Celica Forums General Discussion Exterior which sway bars?

the only companies that make the sways that i know of are hotchkis, and TRD. which is better (trd vs hotchkis street sways, (not the compsways))

and also...u guys know that like 6inch thing that connects the sway bar to where the wheel and brakes are all mounted? when you get new sways wont that 6inch metal thing be the weekpoint in the suspention? can you replace this thing? do you guys know what im talkin about

stiffer? hotchkis...i just like trd so the dealer won't give me a hard time when i take her in.

but i think most auto-xers with celis prefer hotchkis..even the street sways compared to trd.

Suspension Techniques makes a rear bar I think - i have Hotchkiss and they are great!
RAW

TRD is alright, but very conservative. Even the street Hotchkis bars are a good deal stiffer over stock. The specs I found for the TRD are +25% F/+58% R. The street Hotchkis bars are +43%/+70% F/+88% R. Those metal things are the sway bar endlinks. And no, most sway bars won't come with new endlinks. Be careful with your stock ones not to strip it out. Years of weather, especially the north with salted winter roads, may make them difficult to remove. You can get new stock ones or adjustable ones from Hypermotive and Hotchkis.

TRD has two settings for the rear, you forgot 68%.

I've read stories where the Hotchkis rear sway bar just breaks in half w/o any warning. So that's why I went with TRD.

really? i've never heard anything like that about the hotchkis sways... i was planning on getting the hotchkis competition sways this summer...

ive never herd about that happening either

yeah. it happened to a guy at new celica. but those cases are so rare you have a better chance of hitting lightning.

If you want the stiffest go with hotchkis. If you want a more agressive more stock like feel, go with TRD. They are around the same price.

Alright, I thought the TRD was adjustable, I just couldn't find the specs. I heard the stories about the Hotchkis bars breaking too. But the chances of it happening are so slim that it shouldn't stop you from getting them. I believe I heard about defects that have been taken care of so it shouldn't happen again. If it does, they've taken care of the other people that had it happen.

Hotchkis street anti-roll bars are the best bet. Much better than TRD. I would love to get my hands on those and still debating. Probably one of, if not the best suspension upgrades you can add to any car. Just swapping out the bushings would have a dramatic effect. I couldn't imagine how the new bars would feel, in either case. I have contacted Hotchkis about the comp. sways. before and they are only to be used on a track with racing tires. They don't suggest it for street driving, but will sell it to you. Call them up and ask. Way too aggressive. Which means, hit a pot hole over and over with those on regular tires, on regular paved streets, and somethings going to give or the handling will be on and off until something breaks. Probably the anti-roll bars and maybe other things, because I've heard about those comp. bars breaking also. That's of course if you drive like you were born to. Not someone just for show who says "I have Hotchkis competition sway bars on my Celica."

well the suspension techniques rear bar is the same stiffness as hotchkis comp rear bar.

most autoxers will use the st rear bar not the hotchkis set.
simply cause the rear only willmake your car oversteer and rotate faster. thats the setup i have and love it.

That's the problem here, not many people here do that on a normal occasion, are willing to, or know anything if they do it, or are willing to share their experiences. And it goes far beyond the bars alone. I agree with the stiffer rear bar alone, but with normal street driving/ocassional spirited driving the full set is the way. That is the way people should go here.

i agree one hundred percent with yoru statement^^

but i got my set up cause i tend to get on teh gas a little early and hard when driving hard and i push thourhg the turn.

my setup is perfect for me comepletely nuetral, wiht a hint of oversteer if i lif tof the gas in teh turn

hotchkis!

teh only thing i don't like about hotchkis bars are they are hollow and not as stiff as solid for the size.

the suspensions techniques rear sway bar is thikcer than stock but solid like the stock one but as stiff as the hotchkis rear bar.