Sway Bar Questions - Page 2 - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

bajamoon · 05-27-2012, 01:27 PM

Love my Pfadt bars. You will love them

L99CAMA2011 · 05-28-2012, 07:00 PM

Go FE4/5 bro. Even a ZL-1 stock rear bar, rear control arms and links and a stock 2012 SS front bar will have you in heaven for a low price. The best part is when warranty time comes you won't hear you have aftermarket bars on your car.

PfadtRacing · 05-29-2012, 05:07 PM

In order if stiffness from softest to stiffest:

OEM 2010-2012 V6 bars = softest bars available.
OEM 2010-2011 V8 bars = just a TINY bit stiffer than OEM V6.
OEM 2012 V8 Bars = Bars are a little stiffer but take advantage of better geometry. Will require replacing the Rear Lower Control arms and rear endlinks if you're upgrading from a 2010-2011 car.
Pfadt Balance Bar. Rear only upgrade that works great for 2010-2011 cars. Lowest cost and designed to work well with the factory front sway bar.
Pfadt 2010-2011 (FE3) Sport Bars - Great all around upgrade for street cars that don't generally see a ton of track time. Features a fixed single position front sway bar and 3 position adjustable rear bar. Can be used on 2012 cars, but will require different rear endlinks. Perfect package for FE3 Equipped street cars.
Pfadt 2010-2011 (FE3) Race Bars - Great upgrade for cars that see track time, especially those that are on race tires. Features a 3 position adjustable front bar, and 3 piece lightweight rear bar with 3 positions of adjustment. Most flexible of our currently available sway bar options. Will work on 2012 cars and includes endlinks for all 4 corners with the kit.
Pfadt 2012 (FE4/5/6) Sway bars - Currently in development. Will feature both an adjustable front and rear sway bar. The revised geometry allows us to manufacture a bar even a little stiffer than our race bar package for best overall performance. Track testing shows this bar package is working extremely well. This package is not currently available yet. Is a direct bolt on for 2012 cars, but will require upgrading the rear lower control arms to work for the 2010-2011 cars.

Hopefully that clears the air on the different parts that are available through us!

Thanks for the great feedback gentlemen! We love to hear comments from happy users of our parts!

Here is a video of back to back testing of a 2010 Camaro equipped with our sway bars. In the first video you can see the car pushing (understeering) as the speeds start to increase around the circle. After the install of our bars the driver is able to push the car much faster around the circle and can influence oversteer/understeer with throttle and steering inputs. This is the sign of a much more well balanced car!

robbiegordon · 07-16-2012, 06:01 PM

i have the pfadt stage two set up and its awesome. i dont know what the difference is between the 3 settings on the rear sway is though?? or what effect each will have?

bajamoon · 07-16-2012, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robbiegordon

i have the pfadt stage two set up and its awesome. i dont know what the difference is between the 3 settings on the rear sway is though?? or what effect each will have?

On the inner bolt holes closest to the actual tube is the stiffest setting. The outer hole is the softest but still stiffer than stock. I run in the middle then to the inside for auto x

Sent from my Damn phone

robbiegordon · 07-16-2012, 06:19 PM

oook thanks, that makes sense. ill have to try them all out.

and lscamaro if you go with pfadt i can assure you that you will not be disappointed. with the stage 2 the car is greatly improved and for 600 bucks you cant complain imo. if you want to pay for shipping i'd just give you my ss sways to try out. but i would highly highly recommend going with a solid aftermarket product. especially after almost punching my car in the face getting frustrated at the front sway lol. wouldnt want to do that more than once..

Horsepower Direct · 07-16-2012, 06:22 PM

Another great sway bar setup is the Hellwig sway bars..

Bruce@raymondsperformance · 07-16-2012, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott@Bjorn3D

Get Pedders.

dcplus14 · 07-16-2012, 09:49 PM

For those adjustable sway bars, you don't need an alignment after adjustment, do you?

Norm Peterson · 07-17-2012, 11:22 AM

Need to? Not unless you're chasing the last hundredth or two of lateral-g or the understeer/oversteer handling balance when you're driving the car up there. Meaning it would be a waste of time and $ for a pure daily driver.

