Sway Bars

[SnoXRacer183]

Anyone have a list of or know of companies that have sway bars available for the 2010 MS3?

[redblur]

I wish Cobb made one. I loved my RSB by Cobb on my Gen 1 Speed3.

[Fratman]

What are you going to do with your ms3 , that you need a SB, road race ,drag ,autox ????

[SnoXRacer183]

Originally Posted by Fratman What are you going to do with your ms3 , that you need a SB, road race ,drag ,autox ????

Road race/High Speed AutoX

[JS + MS3]

Originally Posted by Fratman What are you going to do with your ms3 , that you need a SB, road race ,drag ,autox ????

I'm going to attack every single freeway entrance. LOL

but seriously, I need to get a fat RSB on my car.. I just always do on my previous cars and was VERY satisfied with the result.

[Speed3eak]

I'm interested in this too - have any of you guys compared getting front and rear sway bars with just a RSB? I hear the front is a bitch to install so if the rear one makes a big enough difference I'll leave out the front one.

[JS + MS3]

just get the RSB and call it a day

[nynhex]

The Cobb, Hotchkis, and Progress Rear Sway Bars from the 1st gen fit the 2nd gen. As far as the Front Sway Bar, I have no clue. I'm considering ordering a Cobb or Hotchkis and just giving a shot. The front install is a pain in the ass, but well worth it on any car.

Buy one, try it, if it doesn't fit. Sell it!

[2010Speed3]

How would it even be possible? The TMIC barely leaves any space behind it (FMIC needed?) and I guess you'd have to take the plastic battery cover off...

[Fratman]

I have F+R hotchkiss SB for sale $290 for both there like new

[PiKA West]

Originally Posted by 2010Speed3 How would it even be possible? The TMIC barely leaves any space behind it (FMIC needed?) and I guess you'd have to take the plastic battery cover off...

You are thinking of a Strut Tower Bar (STB). Sway bars are underneath the car and basically connect one wheel to the wheel across it to provide extra stability and are much better than STB's. Very tempted to groan but you are a noob so I will let this one slide.

[2010Speed3]

Oh lol thanks PiKA West...

[nynhex]

Originally Posted by Fratman I have F+R hotchkiss SB for sale $290 for both there like new

Anyone want a rear bar and I'll take the front one? lol Already have a RSB but want to try a FSB on the 2nd gen

[SnoXRacer183]

Originally Posted by nynhex Anyone want a rear bar and I'll take the front one? lol Already have a RSB but want to try a FSB on the 2nd gen

Ha I'll fight you for the FSB! You're not allowed to use your gun...

[nynhex]

Originally Posted by SnoXRacer183 Ha I'll fight you for the FSB! You're not allowed to use your gun...

Bring it...

In all seriousness, if you do end up buying that setup and get the FSB on, let me know how it fits. I've yet to see a 2nd gen with a FSB. I think everyone's afraid to take the plunge. Worst case scenario I may just buy one and be a test case and sell it if it doesn't work out.

[smitty5788]

Originally Posted by nynhex Anyone want a rear bar and I'll take the front one? lol Already have a RSB but want to try a FSB on the 2nd gen

I might be interested in this if he still has them for sale. I couldnt find if he had any pics posted of them but if they are in good shape like he says then im in. PM me if your interested.

[Lex]

do NOT put a FSB on a front drive car unless you want more understeer.

[smitty5788]

Originally Posted by smitty5788 I might be interested in this if he still has them for sale. I couldnt find if he had any pics posted of them but if they are in good shape like he says then im in. PM me if your interested.

I found pictures of them, they look to be in great shape so if you want to do this let me know.

[nynhex]

Originally Posted by Fratman What are you going to do with your ms3 , that you need a SB, road race ,drag ,autox ????

Road/AutoX/drive like an idiot.

And no, there isn't any official list of 2010 compatible bars. I'm running the Progress RSB and I quite like it but I want a FSB to complete the set. The suspension rear is nearly the same as the 1st gen so pretty much any bar that fit 1st gen should fit ours.

Originally Posted by smitty5788 I found pictures of them, they look to be in great shape so if you want to do this let me know.

Yup, I want the front sway bar. I'll PM you and we can talk offline.

Thanks!

[SnoXRacer183]

So is anyone the lucky owner of that FSB?

[nynhex]

Originally Posted by SnoXRacer183 So is anyone the lucky owner of that FSB?

Yes, me. Smitty and I are working out the details with Fratman. He wants the RSB.

[gogogomoveit]

Originally Posted by nynhex Yes, me. Smitty and I are working out the details with Fratman. He wants the RSB.

Dude why do you want a FSB? like Lex is saying FSB increase front roll stiffness and it will make the car push...

