i have the Hotchkis sway bars (front and rear) along with the Tein SSP's. the initial problem was that the tC's FRONT stock endlinks were too long. this would cause rubbing issues between the front sway bar and tie rod.

i resolved this problem by getting 02 or 03 Camry front endlinks (i'll have to verify which Camry it was from). these endlinks are the same width as the tC's, but are about an inch or 2 shorter.

i've been running this setup for about 1.5 years and everything has been fine. i have not experienced any rubbing issues and nothing has broken. i check my car weekly at my friends shop since run my car aggressively. at the present moment, i have both bars set at the stiffest settings.


i never knew Hotchkis released anti-slide rings...gotta call them up to replace my originals now.

 

hi, i'm kind of new here (been lurking around and reading for a long time, but finally now registered) and i have a question that i'll ask here rather than start a new thread.

i am getting the trd lowering springs and i want to get the hotchkis sway bars, but i have read many posts about how the front bar moves and falls out of place. however, those posts were from 2005 and 2006. from the looks of what everyone is saying in this thread, it looks as if that issue has been fixed with the bars that hotchkis sells now. is this true? if i buy the hotchkis sway bar set now will i have no problems with the front bar moving?

 

SO, recap of this thread is:

1. The new bars have anti slide rings that have solved the problem of the sway bar moving and causing rubbing issues

2. The sway bars may make some noise and squeak, but that can be solved by greasing the bar (no biggy)

3. DO NOT run with just the Hotchkis rear bar, cause the rear bar is just too stiff without stiffening the front (unless you like to spin out)

4. TRD springs/shocks with the new hotchkis sway bar should have no suspension issues

5. Tein springs require shorter endlinks cause it is very low.

and...

6. Hotchkis sway bars make the tc a handling beast.

 

Pretty much sums it up

 

What about running H&R coilovers... or any coilovers for that matter. Any problems?

 

I'm a noob so bare with me here...

What exactly will stiffening the sway bars do? As in...what performance difference(pros/cons) is there between the softer and stiffer settings?

 

Sways are the main part affecting body roll. As the outer spring compresses in a turn, the sway transfers some of that force to the inside spring, compressing it and keeping the car "more level". A thicker sway will transfer this more and do a better job of leveling the car, with the sacrafice of losing more suspension independence (which can be bad on uneven surfaces). So it is a trade off. Obviously, an off road 4x4 wants VERY soft sways, or none at all to allow maximum independence. On a street car this is not a good idea.

As you stiffen the rear sway in relation to the front (or soften the front), you promote more oversteer. As you stiffen the front in relation to the rear (or soften the rear) you promote more understeer. So different sway setups work to balance out the cars handling. This is why with super stiff rear sways (like the Hotchkis) they sell them in sets. Just using a hotchkis rear can be a bad choice since you can promote way too much oversteer and create a car that will spin easilly. If you go stiffer than the TRD rear then you really should buy a front/rear set so you can balance it out.

 

Sorry, I have another question. So does a front and rear sway bar prevent over steering?

 

Answered in my post above.

 

ok sorry, I read it but I got confused. So what I'm trying to accomplish is getting rid of the oversteer. What adding front and rear sway bars fix that?

 

The tC inherenly understeers (badly like most fwd's) stock. I wouldnt try to do anything to promote more understeer. Do you already have a rear sway or something making it oversteer more easilly?

Some talk about "snap" oversteer on the tC. But that is due to poor driving habits, such as braking or lifting the throttle duringa turn. But the tC in no way tends to oversteer stock. With the trd rear sway on track setting, I can almost get it to rotate at will on the track, but I am getting ready to add negative camber and positive toe up front to ADD oversteer to it. One reason FWD cars are in no way sports cars is due to this handling issue.

If you really want more understeer, then you just need a stiffer front sway. But you will have one pushing monster when you are done and will handle worse.

 

no, I dont have sway bars yet. So the sway bars would make it over steer mor quickly them. so should I get both front and back? sorry for thread jacking. I want more control over the car. Also what brand should I go with.

 

No need to thread jack, just do a search. The info is out there and easy to find

 

Thats how I found this thread. I will try searching again.

 

 

Cool thanks for clearing that up.

Now, I'm not sure if I've experienced oversteer or understeer. I assume understeer is when the car doesn't turn enough and oversteer is when it turns too much.

I don't race or anything...but I do enjoy taking some turns at high speed...Obviously too much understeer or oversteer is bad...what's a good setting for someone looking for better handling but isn't going to be doing any racing?

 

just get the trd rear sway bar, it should be good enough for normal driving. The hotchkis set is kind of overkill, but if you have the money, go for it.

 

Oversteer is when the car rotates (rear end swings out) and understeer, or "push" is when you turn the wheels.. yet still go straight The latter is inherent in most fwd cars stock.

For what you want, I would say trd springs and rear sway, with the sway on track setting. Perfect setup for daily driver with a big improvement in handling.

 

Over steer is wayy better though cause u dont see ur self crashing into a ojbect while understeer all u can do is curse and shate ur pants as u hit something

 

ok got the oversteer/understeer issue done.

Those with the hotchkis, does your ride feel significantly rougher than before you put the sways on? Since the sways increase spring rate and decrease suspension independency, does it feel comfortable?