I was talking to a parts dealer at Toyota on sway bars for my tC. TRD has only the rear available thus far, but I'd ultimately like to have a set.

Being one of the vendors my company works with, she's able to give me a great price on the rear bar - I'd hate to turn it down.

My main question is: would it matter what brand of front bar I have installed with the TRD rear? (or is the completionist inside me just making stuff up?)

Also, if anyone has any information of when/if Toyota will be releasing a front bar. (I forgot to ask her )

P.S. I did utilize the search bar, but I couldn't find anything that satisfied me. So if there's something relating to this already out there, let me know.

 

i think the only "set" is hotchkis every other bar is just rear.
and your not supposed to mix and match. the hotchkis rear is 270% stiffer than stock and the front is 125% stiffer. the trd is probly as stiff as the front hotchkis sway :D
only down side i didnt like my about my set is the stupid squeaks the front bar gives and the super inconvenient grease fittings they have.

 

I thought about the Hotchkins set at first, but I'm able to get TRD's rear bar for cheap-as-free compared to the Hotchkins. I'd feel a bit silly not to take it. But I'm wondering if I should just suck it up and get the Hotchkins.

I love to try to rip my car around corners. I certainly have more enjoyment out of that than straight-line speed. So i'd like to get it as stiff as possible - aside from lowering/coilovers/expensive bits.

 

I have the hotchkis rear sway it has 3 position for it to adjust and its 27mm thick!!

 

Any bad squeaks/squeals/pops from the Hotchkins?
I'm a bit afraid of it sounding like some kid driving down the road who bolted on some pipes he found at Home Depot...

 

my front squeaks in the winter with the stupid urethane mounts.
other than that its good! and rides like its on rails! i love corners!!!

 

just get hotchkis, if installed right, they're completely silent. but all you really need is a TRD rear sway, or the progress.

 

Forgot this little detail: I've got a GReddy front tower bar coming in next week. Would buying a front sway really be worth it after that?

 

If your looking to totally stiffen your car and irradicate all bodyroll then yes but if you just want to clean up the way the car responds in turns the rear is all you need.

Also installing the front sounds easy but the process is a pain in the backside.

 

i went from trd rear sway bar, with dc strut tower brace, and a month later went to hotchis front and rear sway bars. i felt a huge different with the front sway bar because the whole car just feels super stiff and rigid. gave me a huge boost on the confidence of the handling on the car.

 

I'll be installing the rear myself but I really don't feel like fiddling with the front I'll pay labor on that before I trust myself to do it.

Ive decided I'll buy the Hotchkis rear and put it on then save up a bit for buying the front. I really do want to pretty much eliminate body roll, so I suppose I'll take it one step at a time.

Thanks for all the advice and input!

 

You are doing the right thing by going with the Hotchkis set... I have had mine over 2 years and the car loves the curvy German roads. If you have some basic mechanical knowledge you can install the front yourself. The maintenance manual on here has all of your torque values you need.

 

Doesn't Eibach make a front and rear set?

 

-I've got Hotchkis and I love my car that much more. well worth it.

 

I love my Hotchkis bars car feels like it's on rails.

 

I haven't heard any news of toyota releasing a front sway bar and i highly doubt they will. By trial and error, I discovered that when ONLY the rear sway bars are upgraded, the TC's handling is improved thus getting rid of that nasty under-steer. So, 'm guessing thats the reason why Toyota left the front sway bars stock...

Its all about what you desire. I did a lot of research before I bought a set of Suspension Techniques' sway bars. Some sway bars are hollow which doesn't fly with me considering the tensile strength and the amount of stress placed on the sway bars. You may want to consider thickness, settings/adjustable, brand names vs no-brand, corrosion resistance, etc. ST's sway bars are reasonably thick and made of solid steel. They have two rear settings on the rear and only one for the front. Purchasing adjustable endlinks will give you and advantage as well. You can purchase ST's sway bars in a set or individually.

 

here ya go...

 

^ I agree with both of these peeps. I installed my Hotchkis rear sway yesterday in a couple hours and it feels wayyy better. Way less understeer. Less body roll. Just feels like your wheels will never leave the ground. Will definitely be having fun with this more often while being safe of course