whiting5
10-18-2011, 02:02 AM
i drive 60 miles to work one way.20 miles of that drive is winding mountain rd.which is pretty fun.what would be the best bang for the buck my box is all stock just looking to stiffen ride up in curves with less body roll.cant really lower it due to my rural driveway...:icon_nono: any help would be great...
Reactor
10-18-2011, 02:37 AM
The rear Progress bar was my first suspension mod. Made a difference for the better even on stock springs. Do it.
itscurtsk
10-18-2011, 04:36 PM
rear sway bar and energy suspension front sway bar endlinks / bushings.
Roller_Toaster
10-18-2011, 04:38 PM
What they said. Adding a rear sway makes a massive difference, especially if you drive backroads often.
evilBOXevil
10-23-2011, 03:01 PM
+4th person on the rear swaybar making the difference. It really does make a difference, and you can feel it as soon as you corner after installing. I went with the progress bar. From looking at quite a few, it really seems to have the most going for it (thicker and stiffer than most), and doesn't cost more.
The poly bushings also help quite a bit. Can make an older vehicle feel nice and tight like when it was new.
Front bar? They look cool, but I dont know if it really does too much for stability. Not knocking them, tho. I have one on mine.
itscurtsk
10-23-2011, 05:08 PM
i got my poly bushings put on after 80k miles haha. the stock ones were just beat up really bad. i got the greedy front strut bar. i'm sure it helps with corner turns but i think i'm just too used to it by now. i really want an underbrace / mid-chassis brace cuz APR is having a sale for the xA but not sure if it would help.
whitej47
11-04-2011, 05:55 PM
Replace the front sway with the hotchkis sway bar as well. The kit comes with poly bushings and both make a huge difference. I have both front Hotchkis and rear progress on my box, I am on air, and my turning is tighter than most stock boxes I have felt.
Sciond
11-04-2011, 06:19 PM
front sway bar has really been shown to have no affect on these cars...
RSB plus end link bushings as stated and go with the Monroe shocks in the rear they are more compliant
whitej47
11-06-2011, 12:42 AM
I think it is best left to those that have done it...which I have. Plus, only replacing the end links is really only solving half of the problem. The rubber mount bushings on the cross member will have the extra flex transferred to them/wear quicker. There is a huge difference once all of the bushing are replaced. Plus there is a great weight loss when converting to the hollow bar hotchkis provides, which will benefit everyone.
Reference: my car
Scion_xB
11-07-2011, 12:14 AM
springs would help too, just be careful which ones you get
blown_xa
12-16-2011, 02:19 AM
I wouldn't recommend upgrading the front sway bar, it will make the car understeer. Sure the handling response is snappier, but it ruins the balance of the car. I actually removed my factory sway bar all together ( have to up front spring rate at same time beware).
Rear sway bar is the way to go. Helps car rotate and turn.
Another thing you can do to improve grip and handling, is a custom alignment. Get some adjustable camber bolts for the front and run more negative camber. Depending on the type of tires you run is how much negative camber would be best suited. Our cars are light enough to where you can run a track alignment, yet have little effect on daily tire wear.
And lastly, tires. Any top rated summer tire will poop on any all season.