Ryne's Graphite Shadow AWD G37 Coupe
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What a big difference this little bar makes. I went with the RWD sedan non-sport sway bar, thanks to Brad's experimentation. He confirmed that there is a marginal, if any, difference in how stiff the RWD sport and non-sport sway bars are - they are also the same diameter. I managed the find a RWD non-sport bar for the right price in mint condition off of a 2013, fresh bushings, endlinks and all. I didn't need the endlinks since my car is also a 2013, but I wanted to have "like new" bushings. Anyone need endlinks for a good price? lol. Anyways, even the GF, who readily questioned what the marginal size difference between the bars would do, noticed a huge difference in handling from the passenger seat. This is a must have for any X owner. We were blessed with a larger front sway bar, but cursed with a puny rear bar that makes the car feel heavy and handle sloppy. This bar pairs beautifully with the larger front bar to make the handling much more neutral - it feels like a different car. Steering is sharper and overall it is a lot more confidence inspiring. As you may have noticed, I have spent a few bucks on my car and this mod was more noticeable than mods that cost 25 times the money, such as the BBK. It was a well spent $50.
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The Steering Wheel Guy
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Yes, the upper bar is the upgrade (F317). I do still think it's one of the best mods I have done so far. With everything I do, I always contemplate the alternatives. Louder exhaust, lower springs, etc., so a stiffer sway is no different. This really does all I can ask for though and the price was unbeatable. Another factor is that the after market bars will need to be frequently lubricated or else they will begin to squeak. That didn't seem like an appealing side affect to me.
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Joined: Nov 2014
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Ryne these pictures just made my mind up. I'm going with Graphite Shadow. Hope to pick her up tomorrow. Merry Christmas to me indeed.
Last edited by OhGwhiz; Dec 21, 2014 at 12:23 PM. Reason: Spelling...duh...
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The Steering Wheel Guy
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Congrats! You will find that the graphite shadow color looks different under certain lights, but always great. These pictures were taken around sunset.
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The Steering Wheel Guy
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From: Frankfort, IL
I had some time to get my Forgestar CF10 Wheels installed. I went with Continental DWS tires and had my car aligned at Touge Factory. Also, I put in some WeatherTech floor mats.
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The Steering Wheel Guy
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From: Frankfort, IL
Forgestar CF10 Rotary Forged Monoblock - Matte Black
Front: 20x9 +28 Semi Concave
Rear: 20x10.5 +35 Deep Concave
Continental DWS 255/35/R20 all around
I don't have any rubbing with this setup (no bracket trimming) and I feel like it fills the wheel wells nicely without being over aggressive and requiring trimming, poking, or excessive camber. The AWD system is happy and the car handles great in the snow with the DWS tires all in the same size. I also didn't want to run super wide tires since I plan to run these wheels year round. Continental DWS tires are light, only 26 lbs in this size, and the wheels are light as well. After removing the stock wheels and tires, along with spacers, acceleration feels slightly better and definitely not worse with the 20" setup.
I would recommend this for the AWD guys looking to run wheels/tires year round. I am running factory alignment specs.
I went with a setup I don't really see much of around here. I didn't really want a square setup appearance wise, but I wanted to run the same size tire all around for snow performance, AWD performance, etc. I am not a big fan of running 10.5" wheels up front either.
Forgestar CF10 Rotary Forged Monoblock - Matte Black
Front: 20x9 +28 Semi Concave
Rear: 20x10.5 +35 Deep Concave
Continental DWS 255/35/R20 all around
I don't have any rubbing with this setup (no bracket trimming) and I feel like it fills the wheel wells nicely without being over aggressive and requiring trimming, poking, or excessive camber. The AWD system is happy and the car handles great in the snow with the DWS tires all in the same size. I also didn't want to run super wide tires since I plan to run these wheels year round. Continental DWS tires are light, only 26 lbs in this size, and the wheels are light as well. After removing the stock wheels and tires, along with spacers, acceleration feels slightly better and definitely not worse with the 20" setup.
I would recommend this for the AWD guys looking to run wheels/tires year round. I am running factory alignment specs.
Forgestar CF10 Rotary Forged Monoblock - Matte Black
Front: 20x9 +28 Semi Concave
Rear: 20x10.5 +35 Deep Concave
Continental DWS 255/35/R20 all around
I don't have any rubbing with this setup (no bracket trimming) and I feel like it fills the wheel wells nicely without being over aggressive and requiring trimming, poking, or excessive camber. The AWD system is happy and the car handles great in the snow with the DWS tires all in the same size. I also didn't want to run super wide tires since I plan to run these wheels year round. Continental DWS tires are light, only 26 lbs in this size, and the wheels are light as well. After removing the stock wheels and tires, along with spacers, acceleration feels slightly better and definitely not worse with the 20" setup.
I would recommend this for the AWD guys looking to run wheels/tires year round. I am running factory alignment specs.
As long as your AWD isn't lighting up should be good to go
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The Steering Wheel Guy
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From: Frankfort, IL
Here is one of the resources I used that goes into a little more depth if you, or anyone else is interested.
Tire Rolling Diameter and Stretching Info - StanceWorks