But for serious autocross or open-tracking purposes there is something to be gained, particularly if you can DIY the alignment (I'm being serious). As you stiffen the bars, the amount of roll in any given turn decreases (well, duh) . . . and so do the cambers that the tires are running at AT THAT PARTICULAR INSTANT. Dynamic, or operating camber won't be what the static alignment was set to on the alignment rack/in your driveway/wherever, and it's the dynamic situation that gets you around the turns best.

Norm

JusticePete · 07-17-2012, 03:23 PM

Chevrolet changed the game for 5th Gen owners with the new out board mounting rear bar. The ZL1 took that to another level. The ONLY company that makes a better set of sway bars than the ZL1 is Pedders. We have had them in the market for some time and the on track results are staggering.

2nd OPTIMA Arlington Road Course
1st OPTIMA Road America Road Course
2nd OPTIMA Road America AC
2nd OPTIMA Speed Stop Road America
1st Overall OPTIMA Road America
1st Over ALL OPTIMA Gingerman
3rd Overall OPTIMA Gingerman

Our two 5th Gens running these events have jaw dropping performance and AVERAGE 1.228 Gs in the turns. AVERAGE.

We are competing with cars that are 1,000 pounds lighter than the 5th Gen and BEATING them. Every company likes to talk about how great their parts are. Then there are companies that go out and validate their parts using a wide range of drivers with an even wider range of driving styles at tracks across the country. Dave Mikels, Paul Tracy, John Buttermore, Stan Wilson, Chris Brannon, TJ Bain and Danny Popp are some of the best professional and amateur drivers in North America. INDY car legend to SCCA and NASA Champions rave about Pedders 5th Gen Suspension. Then there are the videos and documentation to back it up and even a BOOK to show you step by step how to build your own version of the 5th Gen.

As a consumer you have a wide range of choices for your 5th Gen. If I were looking for 5th Gen parts I would look to see how the various companies have done when they go head to head. I have yet to see any Late Model Muscle Cars closer than 7 seconds on a single road course lap. Not one. You can buy parts that look cool in a cad image. You can buy parts that look great in a catalog. Or you can buy the ONLY parts that have been proven since the release of the 5th Gen to be not only the fastest on track, but the most comfortable on the street.

When I was younger the phrase was money talks and... We'll be at the remaining OPTIMA Qualifying Events. Every thing you need or want to know about our cars is available here on the C5 Forum from thermal management to brakes to wheels and tires, alignment specs to shocks setting and ride heights. You know exactly what we are bringing to the track. Come on out and beat us.

As a consumer my choice would be based on customer service, performance on track, daily driver ride quality and product quality. It is our goal at Pedders to be the very best in everyone of those categories. There is one area we have no interest in. Pedders will never be the cheapest because that would undermine our ability to be the best in customer service, performance on track, daily driver ride quality and product quality.

Hotchkis · 08-03-2012, 02:00 PM

Our Adjustable Sport Sway Bars are compatible with both the V6 and V8 sway bars. The lightweight front 1.25" tubular bar is 210% stiffer than the stock SS while the adjustable lightweight rear 1" tubular bar is 80/120/170% stiffer than stock and allows you to dial in the just the right amount of rear roll stiffness. They include greasable polyurethane bushings and upgraded mounts/hardware.

Though you may be only starting with sway bars now, if you decide to keep modifying your suspension we have all of the parts needed to take your suspension from basic to advanced. All of our products are designed and engineered to complement each other so there is no need to worry that parts won't fit or work correctly like when you mix-'n-match. Check out our complete line of 5th Gen Camaro products here: http://www.hotchkis.net/search.html?...mitForm=Search.

Check out what Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/12/h...r-than-before/) and Road and Track (http://www.hotchkis.net/_uploaded_fi...5thgen_zz1.pdf) think about our improvements to the 5th Gen Camaro.

