Swaybar vs. Strut tower brace bar?

[kenratboy]

OK, I am getting really confused.

For my Camry, I know I want new springs and struts. Fine.

However, people also said to get the Whiteline swaybars from CT Motorsport. I thought swaybars were the same as strut tower brace bars - they obviously are not.

What do I want? Do I want front and rear swaybars, or an I looking for strut tower brace bars, or both?

Thanks. I am getting confused.

At $250 for both front and rear sway bars, I want to make sure they are worth it - what do they do, and do I want them?

[CamNub]

A strut tower brace bar i think goes inside under ur hood, while a sway bar is under the car. A sway bar will stop body roll (when your turning you wont lean into the door) a strut tower bar will stiffen the suspension. Correct me if im wrong you guys, but i think im correct on this one.

[KerTiZ]

anyone have a pic of where a sway bar under the car would go? >_<

i'm still a lil confused myself

[Kling]

http://www.stealthtdi.com/SwayBars.html
my friend sent me this link, it explains what a sway bar does and it's pros and cons, hope this helps

[gcs118]

$250 for front and rear sway bar set sounds like a good price. You will notice more of a performance difference with the sway bars as opposed to the strut tower bar. Not sure if there are any, but upgraded end links may also be a good idea if thickening the sway bars, plus extra adjustability is always nice.

[CamNub]

a strut tower bar is cheap too. I think you could get one 20-30$ used.

[kenratboy]

I am looking at the Whiteline sways from CT Motorsport.

Are they 'radical' as in screwing up the drivability, or are they nice for someone who likes to attack the corners?

Thanks!

[LebaneseCam]

i got a strut bar, doesn't do very much, looks good though. The sway bar on the other hand, makes the cornering 10x better but its located under the car connecting to endlinks which r connected to struts. Worth it if installation isnt hard for you, i would buy it but broken and rusty bolts threatens my installation so i dont bother. Good investment i would think.

[87Camry5Speed]

Yeah...

If you have a good strut tower brace, say a TRD one, you're golden. It ties the front end together at the strut towers, making for what should theoretically be a stiffer front end. Most are for show, however, and flex with the shock towers like most all the Ebay ones (I have one of them)

If you want a practical upgrade and have the $$, go for the swaybars with some good bushings. It'll do WAY more for you.

Steve

[BigAirSkier1580]

A straight strut tower brace might cause the car to understeer more, but it will decrease the body roll some, which i have found to allow me to take the corners harder just because the car is a little more planted.

I guess the whiteline RSB AND a front strut bar is where your money is.

[dj14901]

If you had to choose between the two, I'd go with the front sway bar, it'll do a lot more for you than the strut tower brace. The front sway bar will fit in the same place as the factory front sway bar, if you have the front of the car jacked up (and properly supported), you'll be able to crawl under and see what I'm talking about.

HTH -

DJ

[EKam]

Originally posted by BigAirSkier1580
A straight strut tower brace might cause the car to understeer more, but it will decrease the body roll some, which i have found to allow me to take the corners harder just because the car is a little more planted.

You're contradicting yourself.

Understeer means the car is losing front traction, if your car is little more planted that means you're getting reduced understeer.

[88 LE]

FWD cars already understeer as is, so upgrading the front sway bar will just give you more understeer.

I would go with a rear sway bar and strut tower brace.

[_VVTi_]

isn't front sway bar and tower bar the same??

[kenratboy]

Originally posted by 88 LE
FWD cars already understeer as is, so upgrading the front sway bar will just give you more understeer.

I would go with a rear sway bar and strut tower brace.

How? And if that was the case, why would anyone buy a $120 tube as a preformance part to make a 'bad' thing worse?

So I shouldn't do a front sway bar then? What about a rear?