lukegail

my passenger-side front sway bar mount has rusted off of the subframe. the guys at the garage tell me that it's beyond welding and that i need to get another subframe.

however, a guy i know who does a lot of car modification told me to just remove the front sway bar altogether, and see how the handling feels. if i like it, do nothing. if i don't, then either 1) replace the sway bar and the subframe, OR 2) stiffen the rear sway bar.

how does all this sound to all of you? what would you suggest? bear in mind that i don't really demand the highest performance out of my car - i'm just a regular driver.

a couple specific questions i have:
1) will removing the front sway bar put greater pressure/damage elsewhere on my car? will removing it be dangerous?
2) how safe/unsafe is it to drive with just one sway bar mount intact?

thanks for any help you can offer.
happy holidays

--luke
98 accord LX, 4-cylinder, 5-speed

Bwill9886

Sway bars are meant to reduce body roll and to improve handling. You can go ahead and remove it if you really want to. Just keep in mind that your cars handling up front will most likely be pretty loose after you do. Try it out like your friend said and see what you think.

Most likely you'll want to get your hands on another one. Even with regular driving you SHOULD notice the difference. If not, problem solved I suppose.

GhostAccord

It shouldn't be that hard to weld in a section of new metal vs replacing the complete sub frame. Unless your sub frame is completely gone. If that is the case then I wouldn't suggest driving it at all. With or without the stabilizer bar.

I'll put money down that you will not like the way your car handles without the front stabilizer. Adding one to the rear and removing the front would only make the roll in the front seem worse.

Try it without and see if you can handle the car. If not I would take your car to another shop that has a welder with experience welding frame rails. they can be sectioned and strengthened without having to replace the entire sub frame. It sounds like you went to a shop that doesn't have a competent welder/fabricator.

cstone

or that they just wanted to replace the whole thing to charge more

02 accord

You can drive without the front sway bar. I have done so, and didn't notice much difference in everyday driving. When taking sharp turns though (with sticky summer tires), I did get the stock front suspension to bottom out. But with you being a normal driver, you will be fine. Driving with one sway bar mount missing will result in damage to the other mount. The sway bar will not be doing what it's supposed to, so you might as well remove it.

cstone

i would probably remove it as a temporary fix but plan on having any issues fixed so you can reinstall it. unless you have the money to fix it the right way now (i know money is tight right now for most of us with christmas and all.) even if money isn't a problem i would deffinatly get at least one more opinion on the damage.
i think it would be a b*tch to sell a car with a sway bar removed. i know i hate buying cars that need work done.

Bwill9886

Good point.

And I agree with the others that the OP needs to get another opinion.

nus_dogg

I've driven my car with no endlinks, so basically no front sway. Its not too bad without it, but it does have more body roll though.

GhostAccord

02 Accord, Is that a pic of your car on a slalom course as your avatar? In the spirit of this thread. That, my friend, is some terrible body roll to have on a track/slalom course. If that is your car with the stabilizer bar in. I can see why you wouldn't feel any difference with it removed.

propwdialogue

Agreed. Here's about what it should look like with stock sway bars (and suspension):



Note: its still not good...at all.

jhammond_82

iTrader: (1)

holy body roll batman!! wow, i never realized what my car might look like when i'm dipping into turns real hard. lol. wow.

02 accord

Yes. That was without the front sway bar.

zhura86

you should be fine driving with the front sway bar

cstone

did you mean without it? if he drives with it only connected on one side then it will cause more damage most likely.

Bwill9886

These pictures remind me of my Accord before the suspension and rear sway... yikes.

People used to need the Oh S*%t handles in my car or they'd be on each others laps!

Ok thats exaggerated, but it was bad.

dvsOasis

The effect of the front sway bar and the rear sway bar work together to affect your car's driving dynamics. By driving without the front sway bar, your car will have oversteer. By stiffening the rear sway bar, you'll make the car oversteer even more.

1. Your car should be fine. The only dangerous thing about removing the front sway bar is that the car will oversteer. If you're not careful, you can crash if the car oversteers and you don't compensate correctly. Manufacturers try to make cars understeer because it's safer for the average driver.

2. The car should be fine (without the sway bar installed). If you leave the sway bar in there with only one end of the sway bar attached, the sway bar can probably cause damage as it sits and swings around.

Good catch!