Hey all. So I have a 2009 g37x coupe with bc br coils and 19inch niche rims. I believe those are the only relevant upgrades to this thread but I am trying to purchase sways for it. Ive heard about Hotchkis and eibachs which seem to be most common. So was wondering what you think would be best for a DD.




Also, I have been hearing a lot about the cusco strut brace. What does that do and is it beneficial to get on top of the sways?


Any help would be appreciate. thank you!

 

Hotchkiss seem to get the nod, more adjustment and zerk fittings on the bushings, but both would be a good option. You might also look into the OEM rear sway for RWD Gs, this is much bigger than the rear X sway and gets good reviews. Lots of RWD guys have these just collecting dust once they upgrade their sways so might find one for cheap.****Strut bars are mainly for the looks, but will firm up the upper mounts somewhat, not too significant though.

 

Is it going to cause complications if I get a rear sway from a RWD car since mine is AWD? I just keep hearing that the sways is the best mod for our car so that's why Im thinking of getting them. The strut bar is basically pointless then and only for looks? Thank you for the info!

 

Sway bars connect the lower points of the struts from side to side, and they help reduce body roll in the corners by transferring control arm movement from one side to the other. Basically, instead of one side taking all of the force, it sends a percentage of the load to the opposite side of the car, so your vehicle essentially squats through a turn, instead of leaning. By doing so, you retain a flatter, more leveled stance for better weight distribution, and more grip. Since you have the entire car doing the work, not just one side.

As for a strut bar, they're not primarily for use. Strut towers do the same thing as a sway bar in regards to transferring suspension load to the other side. It helps prevent strut tower flex, by transferring load to both sides of the car, and stiffening the chassis. It wont do as much as a sway bar, but its not useless.

The main thing that a lot of people do that hurt them as much as the strut bar helps, is they buy a 3 piece bar with bolt on feet. The issue here, is that when a chassis twists, its natural movement causes one side of the car to lift, while the other side twists down. Even with properly torqued bolts, the 3 piece design of the strut allows torsional movement. If you want a strut bar that does its job, and one that you'll notice right away, is a one piece welded strut bar.

 

See this page by Ultra Racing regarding the flaw in a 3 piece strut tower brace design:

Ultra Racing Material and Design | Ultra Safety Bar | Strut Bar Material | Sway Bar Material | Anti Roll Bar Material | Stabilizer Bar Material

*I apologize if this is considered advertising, using this purely for educational purposes.

 

I have Hotchks sways on my 09 G37xS and found them to be probably the best bang for the buck you could do for you suspension. Relatively inexpensive but rewarding handling.

 

Thanks for the detailed reply Justin (C1Forged). Good points made regarding the multi piece strut bars vs. the one piece fabrication. I have a Tanabe 3 piece set and while it did seem to tighten up the front mounts a bit, it wasn't what I would consider significant.***Those one piece bars should get a closer look for those in the market for one.****As far as the RWD OEM sway on the AWD, here's a pretty big thread on it~ https://www.myg37.com/forums/g37-sed...awd-sport.html

 

I've used both types on a number of cars in the past, and the solid one piece bars are definitely noticeable. Helped tighten up the car a good amount during higher speed sweeping corners. Never had a 3 piece strut bar actually do a decent job, and as such, I can understand why a lot of users will simply write them off. Its an easier design to implement on every vehicle, and allows faster/quicker access to the engine compartment without having to undo the suspension. But what you sacrifice for ease of use is rigidity, which is what the part is designed for.

 

So would the Hotchkiss be considered a one piece bar? and would the fact that I have coils help or hurt the application of a sway bar/ strut brace?

 

All sways are 1-piece, they are referring to the 3-piece strut bar.
Go with Hotchkis sways, but with most suspension parts, doing them one at a time may require changing of the others.
If you were to change ride height after setting the sways, you may stiffen the front too much and change the steering dynamic.

 

For a daily driver, Hotchkins bars are too stiff. Yes, it ties either half of the suspension together but that also doesn't allow them to act fully independently. Sort of damned if you do, damned if you don't. On a smooth racetrack or have exceptional roads? Go Hotchkins. Have real world roads with bumps, keep your suspension independent and go with something smaller like the Eibachs.

What spring rates are you running? I went up to a 12K front, 10K rear and with my IPL, found no need for an increase in sway bar diameter. I have virtually no roll as is and the car just grips in the corners yet stays composed if those corners are exceptionally rough.

 

Yes, and no. I'll use the other two replies to help answer your question:

This is the risk of not knowing what you're doing when you modify your suspension. You have to maintain a balance between the front and rear, or you'll dramatically increase oversteer, or understeer. This is why adjustable sway bars are key, as you don't have to buy new ones each time you want to change your setup, and you can figure out what setting works best with the rest of your suspension setup.

Its not so much that you hurt the application, as reinforce the application. Your car's handling characteristics have 2 main pieces that worth together; suspension, and chassis. What happens as you go over the road, is your suspension [struts, springs, control arms, sway bars] take the brunt of the force and exert the force on the chassis. Stiffer your chassis, the more force, and more work your suspension can do. However, an overly stiff suspension can cause a negative effect if your chassis cant handle the force, and twists. Granted, now a days, our car's unibody chassis are typically strong enough for anything under intermediate track use.

Actually, contrary to what you stated, Hotchkis and Eibach are roughly the same size. The Hotchkis setup utilizes a 35mm front, and 27mm rear bar; where the Eibach uses a 32mm front, and 29mm rear bar. As for your application in regards to roughness over pot holes/bumps, the rear suspension plays more into that aspect than the front, due to the lighter weight making it easier for the rear end to bounce around from being too stiff. In that aspect, the Hotchkis would be the better bet, since you can place the front Sway on a soft setting, as well as the rear, and end up with a softer rear setup.

After some digging, it looks like the best daily driver setup would be Whiteline, as they offer a 27mm front, and 24mm rear adjustable sway bar that would give the softest possible setup for maximum comfort.

 

^^^ I agree somewhat. I'd actually suggest IPL bars but I don't think they fit the X. The Eibach bars are adjustable as well and you can actually make the rear "softer" than the Hotchkins and you may be able to dial in the front/rear balance a bit better with the Eibach bars.

Here's a chart of the various sway bar diameters, inside and out and percent area change vs. stock (they do make some assumptions). Sway Bar Diameters - Nissan 370Z Forum

My other question would be why do you feel the need for sway bars? What negative characteristics lead you to believe you'll benefit from a sway bar diameter increase?

 

So when I go around turns and there is any unevenness in the road my car bounces everywhere. Its mostly the rear it just seems like it goes everywhere when I drive so I assumed sways would help with that and give it more stability. Is that right? I do not know my spring rate or what my adjustments are at currently. I recently bought the car from a guy and left his settings but haven't had a chance to actually study them

 

So whiteline would be better than Hotchkiss? I just want my rear to be more stable. Would sways fix the instability in the rear?