kawboy613

Short intro: i'm car ignorant.... I've rode sportbikes on twisty backroads, canyons and mountains for a bit over 12 yrs, from Southern Cali to N.C. and currently in the Mid-West near St. Louis Mo. I LOVE draggin' a knee and late braking into corners hot, on a bike. Also had several track day events and a 1/2 season of amature racing, about 8 yrs ago, for riding experience...

My recently purchased 2009 Scion tc is my first 4 wheeled vehicle that's either not a truck or a 4 door family sedan. I'm 34 yrs old, so not going out to kill myself, but want to drive some of the same roads that i used to on the bikes before having 4 kids...

So the question i'm looking to get answers for, is not to be a smart ___, but to be smart and safety conscious.

By reading these threads and looking under my car, i've found out that it already has TRD springs, but nothing else that i can see thus far. I was considering purchasing the TRD rear sway bar to add, but i've read of some upsetting of the rear, typically during release of throttle, or braking in a corner.

I'm basically wanting an idea of how bad this is, or if this is even truth?
coming from sportbikes, i'm usually plenty comfortable with my driving technique and ability to down throttle, brake, and even down shift, mid-corner, and at speed. But again, i'm car ignorant and trying to be safe about it.

Yrs ago, when an old friend was teaching me how to ride a motorcycle, he told me to NEVER brake mid-corner unless an emergency, and you stand the bike up straight first, then brake... shortly after learning how to ride, i picked up on it quickly, and learned that he was wrong, and that you can still brake, and even down shift mid-corner, even to the point of lean angle that my knee is dragging the pavement. But not every rider can safely do this, it takes skill and practice.

Again, i'm not looking to be an idiot and do crazy speeds or back road racing, but i do want to drive "spirited" and have some fun, safely.
I already drive spiritedly enough, i'm just tired of feeling like the car is going to toss me over into the passenger seat or out the driver window from the body roll. That's an exageration ofcourse, as it's not as bad as my last car --> bone stock 1995 Honda Accord LX

So can anyone help me in describing the negative effects of a stiffer rear sway bar being installed? I want to gain traction, not loose it and end up in a ditch or against a tree...


Thanks, Tim

Please no flaming the "new guy", i'm asking a serious question and trying to be reasonable about it and admitting my ignorance and "new guy" status to 4 wheeled fun.

kawboy613

wow, 37 views and no responses yet....

did i ask a bad question or come off in a rude way?

sorry if i did, not meaning anything negative, just trying to learn before i DO and make a mistake.

draxcaliber

Lift throttle over steer isn't that big of a problem, even with a stiffer rear sway bar. All that happens with lift throttle over steer is that when you're going fast into a corner and lift on the throttle and begin engine braking, the front end gets loaded up with all the weight transfer making the rear-end very light and easier to rotate. This isn't something to be scared of because it is very hard to make a tC have an episode of snap over steer. The only time I've experienced it was driving on very slick surfaces in wet/cold conditions.

You'd probably be best off with a progress rear-sway bar. TRD is okay, but too mild for the money.

kawboy613

Thanks for the response and easily understanble explanation.

Well ok then, sounds very similar to the characteristics of motorcycle cornering, well, kinda... 4 wheels now ofcourse instead of 2. I used to trailbrake and get a very slight drift in the rear on the bikes but that's rear wheel and chain driven and now i'm into a whole new ballgame with front wheel drive and 4 wheels.

I looked up the Progress bar as you suggested and they come with adjustable end links, are these adjustable for any specific purpose, or just to make 'em fit with a wide range of vehicles, ie: can you adjust them too short or too long? Or is it a fairly simple install? The bar itself, no biggie obviously.

Assuming the wife lets me spend the money... I'm guessing the best way to try 1 out is start on the soft setting and work my way up, or start at middle of 3?

AhmedsTC

I think you would really like a rear sway bar. I plan on putting one in my 05 Tc very soon. I came from driving nothing but rear wheel drive cars and love drive in the curves. The only thing I ever notice is understeer and that can be averted by lifting of the gas. Also, if you want a little more hold in the corners, go get an alignment and set your "rear toe" a little out. Hope that helps/.

draxcaliber

The rear sway bar is adjustable so you can decide how much more aggressive you want the car to handle. The outside holes (ones closed to the ends of the bars) are the softest settings closed to stop as possible, and the inside most holes are the stiffest settings for maximum handling.