Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Suspension WTB bigger sway bars

Where can I get a set of bigger sway bars for my 98 CSVT?

Rear sway bars are easier to come accross....

and the Cougar group just had a group buy for Roush rear sway bars for $75...but their is the same bars on e-bay for I believe $55.

www.spmotorsports.com also has the BAT rear sway bar.

Thanks!! Any idea where t o find the front?

A stiffer front bar would be a great compliment to the Aussie rear bar for softer spring rates like stock, the BAT/Koni kits, etc. But, there are no available bars (there was one from SHOShop, IIRC, but not still made), mostly becaue it's such a huge pain to change them out. If you can find an Addco or "Aussie" bar, those are both very stiff, 21mm bars are a little softer and won't be too much for the stock springs: BAT inc. has one that's very common.

Try searching the forum and reading old posts about what swaybars/suspension setups you might want to go with: there's a lot to be found!

Thanks for all the info guys. Good looking out!

Did you read what Demon said? A bigger front bar is counter productive, it causes to much well hop. Hell a few guys with high end custom setups removed the front bar all together.

-Andy

I'm not sure about that, Andy. Depending on what kind of tuning you are doing, a softer, stiffer, or no front bar may be best. For street driving, where you want to keep spring rates down but increase roll rate, I think a stiffer front bar could make the car feel great: Focus guys have had a lot of luck with setups like that. Also, if you are tuning for autocross or road-race, a little more front bar may be in order, since everything else will be stiffened dramatically.

If you are driving in competition, then whether to reduce, increase, or eliminate front bar stiffness depends on the setup and specifics of the events. For the street, it again depends on the setup, but I think that a stiff bar might very well be nice. For instance, you could run 400 lb/in coilover springs instead of the 525 lb/in that come with the GC kit, and keep the roll rate up with a stiffer bar.

When tuning bars or springs, it important to remember that nothing works in isolation! Two modifications that each make the car slower or less nimble independantly may work together to improve things!

I think you are off base comparing what the Focus guys do to us. They have a much more compact and stiff chassis and they have better weight distribution.

I have never seen a handling conscious Contour owner upsize the front bar. Increased mobility does you no good if you can't put an power to the ground.

-Andy