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Rear Swaybar Upgrade and other General Suspension

Silntalrm

New CEG'er
Joined
Sep 24, 2014
Messages
27
I'm looking into some suspension upgrades for my 98 contour svt. First of all, is the 21mm sway bar from CTA motorsports the only option currently? I will probably wait until I do springs/struts to do the swaybar but I would like to prepare since I need new rear links and bushings. Also, what shocks besides Koni would go well with the Ground Control kit?
Thanks,

Ryan
 
you can get a roush, bat, or addco rear sway bar

konis have been discontinued so your left with spax struts, or a ksport strut/spring combo
 
you can get a roush, bat, or addco rear sway bar

konis have been discontinued so your left with spax struts, or a ksport strut/spring combo
Not necessarily. I just got a whole set of Koni's. Had to do a •••• ton of research and calling around but I didn't see a comparison to anything else. Don't have a track car but maybe in the future. Bilsteins were too harsh.
 
I havent been able find any of the other sway bar options besides BAT. As for shocks, i really would like to do ground control with Konis. Detroit, where were you able to acquire the Konis?
 
a roush bar you are only going to find on neco or here. there is only one or 2 people that have the adco bar, and im not sure where they got them
 
Don't forget there is also the "Aussie" bar. 25mm hollow, but those are like unicorns :laugh: ;).
 
Don't forget there is also the "Aussie" bar. 25mm hollow, but those are like unicorns :laugh: ;).

Don't forget there is also the "Aussie" bar. 21mm hollow, if i'm not mistaken .

Also don't forget that if you are going to increase the size of the rear sway bar .... you must beef up the mounts on the rear subframe. ...G.
 
the aussie is 24mm hollow bar. it does wonders to a car :D the roush and bat bars are 21mm solid.
 
the aussie is 24mm hollow bar. it does wonders to a car

so it is ..thanks, glad someone is paying attention.

If i were starting over; i would first swap out sway bars, bushes and links and install strut braces, before even thinking about lowering and uprating the springs and dampers. These mods make such a big improvement that for road use, it may be all you really need in a DD .....G.
 
so it is ..thanks, glad someone is paying attention.

If i were starting over; i would first swap out sway bars, bushes and links and install strut braces, before even thinking about lowering and uprating the springs and dampers. These mods make such a big improvement that for road use, it may be all you really need in a DD .....G.

Well said!!
For a DD, the biggest bang for the buck, after bringing your ride back to OEM spec, is gained in the area of the rear sway bar (changes), for sure. Do understand the principles surrounding understeer/oversteer before laying out $$$ on any suspension mods. I point this out, as a negative handling characteristic (undesirable understeer/oversteer characteristics) may become apparent when one increases rear sway bar diameter while ignoring/not understanding front sway bar changes on handling.
Some negatives that may arise from increasing rear sway bar diameter can be simply "dialed out" or minimized by increasing tire pressures on the front tires!!
 
All great info guys. Im coming from a mazda6 that had an upgraded 24mm progress rear sway bar and loved the slight oversteer. The car was lowered 1.5in but the sway bar provided the most noticeable performance improvement. The Contour in stock form definitely exhibits understeer and body roll. This is also a result of being on completely OEM suspension at 123k. Who do I go through to acquire the aussie bar?
 
All great info guys. Im coming from a mazda6 that had an upgraded 24mm progress rear sway bar and loved the slight oversteer. The car was lowered 1.5in but the sway bar provided the most noticeable performance improvement. The Contour in stock form definitely exhibits understeer and body roll. This is also a result of being on completely OEM suspension at 123k. Who do I go through to acquire the aussie bar?

I am not sure who has an "Aussie Bar" for sale at this time. Usually show up in the classifieds in both CEG and FCO sites. btw - regarding understeer/oversteer - see this link: http://www.k-mac.com/pages/tuning/tuninghints.htm
 
they rarely pop up. i lucked out and jumped on it as soon as i saw it
That's exactly how I got my Aussie bar.
I'd say get the ADDCO bar if you want the biggest AND easiest to attain.
That ADDCO can be had from Amazon or Summit and possibly other places.
 
Well said!!
For a DD, the biggest bang for the buck, after bringing your ride back to OEM spec, is gained in the area of the rear sway bar (changes), for sure. Do understand the principles surrounding understeer/oversteer before laying out $$$ on any suspension mods. I point this out, as a negative handling characteristic (undesirable understeer/oversteer characteristics) may become apparent when one increases rear sway bar diameter while ignoring/not understanding front sway bar changes on handling.
Some negatives that may arise from increasing rear sway bar diameter can be simply "dialed out" or minimized by increasing tire pressures on the front tires!!

I had an 03 Hyundai Elantra GT that was fairly decent handling wise, but a lot of owners upgraded the rear sway bar to it, which made the car handle much better. Fortunately, the Tiburon GT uses the same chassis as the XD (Elantra) and with the 19.2mm sway bar, that is OEM, the change was easy to accomplish. The chassis is stiff enough on the car that it could easily go on 3 wheels in sharp turns.


For the Contour, I suggest having a shop custom fabricate a rear subframe out of tubular steel. I would not be comfortable with modifying the stamped steel subframe because that would not be strong enough.
 
most people that upgrade the rear sway bar box in the stock rear subframe. when done correctly it is extremely sturdy. i beat on my car more than anyone, and my reinforcing is fine and dandy
 
most people that upgrade the rear sway bar box in the stock rear subframe. when done correctly it is extremely sturdy. i beat on my car more than anyone, and my reinforcing is fine and dandy



From what I see of the rear subframe, its design and structure, I personally would not trust it. Stamped steel parts are more prone to flex and bend than a structure that is built from tubular steel.


Might sound overkill, but I come from the position where I have to consider the safety of others, which I had to do when modifying cars for disabled people. Lowering floors in vans and installing custom parts takes a lot of thought and engineering to make it legal for other people to use. If I am modifying something, I am doing it with the consideration of the design and structure I am working with. If I am putting more stress on a weak part, I must restructure that part, or replace it with a stronger part to make it last. Stamped steel parts are not designed to take more stress than what was on it in the first place. I generally end up replacing that part to satisfy my own expectations and safety considerations for others first.
 
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