I was wondering which one should I spend my money on. Should I get the sway bars due to the fact that my 95 cavalier didn't come with none on them and the sway is terrible at high speeds, and the handle could be much better. Or should I get the Strut Tower Bars to handle this problem. Which is a better investment?

Thanks.

Sway bars will greatly improve your handling, and the strut braces will only help a little.

asking what is better, isnt really an accurate question to ask....

both do different jobs and both offer different advantages...

however,

to answer your question...for myself personally neither are more effective....

the question you asked is like asking, whats better.... tires or wheels, orwhats better? springs or struts....

in all three issues, both together usually are better. one without the other is like being in a row boat without oars....



it would all depend on what you want out of your car.


braces the create consistency no matter what your handling is...oversteer, understeer, neutral.



you can add all the different size sway bars you want, but if you race and take turns hard... if your car isnt consistent, then its gonna suck. period. if turn #3 feels different on all 3 seperate laps, then your car isnt consistent and your times and handling will differ.



while true swaybars might make understeer and oversteer more noticable, strut braces, although most see em as "helps a little", in my view consistency of ANY suspension piece is far more important than any other thing......

else......

1) blown struts would be awesome since they lack consistency

and

2) race car drivers wouldnt be able to take your own car you drive and make you driving skills seem so minimal only reason they CAN do so, is because of consistency.


visit any scca local solo 2 comp... you will see guys with decent tires, strut braces, and stock suspension turn better times than the majority of people with loads more mods...




but if you just want more stuff to add to your list and not really into performance, flip a coin

Based only on your post: You stated "sway is terrible at high speeds"; sway bars will fix this much more than strut braces.

C.T.S wrote:Based only on your post: You stated "sway is terrible at high speeds"; sway bars will fix this much more than strut braces.

depends.... theres a possibility it can and a possibility it isnt.....

alot of high speed sway comes from blown struts.... keep in mind its a 95

also from the pic in his registry, extremely lowered..... <img src="http://registry.gmenthusiast.com/images/95carboncav/personal_pic.jpg">



the car doesnt takes the bumps consistently if the struts are blown, and will sway.... doesnt matter if you add aftermarket springs, or swaybars (both of which stiffen the ride the same way as swaybars add fine tuning to the suspension setup you already have WITHOUT the need for changing springs).

if his struts turn out to be the culprit, a swaybar or stiffer springs will just bring out his inconsistency MORE....

basically imagine stock springs on blown struts..... then imagine going to pro kits on stock struts that are blown, then imagine going to coilovers.......spring rates get stiffer, struts still blown, handling gets worse no matter how low you go....


just some thoughts from the pics in his registry. if you have sway at high speeds and you are THAT low.... something else is prob amiss.

get both they help out big time. the strut tower braces are easier to install but the sway bars make the biggest diff.





Semper Fi SAINT. May you rest in peace.

Event: Struts were not an option in his original post. I well qualified my answer by stating I was answering based strictly on his original post. You are extremely correct however.

There are many factors that go into proper suspension handling. He really needs to provide us with more information if he hasn't considered the other areas (such as struts) yet. If however, he has put on something like Koni yellows, and properly adjusted them, with good springs, and still wants more sway control, adding sway bars will most likely improve the ride more than strut braces.

Besides, Jackalope agrees with me!

both will help you


as well as a good set of struts

C.T.S wrote:Event: Struts were not an option in his original post. I well qualified my answer by stating I was answering based strictly on his original post. You are extremely correct however.

There are many factors that go into proper suspension handling. He really needs to provide us with more information if he hasn't considered the other areas (such as struts) yet. If however, he has put on something like Koni yellows, and properly adjusted them, with good springs, and still wants more sway control, adding sway bars will most likely improve the ride more than strut braces.

Besides, Jackalope agrees with me!

thats cool, but just checking out the whole picture....

even at that low, struts are def in question.... a stiffer set of struts would be ideal and can offer a bit more adjustment than a swaybar....

keep in mind, though without proper damping.... you will sway...

and without proper suspension travel, you will bounce/bottom out which can be felt as swaying especially at high speeds.

and even with a swaybar, if the basics like struts and springs/coilovers arent covered, you will have a car that turns in more or understeers more, etc.... but the handling will be even more unpredictable at high speeds...especially without strut braces...


i guess in my view, at high speeds, i'd opt for consistency, more than turn in, which in the turns where swaybars help most, should be at lower speeds, than highway speeds...

you can get a sway bar from a Z-24 they are the same diameter as the eibach ones for
a fraction of the cost. and dont forget to get new bushings too cause when you up the diameter you also need to up the bushings. and you can but these bars new from the dealer anymore i know i got the very last one that g.m. had ( i work for g.m. ) any junkyard should have some Z's in it. and you can pick up new bushings at any parts store.

and muffins is kinda right. sway bars dont do anything for high speed handling. but they also don't make the car unstable either. what it does for you in corners is keep the car flater meaning the car doesn't lean or "sway" as much. ( hense the name )
strut tower barces help keep the cars body from flexing in hard cornering wich it does do a lot of.

i didnt see what year your car was but just go to a junkyard and find a bar they don't go
bad. get your bushings at who ever you like. gravana has strut tower braces kinda cheep i think they may still have the g.p. for the front and rear ones for a think it was 200
dollers. if your car is lowered then these really really make a dif.

good luck.




Semper Fi SAINT. May you rest in peace.