SubySal

I have an 04 RS, and at this point I just want to upgrade the springs to prodrives (when and if they come out) which are approx. 25% stiffer than stock, but I also want to upgrade the swaybars. So far I've upgraded to an FHI 20mm RSB. Great for the street, however I need more for autocrosses. I'm looking at Cusco, Whiteline and Hotchkis bars. Will these bars (F&R) be too stiff for my mild suspension upgrade? What do you guys think?

PJ2.5RS

I have the current setup you have, and I've driven in a few cars with prodrive springs & 20+mm rear bars so; definitely not! a firmer suspension setup doesn't allow the swaybar's to 'work' or move as much, so you're going to need a larger rear sway bar with the upgraded springs to get the ballance of the car how it was w/ stock springs & the 20mm bar...

theworx

I think you are confused. Stiffer springs and struts will allow less suspension travel and hence make the sway bar more effective. After putting on my suspension (GC's/Konis) I switched my adjustable rear sway bar from the stiffest setting to the middle setting because I was getting too muchc oversteer.

PJ2.5RS

Everyone I know who'se gone to stiffer springs and shocks has had to get a thicker rear sway bar because they've encountered more understeer/less neutral handeling with the stiffer springs & shocks...

theworx

That probably has more to do with their alignment settings than the sway bar. If they lower their cars and don't get rear camber bolts and use the stock alignment settings that will create more understeer.

SubySal

OK. The reason I wrote this is because I don't want bars that are too stiff. If I put in stiffer springs with the same SBs it shouldn't effect the balance of the car too much, maybe just a little. I say this because the stiffer springs will increase in stiffness at all corners equally. The bars will continue to do what they do and resist side to side sway. They will move less with the stiffer springs of course, but that should not effect their balance. Now I'm not saying stiffer bars wouldn't be better with stiffer springs, just that the balance shouldn't be upset too much with stiffer springs and the existing SBs. Basically the springs will just do a little more of the work. The problem is when you have swaybars that are too stiff they will hamper the independent (side-to-side) suspension. You've seen this I'm sure at an autocross when a car goes around a turn and one usually the inside rear wheel is off the ground. This happens because the outside tire is being pushed up and that really stiff bar is overpowering the springs while trying to push the wheel back down and keep the car from leaning. Most RSBs are adjustable so that is not such a big concern. It's more the FSB I'm worried about. For example the Street FSB from Hotchkis is 88% stiffer over stock. They say it will work with stock springs and Prodrive springs, but I'm skeptical. I was just hoping someone may have already tried it. Oh well