Ewheels
Well-Known Member
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I have a 2018 GT PP1 and am beginning to look into suspension upgrades. There are so many various options and routes to take with varying supporting mods, so I thought I'd share my findings.
Sway bar adjustable end links - are they necessary, recommended, or a waste of money? Here's what I found...
If you lower your car, you are NOT adding any preload or stress to the sway bar as long as the strut height is equal on both left and right struts. (Sway bars only do work when there is a displacement differential between the left and right spring perches.) You would only need adjustable sway bar end links if you corner balance your car (for those who don't know, corner balancing is changing individual spring perch heights to obtain equal weight distributions seen at each tire). By changing the perch height at each strut tower separately, you WILL be inducing a height differential and therefore inducing preload into the sway bar; aka causing turning dynamics to vary for left and right turns. To correct this preload imbalance, you would install adjustable end links to get the sway bar back to the neutral position.
The other scenario requiring adjustable end links would be if you had ride height adjustable struts (coilovers).
Lowering your car evenly does not induce sway bar preload but it does alter the geometry. By lowering the car, you are changing the moment arm acting on the sway bar (the radius at which the end link pushes on the sway bar). Most aftermarket fixed-height struts will raise or lower the end link attachment point to compensate for this moment arm change. HOWEVER, since coilovers are height adjustable, the manufacturer cannot design one end link attachment location that is perfectly suitable for all height levels. For this case, you would need adjustable sway bar end links to maintain the factory moment arm position.
Hope this helps anyone deciding whether or not to buy adjustable end links.
Sway bar adjustable end links - are they necessary, recommended, or a waste of money? Here's what I found...
If you lower your car, you are NOT adding any preload or stress to the sway bar as long as the strut height is equal on both left and right struts. (Sway bars only do work when there is a displacement differential between the left and right spring perches.) You would only need adjustable sway bar end links if you corner balance your car (for those who don't know, corner balancing is changing individual spring perch heights to obtain equal weight distributions seen at each tire). By changing the perch height at each strut tower separately, you WILL be inducing a height differential and therefore inducing preload into the sway bar; aka causing turning dynamics to vary for left and right turns. To correct this preload imbalance, you would install adjustable end links to get the sway bar back to the neutral position.
The other scenario requiring adjustable end links would be if you had ride height adjustable struts (coilovers).
Lowering your car evenly does not induce sway bar preload but it does alter the geometry. By lowering the car, you are changing the moment arm acting on the sway bar (the radius at which the end link pushes on the sway bar). Most aftermarket fixed-height struts will raise or lower the end link attachment point to compensate for this moment arm change. HOWEVER, since coilovers are height adjustable, the manufacturer cannot design one end link attachment location that is perfectly suitable for all height levels. For this case, you would need adjustable sway bar end links to maintain the factory moment arm position.
Hope this helps anyone deciding whether or not to buy adjustable end links.
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