05-29-2012, 05:07 PM	#17
PfadtRacing Drives: 2010 Camaro, 2006 Z06 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: SLC, UT Posts: 3,370	In order if stiffness from softest to stiffest: OEM 2010-2012 V6 bars = softest bars available. OEM 2010-2011 V8 bars = just a TINY bit stiffer than OEM V6. OEM 2012 V8 Bars = Bars are a little stiffer but take advantage of better geometry. Will require replacing the Rear Lower Control arms and rear endlinks if you're upgrading from a 2010-2011 car. Pfadt Balance Bar. Rear only upgrade that works great for 2010-2011 cars. Lowest cost and designed to work well with the factory front sway bar. Pfadt 2010-2011 (FE3) Sport Bars - Great all around upgrade for street cars that don't generally see a ton of track time. Features a fixed single position front sway bar and 3 position adjustable rear bar. Can be used on 2012 cars, but will require different rear endlinks. Perfect package for FE3 Equipped street cars. Pfadt 2010-2011 (FE3) Race Bars - Great upgrade for cars that see track time, especially those that are on race tires. Features a 3 position adjustable front bar, and 3 piece lightweight rear bar with 3 positions of adjustment. Most flexible of our currently available sway bar options. Will work on 2012 cars and includes endlinks for all 4 corners with the kit. Pfadt 2012 (FE4/5/6) Sway bars - Currently in development. Will feature both an adjustable front and rear sway bar. The revised geometry allows us to manufacture a bar even a little stiffer than our race bar package for best overall performance. Track testing shows this bar package is working extremely well. This package is not currently available yet. Is a direct bolt on for 2012 cars, but will require upgrading the rear lower control arms to work for the 2010-2011 cars. Hopefully that clears the air on the different parts that are available through us! Thanks for the great feedback gentlemen! We love to hear comments from happy users of our parts! Here is a video of back to back testing of a 2010 Camaro equipped with our sway bars. In the first video you can see the car pushing (understeering) as the speeds start to increase around the circle. After the install of our bars the driver is able to push the car much faster around the circle and can influence oversteer/understeer with throttle and steering inputs. This is the sign of a much more well balanced car!

07-16-2012, 06:01 PM	#18
robbiegordon Robert Drives: 2011 Summit White SS LS3 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 323 View My Garage	i have the pfadt stage two set up and its awesome. i dont know what the difference is between the 3 settings on the rear sway is though?? or what effect each will have? __________________ Turbonetics T76 10psi with aem truboost controller, 231/239 115 LSA Comp Cam, adm fpcm, zl1 pump, Tr7ix plugs, 3.91/1LE Gears,Melling Oil pump, custom intake, catless midpipes, powerbond 25% underdrive, PFADT Aluminum subframe bushings, 1.5 inch drop, PFADT sway bars, BMR; sub frame connectors ,Trailing arms, Toe Rods, strut tower brace and rear diff bushings, Hurst short throw shifter and line lock,dyno #s TBD, , tuned by Pat G tuning

07-16-2012, 09:49 PM	#23
dcplus14 Drives: '12 Camaro 2SS/RS/Hurst Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: San Diego Posts: 480 View My Garage	For those adjustable sway bars, you don't need an alignment after adjustment, do you? __________________ 2012 Camaro 2SS/RS: Black on Black, Hurst [AAC DRL LED's, AAC LED's for trunk, cabin, license plate, CAI Intake, RX Catch Can, Skip shift eliminator, Pedders Sub-Frame Inserts, Pedders Radius Rod Inserts, Pedders Rack & Pinion Bushing, 1LE front and rear sway bars]

05-27-2012, 01:27 PM	#15
bajamoon Drives: 2014 Subaru WRX Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Whittier CA Posts: 13,730 View My Garage	Love my Pfadt bars. You will love them

05-28-2012, 07:00 PM	#16
L99CAMA2011 Drives: One of the baddest handling Gen 5s Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Masachusetts Posts: 4,177	Go FE4/5 bro. Even a ZL-1 stock rear bar, rear control arms and links and a stock 2012 SS front bar will have you in heaven for a low price. The best part is when warranty time comes you won't hear you have aftermarket bars on your car.

07-16-2012, 06:19 PM	#20
robbiegordon Robert Drives: 2011 Summit White SS LS3 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 323 View My Garage	oook thanks, that makes sense. ill have to try them all out. and lscamaro if you go with pfadt i can assure you that you will not be disappointed. with the stage 2 the car is greatly improved and for 600 bucks you cant complain imo. if you want to pay for shipping i'd just give you my ss sways to try out. but i would highly highly recommend going with a solid aftermarket product. especially after almost punching my car in the face getting frustrated at the front sway lol. wouldnt want to do that more than once..

07-16-2012, 06:22 PM	#21
Horsepower Direct Drives: We own a few muscle cars... Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 61	Another great sway bar setup is the Hellwig sway bars..

