Do I need bigger Sway Bars?

[firefighter7128]

So i have my 17" Twists now and am noticing that if there is a crack in the road or really anything, im a magnet for it. Will a Sway Bar upgrade fix that? What is stock on a 1988 and what should i go to if this is a good correction. Tires are near new. Alighmnment is fine.

[flash968]

sway bars won't do anything for chasing cracks in eh road, or handling bumps - they only to reduce body roll in corners - any resultant change in perceived stiffness is purely due to the spring rate of the bar, and only comes into play if a bump is only on one wheel

you now have a wheel and tire combination that is a lot heavier, and probably a lot wider - tired bushings will show up, and your alignment geometry may no longer be correct for that setup - what works for a stock tire size does not work for larger and heavier stuff - you will probably have to change caster, camber and toe settings on the front, and toe settings on the rear

you will also feel a lot more of the road if your tire's aspect ratio decreased - shorter sidewall tires have less flex, and consequently respond to things more

inflation is also a component here - too much pressure and it will bounce and wiggle - too little and it will wallow

[firefighter7128]

well that sums it up. not too sure what is involved in the caber, caster, toe job. Good info. I thank you for it.

[flash968]

no worries - happy to help

any good alignment shop can handle getting the right settings - be wary though of budget ones that don't want to mess with caster, and generally just want to do a toe set - caster is what makes the car go straight

a quick test of whether or not it is a good shop is to ask them if they have the eccentric tool - if they don't, run away

[firefighter7128]

lol. will do. Im a Radio DJ and have a few trade contacts here locally for tires, oil, tune up but need to ask around about that. thanks again

[Rasta Monsta]

Strongly recommend refreshing your front control arm bushings with poly. A bit of a PITA, but worth it if you want your car to drive like a Porsche.

[firefighter7128]

Originally Posted by Rasta Monsta

Strongly recommend refreshing your front control arm bushings with poly. A bit of a PITA, but worth it if you want your car to drive like a Porsche.

ya mon. my front end guy just told me the same thing. thanks for that input as well.

[m73m95]

Who sells the poly bushing kits for our cars?

[flash968]

if you go polyurethane, be sure they are grease-able - otherwise they are very prone to making noise - i prefer sealed monoball