Whiteline front Sway Bar - worth it?

[MEAN R O]

Hey guys,

I am looking to put a whiteline 30mm sway bar in my VZ monaro just wanted to see if it will make much difference. I measured the standard one with a digital caliper and its 27mm. My motor is out of the car and it should be easy job without it in the way (hopefully dont need to drop Kframe) Is it worth doing?

Cheers

[VZ_V8]

Yes.

Thats all you need to know. :lol:

Edit: with the motor out, DEFINITELY yes.

[motorin on]

mis-read Thread
Stephen

[VZ_V8]

Shoudn't be hard to swap as you already have the factory one,I thought there are studs not bolts on top of the tower so you shouldn't need to drop anything.I haven't tried to remove mine so will stand corrected if I am wrong
As to the benefit of the Whiteline over the factory unit I don't know about getting much benefit,I have been trying to think of a simple way to measure any inwards flex,I had a Whiteline unit on my VT V6 - had to drill holes and drop the front end,and I have the factory unit on my VY SS,the Whiteline is possibly beefier due to it's oval shape so mbe less likely to flex under load but I personally doubt there will be enough to worry about.
Any brace is better than no brace
There are other threads regarding "bracing" in the forum
Stephen

He is talking about a sway bar not a strut brace....

[Mad Dog]

Yes but make sure you get an adjustable one. Mine was initially set too hard so the back felt very unstable around corners. Easy fix if its adjustable. Also I think i have some rubbing so get those ring things that stop it from sliding sideways. Im assuming youve doen the other end too. And i would keep the old one as it is slightly larger and might prove hard to buy if returning to stock.

[motorin on]

He is talking about a sway bar not a strut brace....
sorry-my mistake.It has been a long day

[MEAN R O]

OK thanks for the replies, I was looking at the adjustable one. Should I do the rear one too?

[chargedvx6]

Absoloutely do both the front and rear at the same time. I've been running the adjustable Whitelines for years on my VY and they make the whole suspension package work. The sways were the last thing I did after doing every bush and shelling out a packet on good shocks and springs.

I wish they were the first thing I did, they are that good.

BTW, you will need to hang the k frame on the last threads of the rear k frame bolts and remove the front bolts altogether. Quite simple if the engine is out. Beware, there is a correct procedure for re fastening the k frame or else it will throw your chassis allignment out.

pm me if you want the factory diagrams

[zorro]

Another yes from me. I kicks myself for not throwing them in my old ute sooner, it transforms the handling from a wet sponge to reasonable :lol:

In seriousness it helped a lot in cornering, body roll was minimized and you could steer with the accelerator a lot better through and out of corners. I had a full compliment of super pro bushes and adjustable shocks f&r but I put the bars in before that all went in and was very happy with the differene


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[bush_basha]

Sorry to hijack, but same question just for a VE would it still be worth it for a VE Hsv? And would a strut brace compliment it off aswell?

Thanks

[pugz]

Definately. I have both front and rear in my SS and they are great compared to original sway bars.

I'd recommend replacing all bushes as well while you are there. e.g. link rods, castors, etc. They make a huge difference especially if your
car has done a few K's.

When doing the rear i even took the time to do diif inserts. Actually decided to replace every rubber in the car while my motor was out too.

You will have to remove K Frame as sway bar is bolted to the top of it.

Have done my VT & VY and my mates VY & VE. We are all happy with em.

Also don't set them the stiffest notch(link bars) at the beginning unless you tend to use it as a track car. As u might find them too stiff with the poor condition
of roads especially NSW. Skipping across bumps, potholes that are actually large revenes. If you have lowered suspension and 20's this effect is compounded.

[bricat]

What would be a rough cost for F & R sway bars. Plus fitting?

[Hos]

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My post is not relevant to the thread, but I rate this signature highly.:bravo:

Hos

[DCV1NU]

What would be a rough cost for F & R sway bars. Plus fitting?

The swaybars are roughly $250ea plus 150-200 for fitting depending on where you go.:)

[feistl]

The swaybars are pretty good, but ive been very disappointed with the bushes. If i had my time over i would go superpro bushes from wholesale suspension. Some of my whiteline bushes have worn out in ~5000km (that said, that included a fair bit of track time and hard driving)....

Oh and when i asked whiteline to send me the sway bars, strut brace etc and all bushes, they ended sending me multiple bushes that were the same. EG, you get some bushes with the sway bar but the "whole car kit" also includes these... So i ended up paying for bushes i didnt need. Then they wouldnt take them back (even though they were unopened). Finally (not that i can) but my sway bars/strut brace arrived pretty scratched up... Considering the price the overall experience was rather poor.

[pugz]

Go to whiteline website. From memory the front is about 300 for the adjustable one which i recommend . The rear about $250

The rear 20mm is not adjustable the 18mm is. As for labour there is a couple of hours in removing K Frame etc so id say on the $200 side.

Also i would not be happy without doing a realignment as you disconnect the link bars etc. depending on which rubbers you chose to replace. For
the cost of em i would do em all.

Also i stick with rubber for your lower if you want more K's the eurathane ones tend to chew out a bit quicker cause they don't have as much give.

[MEAN R O]

So for the rear should I go with the adjustable 18 or the non-adjustable 20? What other bushes should I replace? I have done the link rods and radius rods previously, what else?

