Sway bar or not? EJ20T Brumby

[SUBIIE]

Hi Team,

doesn't seem to many people are looking through this folder of the forum, but I guess it's best to post in the most appropriate folder.

Have all the engine stuff done except for a top front to back stabiliser bar thingy (under the top mount) and the sway bar for the front two wheels.

Having read some other posts, and doing a search it seems people have just taken it off and the car still drives fine. My question is though (for people have already done this)?

What happens when the car goes over the pits and the engineer sees the front sway bar missing?

Cheers

p.s. so close now!

[Alex]

its needed for roadworthyness yes.

does it make much difference to handling? Not really

does it improve suspension travel? yes sort of.

i never ran one on my l-series. Purely cos i couldnt be bothered hooking it up. It was 4inch lifted in the front with 29s tho, so all handling was gone anyway.

they make a big differnce on handling orientated cars. I wouldnt bother if your cars for 4wding.

[Sti Brumby]

Try one from a MY auto, should solve your problems with gearbox clearance.

[78sti]

If it is for on road it makes a big difference!
My ute has a 22mm bar in the front and the old bar is modified to fit the rear!

You can get a custom bar made for the front without the bend that hits the gearbox. I ordered myne through pedders (I think it was made by whiteline) It was about $220 i think.

If you remove the bolts ect that mount the sway bar it is likley that they will not know the difference when you go over the pits. But you will not know till you try.

In my old my wagon I removed the bar for the same reason (it was lifted) and it does make a big difference to wheel articulation (no difference to travel). But it helped reduce torque steer (FWD) as the outer front wheel did not lift off the ground as much. But you do get more body roll.

If you want the best of both worlds put a 22mm bar in the front with some sort of disconnector for going off road.

[SUBIIE]

Thanks fellas,

Some great responses. The car will be for street use only, no 4wding. The engine and gear box have been lowered 2 inches to help fitting everything under the bonnet.

So, sounds like 78sti I need to call Pedders. Will they have an off the shelf product I can buy (highly unlikely)? I think trying to find an MY 4WD auto will be fairly difficult.

Cheers

[D3V1L]

i suggest u do it mate... i havnt fitted a front sway bar back up yet, but i want to asap...just gotta get one made up to suit me..

davo

[AndrewT]

I wonder if it would be possible to modify (cut/weld) a stock one to suit? I'm no expert in this area but I'm pretty sure they are just hollow tube. If it was done right it probably wouldn't break, and seeing as the cars drive pretty well with one missing altogether it probably wouldn't be the end of the world if it did anyway. Just a thought.
Otherwise I wonder how easy it would be to source an Auto one - worth looking into if they fit as Sti Brumby says!

[78sti]

I wonder if it would be possible to modify (cut/weld) a stock one to suit? I'm no expert in this area but I'm pretty sure they are just hollow tube

I have cut one and drilled holes in the ends to use in the rear and I can confirm that they are solid! and very very hard, I think you would create a weak spot if you tryed to weld one back together? I used a box of drill bits to drill 2 holes and had to finish with a round file.

i havnt fitted a front sway bar back up yet, but i want to asap

I will post some photos of mine if you like

Will they have an off the shelf product I can buy

Pedders at strathpine did have one left over as they stuffed mine up! They said they had the patten for a 78 brumby and even though I took mine in they said they did not need it. When I picked it up is was to suit a later my brumby (what a surprise) Apparenty they did not realise series 1 brumbys existed! It was made 20mm wider and without the hump (I moved my bar forwards so it bolted closer to the hub to make it more effective)

The engine and gear box have been lowered 2 inches

Be carefull with this, I lowered mine 16mm and that causes problems. The front control arms should angle down (myne are nearly flat). This can cause bump steer issues and camber issues! Normally when the strut goes up the bottom of the hub should go outwards to create negative camber on compression but if the control arm is angled upwards or flat it will create positive camber (very bad). You can get extended ball joints (if you are using wrx/liberty hubs) and tie rods to help solve this but they are very expensive and may not extend it enough to solve this problem.

[El_Freddo]

The sway bars are solid and I'm pretty sure are a type of spring steel. They are basically a torsion bar but are externally mounted and effectively they play one side of the car against the other side - but only when the two sides are doing something different to each other such as the situation when cornering where the cornering inside suspension is trying to extend the wheel down out of the guard and the cornering outside suspension is under compression as the shifting weight forces the outside cornering wheel up into the guard.

Hope that's clearer than mud.

I've heard with the L's that removing the sway bar makes for easy starting of a "power slide" or drifting as such - but that's only what I've heard.

If you're an on-road vehicle you'll benefit with stiffer sway bars and if you need to have them custom made it would probably be the best time to go for a stronger (read thicker?) set to reduce body roll in corners.

Cheers

Bennie

[discopotato03]

Virtually ALL Subaru's handle (on hard surfaces anyway) better with more roll stiffness added to the REAR first . Its because they are genetically speaking a FrWD based chassis even though many are AWD .

There are two ways to increase roll stiffness , springs or anti roll bars .
Springs are possibly the preferred method but the side effects are a firmer ride and the lack of available dampers to control the higher rate springs .

Now because of outdated 70s/80s thinking most old Roos don't have rear anti roll bars or if they do their diameter is too small . The std RX L Series ones are 16mm and the almost impossible to find XT4 ones are 19mm , still too small .

Now because without spending a fortune for properly valved dampers you won't be able to control high rate springs , I'd reckon a car that's light in the bum wouldn't like them anyway .
I'd be trying to find a way to attach an anti roll bar under the rear A arms like RX L's do , then fit a bar of around 21-23mm .
I had custom 24 and 22mm bars made for my RX L and it transformed the way it drove particularly around corners .
Std Ls are an understeering pig and friends with Brumbys say they are worse .
Best case scenario is to reduce the body roll and do whatever it takes to get some sane geometry into the front end . God those L/MA/MV front ends are an abomination geometry wise .
I suggest if serious you find some way to increase the front control arm and drive shaft length to remove the positive camber and by any safe means to throw as much positive caster as you can to increase the dynamic camber change .
I fully expect these would increase the steering effort and power steering would become essential .

A .

[aff]

Howdy,

Bringing up an old thread.

I have a friend with a Leone (not sure on year), with a N/A Imprezza engine in it, and about to put a WRX engine in it (it has already been approved, it already has had the engine in it, not currently).

Have been watching this car, and talking to the owner and he needs to upgrade sway bars.

What is out there for these Leone's??

It's not my field of knowledge, Give me a WRX and I'm fine, but Leone's not so.