solspin

Has anyone installed a new sway bar on the front of their XA? I saw plenty of posts of people installing the rear which is a no-brainer, but what about the front? The sway bar, like the Hotchkis, looks so deformed and wacky that it doesn't seem like it will just "slip in" and bolt on? Does the front end need to be completely disassembled just to get it in?

Tamago

the front is a pain in the ___. i suggest having a friend help.. i dropped the engine/cradle on my chest as well as pulling the steering column out of the wheel.. sucked *****. i know how to do it now without screwign up tho lol.

BeQuietAndDrive

I don't want to sound like a negative person, but why exactly do you want a front sway? You will most likely induce more understeer, something that you don't really want.

solspin

After reading the posts on this website about the stock sway bar being sufficient, I just decided to stick with the stock front and get a Progress rear sway bar. Looks like the front is too much work for little gain. Thanks for the responses!

2004_TCM_xB

the hotckis sway bars are great man awesome but i had to pay someone for some reason i just for the love of god get the cradle down!

Tamago

i actually recommend the front swaybar.. understeer or not, it definitely helps the car's handling.. you can get rid of understeer other ways.. run hotchkis front, progress rear, and about 1degree of negative camber up front, and you can induce lift-oversteer easily.. i do it daily..

BlueBubble666

From what i've been reading, i've decided to just pay for the install. I think it would be way easier in the long run. and it would save the aching.

gnar-de-gwar

"i actually recommend the front swaybar.. understeer or not, it definitely helps the car's handling.. you can get rid of understeer other ways.. run hotchkis front, progress rear, and about 1degree of negative camber up front, and you can induce lift-oversteer easily.. i do it daily.."

really? what are the benefits of adding the front sway bar? the only thing I know about the front sway is that it "puts more" understeer?

Tamago

the benefit of adding a front swaybar is having a stiffer suspension all around. better steering response, less bodyroll (which, when transitioning from a left to right turn is very crucial.. that weight transfer can be a real _____) i do not recommend the hotchkis rear bar with hotchkis front bar however. . progress bar is the way to go in the rear.

and when it comes down to it, you'll NEVER rid the car of understeer, no matter what you do. .. well.. shy of 60-treadwear R-compound Hoosiers in the front with 3degrees of neg camber and regular tires out back.. been there, done that, and it's fun. not very streetable, but extremely fun.

BlueBubble666

I got my rear bar on yesterday, I think i'm going to attempt the front today. Wish me luck.

solspin

When a rear sway bar is added to the Xa (which does not have one stock) a stronger sway bar would need to be installed in the front to maintain the same front / rear balance.

Won't adding a rear bar without increasing the front actually cause it to understeer more because the front is now working less than the rear? Or is it the otherway around?

So maybe the car manufacturers designed the car to understeer because (I would imagine) that an oversteer would make the car twitchy and prone to spinning out?

Still confused...

Tamago

stiffer in rear makes oversteer

Guest

shoot, I love my front swaybar, this isn't a race car thats gonna make oversteer really count on getting on the freeway. Besides I love how my tires are lasting longer because the sway bars are making them level out more on turns. I highly recomend having a shop install your swaybar, this is not something you want to try in your driveway. The front swaybar takes some time to install and you need to support the motor in order to drop the subframe.

squirrel

^^^That's what I recommend too.

But I have 2 degrees neg up front and 3 degrees neg in back on my xB. It'll be the same on my xA when I get it.

The cars come w/ inherent understeer from the factory. By adding the Progress rear bar it greatly reduces understeer. As Tamago states, you can not reduce all of the understeer, but there are certain driving techniques that can produce more oversteer.

By adding more front bar stiffness, the tires will not maintain the contact patch that is desired for grip. You want more grip of front as the tires are what is pulling the car thru the turn. The rear can be as stiff as you want as they are along for the ride.

Remember the pics of a GTi or Golf coming around the turn 2 at Sears Point, the inner rear tire is coming off of the ground. A bit more than what you need for the street, but it just illustrates the point I'm trying to come across.

If the front is too stiff, then the tires will not maintain their contact as they are fighting the forces against them.

On a FWD car, you do not want the front tires straight up and down going thru a corner as you are not maximizing tire contact and grip.

Guest

I use my car as a daily driver and still love the way it feels. :D

Tamago

squirrel what camber plates do you have? $$? any problems with toe-in?