[pugz]

I did the castors and the strut top mounts as well up front. the only problem with the strut tops is you have to rip the spring apart which is not a
problem for me as i have airbags. If you are doing the sway your self while you have the sway disconnected try moving the strut, if there is significant movement at the top
you can pretty much say the strut top bearings are chewed out. Ajustable castors are good for setting up alignment depending how you are going to use the car too.
The rear i did the cradle mounts and diff insert at the same(sometimes would tramp abit). I would go the 18mm adjustable if ya just streetin it. I put a
20mm in ute but it is carrying loads and towing cars to events, work etc.

[John_LS1]

I put a 30mm swaybar in mine while the engine was out as well. I can't really compare because the last time I drove it with the stock swaybar was 10 months ago. It does feel tight on the twists but I dont push it to the limits to find it's true capabilities.

When I did mine I got recommended the larger heavy duty yellow bushes and brackets to suit as shown in the pic. Also beware that the new bar will probably hit the k frame on fast turns as it will sit very close to the edge compared to the factory bar.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v205/john_xr6/VZ/IMG_4428.jpg

[monaro_mad]

For those that have the front bar installed, any way to stop it hitting the k-frame? How common is this? I'm about to install one and i don't like the thought of it hitting the damn k-frame when i'm giving it hell!

[feistl]

Ive got mine installed in my VX SS, which sees a lot of track time and has a lot of modifications and as far as im aware its never touched the K-Frame. I dare say if its touching the K-frame then something is out of alignment (at least thats what ive found in a VX).

[pugz]

Mine doesn't hit at all and i give the thing absolute hell at the track as well. John i'd agree with fiestl maybe the K frame was not installed in correct
position or maybe bar not aligned. (not saying you have installed wrong) but i have installed a few of these with no clearance issues. I have had a small ficher in a K frame
causing alignment problems under load(which you can tell by rust on K frame bolts).

[John_LS1]

Not sure, I aligned the k-frame by marking it before I loosened the bolts and put it back in the same spot. My sway bar was second hand and I noticed rub marks in the exact spots where it gets close to the frame. The Vz bar is a different part number so not sure If its shaped different to earlier models. Doesn't phase me to much anyway, it's only done it twice in 1000 kays and the car drives straight.

[VZ_V8]

Arent the bolts for the subframe self aligning ie. they have a taper under the head which guides the subframe as u tighten them? therefore where is the adjustment?

[surfwagon]

Not sure, I aligned the k-frame by marking it before I loosened the bolts and put it back in the same spot. My sway bar was second hand and I noticed rub marks in the exact spots where it gets close to the frame. The Vz bar is a different part number so not sure If its shaped different to earlier models. Doesn't phase me to much anyway, it's only done it twice in 1000 kays and the car drives straight.

The VZ bar is a different part number because it has to also fit around the Alloytec V6 but for the V8 you could most possibly still fit the older part number.
I have the adjustable 30mm front in centre hole with fixed 18mm rear and balance is mostly neutral at low and high speeds which is very relaxing on long drives.
With front bar set on hardest setting (inner hole) the car over steered a little too much at higher speeds making cornering a little more intense than iy is now.

[pugz]

http://www.pugz.me/images/IMG_9276.jpg

[MEAN R O]

Hey Guys, The rear sway bar went in pretty easily without any hiccups but I have run into a problem installing the front sway bar. I cant get it to align properly. When I get it close to centralised the sway bar hits up against the Z bar on one side and it is extremely close to hitting on the other. Anyone have any ideas? It is a Monaro (VZ) so will it be different to standard? Please help me :)

[surfwagon]

Hey Guys, The rear sway bar went in pretty easily without any hiccups but I have run into a problem installing the front sway bar. I cant get it to align properly. When I get it close to centralised the sway bar hits up against the Z bar on one side and it is extremely close to hitting on the other. Anyone have any ideas? It is a Monaro (VZ) so will it be different to standard? Please help me :)

If it is hitting the radius rod while the suspension is hanging that is pretty normal once the suspension lifts up under weight it shouldn't be touching.
I found this out when I once went to change the position of the link in the bar with the car on stands and the wheels hanging everything was jammed up.
Drove the car up on ramps and changing link position was a piece of cake, one undone everything had plenty of movement.

[MEAN R O]

Thanks for everyones views and help on this. I lowered the car back down and no clearance problems. Now just can't wait to finish building my stroker and get the car moving again

[ls2maloo]

Just fitted the new hollow core fulcrum front and rear swaybars yesterday and it's transformed the ride quality 10 folds.30% lighter than other named models and a chrome moly structure,cost me $500 for the bars and $245 for fitting and wheel alignment.overall so far pretty impressed.

[surfwagon]

Just fitted the new hollow core fulcrum front and rear swaybars yesterday and it's transformed the ride quality 10 folds.30% lighter than other named models and a chrome moly structure,cost me $500 for the bars and $245 for fitting and wheel alignment.overall so far pretty impressed.

So what size are yours and are they equivalent to the same solid bar, also are they adjustable.
Like the sound of 30% lighter.
I changed a hollow factory bar on my wifes corolla with one the same size but solid and that made a difference to handling but the factory bar isn't chrome moly.

[ls2maloo]

Fronts 26mm and the rear 22mm and adjustable.Currently put on the softest setting just to see how it handles but will play around with and trim it up to suit for the ride i'm after.
Cheers and have a look at them if your seriously thinking about it. Web page is superpro.com.au/hollow-sway-bars