Ephekt

I have read a lot of info about sway bars and their uses. And have questions..

is it true you want to run a larger rear, smaller or no front for street tuning?

my suspension is built last piece is correcting body roll.

tein ss pillows, s2 lca, pwJDM toe, s2 camber front n rear, asr sf brace.

if i want stiff flat rear and flex for traction powering out of turns what sizes have worked best for those of you that have turned and have experience with sway bar modification?

STOCK_SOHC_DX

I'm guessing you don't have an oe size rear on there now? First off do not remove your front, since you're already used to driving with it on. If you can get your hands on a cheap Si rear set up start off with that. If you can't since you already have a subframe brace a CTR set up will do. Remember tires will make a pretty big difference in setting your suspension up.

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

The simple? Bigger in back = oversteer. If you have springs with higher springrate in back than front then add a bigger swaybay = LOT'S of oversteer. If you don't know how to drive with a car that oversteers then I suggest you DO NOT go bigger in the rear than front.

Ephekt

Thanks guys.

Libertariat

What kind of tires are you running?

I would start with a 22mm rear. If you do any competitive driving like autocross though you'll out-grow it pretty quickly. I assume you've got no bar in the front, what are your rates? If you're over 500-600lbs in the front you probably don't need a front bar at all.

mikekh10a

iTrader: (2)

so for everyday, but sometimes spirited driving, a 22mm rear sway bar is good enough?

98civdx

22mm is typically the "go to" bar for these cars.


OP, are you running sway bars now? What spring rates?


Best thing I ever did my civic was put sway bars in it.

Ephekt

i think my rates are 450 front 250 rear.. Not 100% though i would have to look.

currently no rear and no front sway bars,.unless the front is hiding from me. ;p

i was reading that a stiff rear, 22, 24, 26mm, would flatten out the back(compression from outside spring/lca transferred though sway to inner lca/spring) in corners almost eliminating the independent suspension moving or shifting force to the inside front suspension and if a soft enough front bar is in place in front the result would extend the inside front stopping it from lifting and allowing traction on both fronts to pull hard out of turns.

is this correct?

or should both front and back bars be stiff.

is there a reason Honda/Acura made the front stock bars larger than the rear? isn't that what you would want in a rear wheel drive application or am i understanding this backwards?

Ephekt

toyo proxies t1r 195/45-16 on rota grid offroads(white) 16x8 et20

98civdx

I would up the rear rates as well.

With no front sway bar I would start looking for a EX/LX/HX front sway bar, and a 99-00 SI, or 94-01 Integra rear bar.

That is just my opinion though.

I started with a 26mm Front, and 13mm rear. (OEM 99-00 SI) and will be stepping up to a 22mm soon.

Libertariat

Honda, and all car manufacturers, tend to want mundane cars to understeer more than oversteer. Understeer = safer for normal drivers in dangerous situations. Oversteer gets people who don't know how to drive, killed.

Oversteer is better for racing, which is why we stiffen up the rears so much on honda civics. Mine is relatively neutral for my autocross setup.

If you don't know how to drive, making the car too stiff might get you killed while turning on an off/on ramp too quickly. My car is set up for autocross and even if I just let go of the pedal at too high a speed while cornering the rear end comes out, not good for driving down the interstate.

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

My setup. 350f/250r stock front bar and 22mm rear. Dropped roughly 1.5 inches. Car handles like a beast!

CJ1+

CTR and be done with it.

Kozy.

They are larger diameter, but have a much larger lever arm which lowers the effective rate. The 26mm front bar is equivalent to around 330lb springs, and the rear 22mm bar is roughly equivalent to 570lb springs.

dewey_civic

iTrader: (1)

Go out and buy a asr subrame brace and sway bar kit. Call it good these are nice and help out handling a lot.

STOCK_SOHC_DX

Love these tires just threw them on the miata because they were cheap but they grip pretty good.

Cookie

You and I are on the same page.

ej6fade

ASR has my vote. I have the subframe brace/24mm rear sway bar/spherical end links, have never looked back

dewey_civic

iTrader: (1)

You dont need the race kit. Just in case get the 24mm sway bar. Its a really good investment in traction.

spAdam

iTrader: (1)

Safety. It's an econobox, not a Porsche. You'd be hard pressed to find a manufacturer that would put an oversteering car on the market.

FWIW, I just don't like the feel of a street car with no front bar on it. By the time you get the front rates high enough to control the roll you have no bump compliance left. Keep your front rates reasonable and use the stock 22mm front or go with the 26mm Si front.

...And remember that what's good for auto-x is often not acceptable for the street.

TunerN00b

Scion FR-S, rear stiff spring bias from the factory.

spAdam

iTrader: (1)

Spring rates or wheel rates?

Rwd is kind of a different ball game though, starting with weight distribution.

TunerN00b

Wheel rates.
On a car with a 51/49 weight distribution.

Change the stock rear toe in to 0°, and go drifting without any other changes required.

Kozy.

Early S2000s were, so far as I know...

spAdam

iTrader: (1)

Geez, you guys are like women

I was speaking really of fwd cars, but since I didn't specifically say it, I guess that's fair. That being said, two cars I can think of that were more prone to oversteer from the factory were the itr and the b15 Sentra spec-v (yeah I said it).

The first S2000 was an interesting beast. It was actually super neutral and not overly tail happy at all (stock). What got it the reputation of being loose was that when it got away from you, it happened fast. I remember driving them when they first came out, they were definitely a little scary if you pushed them hard, but harder than you should push on the street.