TRD Rear Sway Bar any good?
 

Is the TRD Rear Sway Bar worth getting? Or should I put a little more money in and get the hotchkis sway bars?

well.. i have the trd rear sway bar.. and i like it... it is not too stiff... im running it on the track setting...

realize that the trd settings are

street= 30% stiffer than stock...
track= 60% stiffer than stock..

the hotchkis has three settings.. the lowest is something like 200%+ stiffer... "personally"!! if your not going to track the car.. i think the trd should be fine..... and still give you a satisfactory ride on the street......

how thick is the TRD bar? looks kinda puny to me (I have one).

i want to know too. i will not be taking mine to the track, maybe i should get the trd one. but i read many good things about the hotchkis

TRD is 22mm.

I'd go TRD on the race setting unless you're going to be at the track a lot. I've heard that the Hotchkis makes the rear very "twitchy" as in it swings out easily..... not good for a daily driver taking off-ramps on a rainy day.

ya... the hotchkis are like $100 more. If the hotchkis are way better, I would buy the hotchkis, but if its almost the same, I would go with the TRD one.

hmmm I guess it sounds like, I should go with the TRD one. Should I get the lowering springs too? Theres a package deal... both for about $255

I have the TRD shocks and springs on my car. The drop looks very good. I would definately reccomend the springs. They DO work with the stock shocks so you dont have to buy the TRD shocks.

Alrite thanks for all your inputs.
Is it hard to install springs? Because I have a feeling I can do this myself and save money.

I love my TRD springs. Not too agressive of a drop, look good, handle good and still keep a lot of the ride. For street driving with a little fun cornering here and there they are great. I have a couple of places I can push it through sharp corners safely (nice, 90 degree curves in an industrial area with no traffic, smooth pavement, good visibility and nothing but grass to hit if you mess up, so no-one go flaming) at 65mph before begining a controllable skid. It does great and is much improved over stock.

I will go with the TRD rear sway next. I dont need the extra setting that is available with the hotchkis.

way better in what respect..? if you asking if it alot stiffer and keeps the car flatter... i would say yes.. being that the trd max setting is 60%+ stiffer and the hotchkis lowest setting is 200%+ stiffer than stock.. the hotchkis bar settings are i think like 200%+.. 400%+ and 600%+stiffer.. so yes.. it will keep the car alot flatter.. but it will also radically change the handling dynamics of the car.. making the rear stiffer tends to reduce understeer.. make it TOO stiff will then produce oversteer.. the trick to to find a good medium, and i think the trd combo gives that.. at the end it is up to you and your driving habits as to what you are looking for..

i would say yes..!! i have both the trd springs and rear bar.. and they make a nice combo.. im also on stock struts and no problem so far.. the way i have it setup it actually keeps a decent ride but handles 100% better... aswell as if your going to change the rear sway bar... it is easier to do it when you are doing the springs too and have them off...

Another very satisfied user of the TRD package: shocks, springs, sway. As my race car driving brother commented after riding in it in stock configuration, and then with the TRD bits installed, "It should have come this way from the factory. It's perfect"

The Hotchkis would benefit more from an aggressive damper/spring setup, like Tein SS-P or the equivalent. I wasn't looking to spend $1500 on suspension (again), or have to deal with the tuning issues (again), so the TRD setup was the perfect choice.

Everything is matched together, install is fairly easy and straightforward, and the price is great (or was, I should say-- I got my whole setup for $595 back in March).

changing the front bar is quite a task, just realize that if you do the hotchkis. not impossible for the DIYer, but a LOT more involved than the rear bar.

im happy with my trd duo

I recently installed the TRD rear sway bar . I will say it does make an improvement into the handling of the tC in cornering . I am not sayin by any means it handles on rails with just the rear bar , but it does reduce the body roll in the rear to the point that its noticable . As for previous comments about adding the bar to lowering springs , I believe you will notice maximum effect when used in combination . I cant really complain about the bar since Scion paid 100 bucks of it , and I just paid the difference . :P

thanks for all your inputs.]
I will order the TRD springs and sway bar now. They're only $254 for both.

Do u all use Street Setting or Race Setting?

<Race setting> Here , in all honesty . I really dont think you would feel any difference with the TRD set at >STREET MODE< . So I just installed it and put it at race .

yeah, its great and set it to track.