[nynhex]

Originally Posted by gogogomoveit Dude why do you want a FSB? like Lex is saying FSB increase front roll stiffness and it will make the car push...

True but if the RSB is larger I'm hoping that it would balance things out. I'm not opposed to front roll stiffness. I've ridden this setup daily on my Z and tC and I enjoyed the way it responded.

Chock it up to my willingness to try anything once.

[SnoXRacer183]

Originally Posted by gogogomoveit Dude why do you want a FSB? like Lex is saying FSB increase front roll stiffness and it will make the car push...

A front swaybar controls the front roll stiffness correct. This becomes very benificial in long sweeping corners. Not every corner is a 90* street corner or tight autocross corner. Body roll is wasted momentum in these situations because you want both tires to stay planted in the corner. A correct combination of front and rear sway bar to decrease body roll and increase stability at higher speeds is worth a slight increased push in a 20mph corner. A front/rear sway bar combination is something you have to play with at each track to find the right balance.

Someone could write pages upon pages of how to setup a sway bar and the benefits of it. There are benefits to it on a road course car. Nice grippy smooth fast track, crank those sway bars up nice and tight. Rough, tight or slippery, sometimes you just want to disconnect them and let that body roll and snap around lol.

The adjustability is the nice part. I like getting sway bars where the soft setting is nearly the same rate as stock. When you add coilovers you its nice to be able to decrease the sway bars because the coilovers start to take over the work of the sway bar when you were on stock shocks.

[JS + MS3]

hmm.. I kinda wanted to put the FSB as well as RSB, but after looking at the installation guide of FSB, no way. I'll be just fine with RSB alone. lol

[nynhex]

Originally Posted by JS + MS3 hmm.. I kinda wanted to put the FSB as well as RSB, but after looking at the installation guide of FSB, no way. I'll be just fine with RSB alone. lol

I'll admit, it's not for the feint of heart. It's a major PIA to install. I did one on a gen1 and it sucked.

[gogogomoveit]

Originally Posted by SnoXRacer183 A front swaybar controls the front roll stiffness correct. This becomes very benificial in long sweeping corners. Not every corner is a 90* street corner or tight autocross corner. Body roll is wasted momentum in these situations because you want both tires to stay planted in the corner. A correct combination of front and rear sway bar to decrease body roll and increase stability at higher speeds is worth a slight increased push in a 20mph corner. A front/rear sway bar combination is something you have to play with at each track to find the right balance. Someone could write pages upon pages of how to setup a sway bar and the benefits of it. There are benefits to it on a road course car. Nice grippy smooth fast track, crank those sway bars up nice and tight. Rough, tight or slippery, sometimes you just want to disconnect them and let that body roll and snap around lol. The adjustability is the nice part. I like getting sway bars where the soft setting is nearly the same rate as stock. When you add coilovers you its nice to be able to decrease the sway bars because the coilovers start to take over the work of the sway bar when you were on stock shocks.

I agree with you . Going FSB while leaving the rear stock would be a strange setup. If you have both FSB and RSB replaced with adjustable unit then you have a whole lot more options to play with.

The only downside to the stiffer sway bar is the suspension will have less freedom of movement against each other. If one side of the car hit a bump, the stiffer sway bar will upset the other side more. Whcih like you said, may not be the best setup if you run canyons a lot. For flat road circuits then it will be great.

[nynhex]

Originally Posted by gogogomoveit I agree with you . Going FSB while leaving the rear stock would be a strange setup. If you have both FSB and RSB replaced with adjustable unit then you have a whole lot more options to play with. The only downside to the stiffer sway bar is the suspension will have less freedom of movement against each other. If one side of the car hit a bump, the stiffer sway bar will upset the other side more. Whcih like you said, may not be the best setup if you run canyons a lot. For flat road circuits then it will be great.

Fuck, make up your mind man! lol

The formula I've followed is bigger bar on the back, smaller on the front, stiff suspension, make sure bars/dampeners are adjustable, and you end up with one insane ride. But again, YMMV.

[gogogomoveit]

Originally Posted by nynhex Fuck, make up your mind man! lol The formula I've followed is bigger bar on the back, smaller on the front, stiff suspension, make sure bars/dampeners are adjustable, and you end up with one insane ride. But again, YMMV.

lol I think you are just going with the FSB only when I read your post. Not a good reader. I am all for front+back or rear adjustable.

[nynhex]

Originally Posted by gogogomoveit lol I think you are just going with the FSB only when I read your post. Not a good reader. I am all for front+back or rear adjustable.

