or just precision alignment can have more effect than any of above.

Making sure side to side variables are minimized and setting exactly at the midrange point.

The only problem with stiffer rear sway bars is they are less forgiving in the rain..........what is optimum dry will be dangerous with reduced friction on rear tires in rain.

Only BMW 745/645 have a new variable coupled rear bar that is integrated with rain sensing system [wipers and rain spray sensor] to decouple the rear bar progressively as the moisture increases.

Oem rear bars tend to be 25-30% of stiffness of springs, a quasi-safe number for trained race drivers would be the bar equal to the spring stiffness..........most would be best advised to have a bar ~~ 65% of spring stiffness with Summer Ultra Performance tires.

No more than 70-80 lb/inch bar rate at the wheels [one must calculate the mechanical disadvantage [coupling losses] to translate bar rate to wheel rate!!!!!

A stiffer rebound adjustable rear shock will let you dial in some extra control to compensate for bar stiffness in whip saw transient [slalom] handling.

 

Should post this question in the Wheels, Tires & Suspension forum below....

I installed Eibach sways only, no other suspension mods. I did see a noticeable improvement in cornering, etc. (front set on stiffest, rear on medium). If I was going to track the car, I would definitely install coil-overs in the future. Sway bars are definitely the 1st mod to do with limited funds available.

04 G35c DP/Willow, aero, prem, guards...
Vortech S/C
R/T cats
Stillen exhaust
JWT clutch & flywheel
Eibach sways
clear corners
brake reservoir cover
grounding wires

 

Did installing the sways affect the VDC? I recall reading somewhere about the Nismo sway bars only for non-VDC equipped cars or else you had to install the springs/shocks too...

 

I personally have seen no issues with my Eibach set and VDC. However, I disengage VDC 99% of the time anyway.

04 G35c DP/Willow, aero, prem, guards...
Vortech S/C
R/T cats
Stillen exhaust
JWT clutch & flywheel
Eibach sways
clear corners
brake reservoir cover
grounding wires