07-17-2012, 11:22 AM	#24
Norm Peterson corner barstool sitter Drives: 08 Mustang GT, 19 WRX Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Eastern Time Zone Posts: 6,990	Need to? Not unless you're chasing the last hundredth or two of lateral-g or the understeer/oversteer handling balance when you're driving the car up there. Meaning it would be a waste of time and $ for a pure daily driver. But for serious autocross or open-tracking purposes there is something to be gained, particularly if you can DIY the alignment (I'm being serious). As you stiffen the bars, the amount of roll in any given turn decreases (well, duh) . . . and so do the cambers that the tires are running at AT THAT PARTICULAR INSTANT. Dynamic, or operating camber won't be what the static alignment was set to on the alignment rack/in your driveway/wherever, and it's the dynamic situation that gets you around the turns best. Norm

07-17-2012, 03:23 PM	#25
JusticePete Drives: Camaro Justice Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 20,174	Chevrolet changed the game for 5th Gen owners with the new out board mounting rear bar. The ZL1 took that to another level. The ONLY company that makes a better set of sway bars than the ZL1 is Pedders. We have had them in the market for some time and the on track results are staggering. 2nd OPTIMA Arlington Road Course 1st OPTIMA Road America Road Course 2nd OPTIMA Road America AC 2nd OPTIMA Speed Stop Road America 1st Overall OPTIMA Road America 1st Over ALL OPTIMA Gingerman 3rd Overall OPTIMA Gingerman Our two 5th Gens running these events have jaw dropping performance and AVERAGE 1.228 Gs in the turns. AVERAGE. We are competing with cars that are 1,000 pounds lighter than the 5th Gen and BEATING them. Every company likes to talk about how great their parts are. Then there are companies that go out and validate their parts using a wide range of drivers with an even wider range of driving styles at tracks across the country. Dave Mikels, Paul Tracy, John Buttermore, Stan Wilson, Chris Brannon, TJ Bain and Danny Popp are some of the best professional and amateur drivers in North America. INDY car legend to SCCA and NASA Champions rave about Pedders 5th Gen Suspension. Then there are the videos and documentation to back it up and even a BOOK to show you step by step how to build your own version of the 5th Gen. As a consumer you have a wide range of choices for your 5th Gen. If I were looking for 5th Gen parts I would look to see how the various companies have done when they go head to head. I have yet to see any Late Model Muscle Cars closer than 7 seconds on a single road course lap. Not one. You can buy parts that look cool in a cad image. You can buy parts that look great in a catalog. Or you can buy the ONLY parts that have been proven since the release of the 5th Gen to be not only the fastest on track, but the most comfortable on the street. When I was younger the phrase was money talks and... We'll be at the remaining OPTIMA Qualifying Events. Every thing you need or want to know about our cars is available here on the C5 Forum from thermal management to brakes to wheels and tires, alignment specs to shocks setting and ride heights. You know exactly what we are bringing to the track. Come on out and beat us. As a consumer my choice would be based on customer service, performance on track, daily driver ride quality and product quality. It is our goal at Pedders to be the very best in everyone of those categories. There is one area we have no interest in. Pedders will never be the cheapest because that would undermine our ability to be the best in customer service, performance on track, daily driver ride quality and product quality.

08-03-2012, 02:00 PM	#26
Hotchkis Drives: 1st through 5th gen Camaros Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Sante Fe Springs, CA Posts: 458	Our Adjustable Sport Sway Bars are compatible with both the V6 and V8 sway bars. The lightweight front 1.25" tubular bar is 210% stiffer than the stock SS while the adjustable lightweight rear 1" tubular bar is 80/120/170% stiffer than stock and allows you to dial in the just the right amount of rear roll stiffness. They include greasable polyurethane bushings and upgraded mounts/hardware. Though you may be only starting with sway bars now, if you decide to keep modifying your suspension we have all of the parts needed to take your suspension from basic to advanced. All of our products are designed and engineered to complement each other so there is no need to worry that parts won't fit or work correctly like when you mix-'n-match. Check out our complete line of 5th Gen Camaro products here: http://www.hotchkis.net/search.html?...mitForm=Search. Check out what Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/12/h...r-than-before/) and Road and Track (http://www.hotchkis.net/_uploaded_fi...5thgen_zz1.pdf) think about our improvements to the 5th Gen Camaro.