No sir, already running a Progress 32mm RSB looking to add a FSB. Good stuff

[gogogomoveit]

Originally Posted by nynhex No sir, already running a Progress 32mm RSB looking to add a FSB. Good stuff

Way to go man! Good luck installing that biatch!

[buyit]

I've been looking into doing just the rear also, but was unsure if the cobb one from the last gen fits ours. Does anyone have any pics of aftermarket sways from the last gen on ours? It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that if the install is any worse than standard or requires improvisation I won't be able to do it.

[nynhex]

Originally Posted by buyit I've been looking into doing just the rear also, but was unsure if the cobb one from the last gen fits ours. Does anyone have any pics of aftermarket sways from the last gen on ours? It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that if the install is any worse than standard or requires improvisation I won't be able to do it.

The install process is the same. I'm running a Progress RSB, a couple other guys on forums I won't mention are running Cobb and Hotchkis. You should be ok with any of the 3 choices.

[buyit]

Thanks a bunch for the info, l wasn't trying to be rude. I'm just not too handy so I didn't want to bite off more than I can chew. I heard the rear is pretty easy to install so I'm sure I can figure it out. Did it make a pretty big difference you think? The stock setup is pretty good, especially at gripping, but a little less understeer might not hurt.

[nynhex]

Originally Posted by buyit Thanks a bunch for the info, l wasn't trying to be rude. I'm just not too handy so I didn't want to bite off more than I can chew. I heard the rear is pretty easy to install so I'm sure I can figure it out. Did it make a pretty big difference you think? The stock setup is pretty good, especially at gripping, but a little less understeer might not hurt.

No worries, we've all been there. I'm still there. Because the gen2 is so new, we're all experimenting a bit with things. Yes, the RSB made a huge difference when I set it on the stiffest setting. It's a pretty good deal at 185$ shipped. Otherwise, if you're looking to add both front/rear sways grab the Hotchkis kit. I'll have the FSB next week and will take pics of that installation on my gen2. I'm working with Hotchkis right now to confirm fitment on the FSB. Hoping I can get a rear bar out of them for documentation and the trouble.

If not, I may sell my progress bar and go with the Hotchkis RSB just so everything matches.

I'd suggest starting with any of the three bars, set them to "stiffest" and go from there. Your car will get sideways and whip around turns pretty quickly. I love it.

[enginerd]

Does anyone know of a how-to thread detailing a rsb swap? I'm thinking about getting one. I love my suspension the way it is right now and wonder if it would be worth the extra money.

I don't do any autocross or track days so this upgrade may not be worth it. However, I do not like to slow down when it comes to corners. I haven't had any problems yet and the car doesn't seem to have that much understeer until I really start to push the limits. Although, when I'm going around on an on/off ramp at the speed limit I will be merging, I dont think I need to push it any faster on the street.

I wish there was a track close by....

Does anyone know of any autocross events near Moline, IL?

[buyit]

Originally Posted by nynhex Your car will get sideways and whip around turns pretty quickly. I love it.

That's pretty impressive to hear that you can actually get a little oversteer out of this car. Looks like I'll have to grab a rear ASAP. I'll probably go cobb just to try to keep with as many parts from the same make as possible. I'll probably make it a weekend install next month. I alrady have enough stuff to install this easter as is. Just got an email though that the RMM I already paind for is backordered .

[Silver Ecstasy]

So I stumbled upon this thread because I have a Cobb RSB already installed in the "stiff" setting, and a brand new, never-been-installed Cobb FSB in my garage. I've contemplated selling it, but somehow, I feel like it's going to help the car. When I first installed the RSB, I noticed how the rear would stay planted during left to right transition turns, while the front felt mushy and soft. The car felt connected in the rear, but shitty in the front.

But the install, and the wisdom that was shared with me (that the front sway bar end links MUST not be re-used or you'll improperly load the suspension with the FSB), has prevented me from even considering it.

I remember looking at photos of MS3's during hard cornering, and noticed how the rear wheels didn't have any sharp negative/positive angles to it (RSB equipped) yet the fronts were HEAVY positive outside/negative inside angles. That almost contributed to my theory that the front is too damn mushy and flexes too much.

But who am I kidding, I just daily drive this thing..

[Speed3eak]

Originally Posted by Silver Ecstasy But who am I kidding, I just daily drive this thing..

So? I do too and I want to get a RSB, you don't have to go around every corner at full speed to feel the difference. Although, I do go around corners quickly on occasion...

[Silver Ecstasy]

Yeah the RSB feels great, but i'd love to fine-tune the front end, and the FSB is one of the few Cobb units that has 2 adjustments for the FSB (they eventually just went to one setting which is 35% stiffer). I don't know how much stiffer the other setting is. The install is SUCH a pita though.