Sway bars a must?

[comet_666]

Hopefully I will have my car on the road this spring and I was thinking about how it drove before. It handled like crap on a worn out stock suspension. It does not have sway bars on it but it does have Bilstein shocks now. Question is are sway bars a must have on these?

[myk]

You might as well, you've gone this far.  Besides, in my own experience these fat Hotchkis sway bars keep this car flatter than I ever thought it could handle.  Even if you don't go with Hotchkis, you have to figure the factory put a bar on these cars so you might as well also...

[Troy]

You mean new (bigger?) sway bars or no sway bars? The front sway bar was factory installed and you DO NOT want to go without one. The factory suspension was fine for the tiny factory wheels/tires but, these days, most people are running larger, heavier rolling stock which will tend to overload the stock suspension. Shocks are important because they dampen the movement. And considering a lot of shocks deteriorate after 20-30k miles it's a good bet that you needed them any way. Larger torsion bars and springs may be necessary to handle the additional "unprung" weight and also the additional grip of the tires. The sway bars come into play when cornering (of course!) and more traction will definitely expose any weaknesses. But, the springs and sway bars work in tandem so going with larger springs may not actually require a larger (or much larger) sway bar. I don't think I know of anyone who has regretted going with a larger than stock sway bar. A rear sway bar can be installed but may not even make much difference unless you're reasonably far from stock.

Troy

[comet_666]

Interesting. I drove it without a front or rear swaybar for years, they were MIA when I bought the car. It did handle like crap but I assumed they all did. I think your right, even though I upgraded shocks, added tubular lower rad support, frame ties, inner fender supports and torque boxes, this may be the time to add something.

[garner7555]

At least put one one the front.     You can easily get by without one on the rear (I bought front and rear for mine) but the front is really necessary to feel good and confident in a curve.   

[JR]

Unless you live in texas, drive very slowly, and never turn over 30 mph, they are absolutely necessary.

Heres a good, short explination on how exacty they work:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question432.htm

I had the factory front sway bar already on my 70, and so far the helwig 7/8 rear sway bar has been the single best handling upgrade ive made so far. What a difference.

That said, NEVER drive with just a rear sway bar only. Either do front only, or ideally, front and rear.

[charger1972]

I was told to loosen or disconnect the front sway links at the drag strip to allow for suspension travel . Drove the car to work one day without them hooked up , and noticed no difference . Maybe it`s because of the way I drive ? Not trying to start an argument just saying what works for me and my car .

[comet_666]

I'm sure this has been posted before ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCpjrcaHG6E

[1974dodgecharger]

I drove my without sway bars for 6 months...lets just say its scary driving down the highway with manual steering.....then installed the hothckis finally and what a world of difference in handling.....you will notice it right away the steering, handling, etc...

[Sublime/Sixpack]

Front and rear anti-sway bars can make a huge difference in how these cars handle the corners. Just make sure you do your homework so you come up with the right combination.

[Lord Warlock]

After shearing off a sway bar mount in an unplanned leap over a curb at 40mph, I drove without a sway bar attached on one side and the car drove like crap compared to the stock RT suspension with a sway bar attached on both sides.  Drove it like that for several months until I could find a replacement from a salvage yard. 

[JR]

I was told to loosen or disconnect the front sway links at the drag strip to allow for suspension travel . Drove the car to work one day without them hooked up , and noticed no difference . Maybe it`s because of the way I drive ? Not trying to start an argument just saying what works for me and my car .

No offense taken, but I assure you, if you ever have to pull an emergency evasive maneuver on the street, you will definitely notice the effects of not having one.

[1974dodgecharger]

I was told to loosen or disconnect the front sway links at the drag strip to allow for suspension travel . Drove the car to work one day without them hooked up , and noticed no difference . Maybe it`s because of the way I drive ? Not trying to start an argument just saying what works for me and my car .

No offense taken, but I assure you, if you ever have to pull an emergency evasive maneuver on the street, you will definitely notice the effects of not having one.

If he was also driving only 30mph you wont feel it....people do that at the track to remove it for weight savings Iam told, but don't turn the steering wheel every so slightly or you will crash I heard that rumor too....just hold it straight and if your rear end goes sideways still keep it straight if you try to correct it nothing will work...just rumor.....

[comet_666]

I have the stock lower control arms (I think) Without looking at them right now, do these have the correct provisions for the sway bar there already?

[Dino]

Yes, all you need to do is get the bar in the size you like and it'll come with everything you need to bolt it to the LCAs and K member..  I have a 1-1/8" bar up front and it drives great!  I still have the rear bar in the box, not sure if I even need it.  The car always felt very solid and I tend to push the beast around corners a lot.  Driving without a front bar would be a form of attempted suicide!   

[HPP]

I was told to loosen or disconnect the front sway links at the drag strip to allow for suspension travel . Drove the car to work one day without them hooked up , and noticed no difference . Maybe it`s because of the way I drive ? Not trying to start an argument just saying what works for me and my car .

It could be as well as any number of other factors such as ride height, weight distribution, alignment, etc. I have had cars without sway bars that were like riding a tuna boat in a storm and I've others that were not bad at all in comparison. However, they all tend to improve with the addition of a front bar.

[charger1972]

I was told to loosen or disconnect the front sway links at the drag strip to allow for suspension travel . Drove the car to work one day without them hooked up , and noticed no difference . Maybe it`s because of the way I drive ? Not trying to start an argument just saying what works for me and my car .

It could be as well as any number of other factors such as ride height, weight distribution, alignment, etc. I have had cars without sway bars that were like riding a tuna boat in a storm and I've others that were not bad at all in comparison. However, they all tend to improve with the addition of a front bar.

I dove it with no sway bar half the summer and didn't notice a difference .

[comet_666]

Well I am no fan of committing suicide.

Hellwig? Hotchkis? PST?

[Dino]

They're all good.  I have an old Addco on mine which is more than plenty for spirited driving.  If you're turning it into a race car then you may want to step up to something better but if you just cruise around then any bar works fine.  1-1/8" seems to be a good fit.

[Mike DC]

 

I dove it with no sway bar half the summer and didn't notice a difference .

You can go get a hamburger without incident.  But I found the difference pretty obvious on a fast windy road. 

[myk]

Hotchkis bar kit, although it is expensive...

[Ryan.C]

I'm sure this has been posted before ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCpjrcaHG6E

Thanks for posting that video 

[charger1972]

I dove it with no sway bar half the summer and didn't notice a difference .

You can go get a hamburger without incident.  But I found the difference pretty obvious on a fast windy road. 

That`s true , my car has drag radials and drag shocks and a big block stroker .... More of a straight line kinda car . I drove it to work twice a week last summer with no incidents .

[c00nhunterjoe]

Are bars important? Yes, but i will say this, i went from 245s up front on a bone stock chasiss to a 205 up front with no sway bar and added frame connectors and the car handles better on the skinnies without a bar and added frame ties then it did on wide tires and a sway bar with no frame ties. So dont think that sway bars are everything. They are just a piece of the puzzle if you are looking for a windy road car.

[JR]

Here's another good article showing a before/after on a 65 Plymouth. Goes from no sway bars, to front/rear bars.

http://www.streetlegaltv.com/tech-stories/brakes-suspension/tech-install-hellwig-sway-bars-on-a-classic-musclecar/

Again, unless you're pulling a Vin Diesel and living your life 1/4 mile at a time, I don't see any good reason to go without one.