Sway Bars
 

I already figured out that one of my first purchases is a nismo power brace and nismo tension rods. My next choice is going to be sway bars. My question is, however, what company should I choose: Cusco, Tanabe, Progress or ST. What reputation does Tanabe hold? I know Cusco is good, but expensive and that Progress is also high quality. I've heard from the 200sx forums that ST sucks, is that the same for the 240?

What would you guys choose?

Never heard of ST. Tanabe has a good reputation though. Look into Whiteline.

Suspension Techniques

i got ST sway bars they are good but some of their other bushings are a bit iffy

Tanabe seem to have the heaviest rear balance which is why drifter types tend to go that route. STs are pretty decent and worked fine on my last 240. We now have a set of Cuscos for the time attack car. They seem to be one of the lighter bar sets and oriented more towards a grip balance.

I got Whiteline adjustables. I highly recommend them. I got them because SCC Project Silvia has them, and the magazine did a pretty good review of the installation and how well they worked afterwords.

Anti-Roll Bars:
http://www.pdm-racing.com/products/suspensionbars.html

I also highly recommend the Nismo Non-adjustable "coil-overs" (springs/dampers).
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NISMO...QQcmdZViewItem

You can get them cheaper then that, but I dont have the time to look.

Why mess with that nismo crap when you can have full adjustability for $200 more? But I digress, this is about sway bars.

Because, as I have stated in previous posts, most people couldnt adjust their underwear properly. Adjustability is really just giving you a nice long line of rope to hang yourself with. Unless you are willing to have your suspension set-up by a professional, then I'm 99% certain that my setup will handle better then your fully adjustable one.

Adjustable Sway-bars are far easier to tune then adjustable suspension. Having none adjustable suspension, and tuning my sway's gives me the opertunity to have a great handling car thats good on both the track and the street.

And on a side note. Coil-overs are not fully adjustable. You can only change ride height and SOME dampning rates. Fully adjustable suspension requires that alot more money be spent, and unless your willing to purchase all that extra equipment and then pay a pro to set them up, chances are good that your car is not handling as well as you THINK it is.

I got those Nismo tension control rods but I should have gotten a set with spherical bearings or heim joints. I just couldn't pass up the deal I got on the Nismo T/C rods at the time and I definitely didn't pay no $250(retail) for them either!:uppydown3d:

Here you go bud, this is what I suggest ... LARGUS!!
http://www.kamispeed.com/images/s13lfsbb.jpg

Largus is the stabilizer (sway-bar) specialist from Japan. Being the top choice of the D1 Professional drifters in Japan, Largus proves to be the best performing stabilizers in drifting.

The main difference between a normal car and a car equipped with Largus stabilizer bar is in the materials. Stock stabilizer is made by solid steel rod compared to Largus which is made by high precision seamless pipe to have smooth movements and keeping the under spring weight to a minimum.

Flex rigidity is increased:
Front between 1.4~1.9 times
Rear between 2.1~2.9 times

In order to provide the best balance and control in the 3 most important aspect of driving: acceleration, cornering, and stopping.

With the Largus stabilizer, the alignment change during laps can be minimized to keep a constant contact patch onto to road

Front Diameter 31.5mm
Rate Increase 180%

Fits 89-94 Nissan 240SX (180SX, S13)

Nismo T/C rods = Stock rods with stiffer rubber bushings. I'm not going to say it was a waste of money, although that's what is running through my mind. I bought Prothane TC rod bushings for $30. Better than Nismo as they are POLY. I run Largus sways with OEM F/R endlinks. Amazing control.. Rear only slides when I make it slide. Ride quality was close to what I had before install. Amazing handling. For drifting you may want to replace endlinks to something more solid.. for AutoX just replace the bushings with OEM ones, not poly, not ES. Oh.. almost forgot. Did I say my car handles amazing after the Largus bars? What a f*ing difference... Come to Jersey, I'll take you for a ride. Bring a barf bag :)

-Bart

It is true that IF you are able to install the prothane yourself, the nismo would be a waste. But do nto be fooled into thinking this an easy install as it requires cutting out the old one and pressing in the new one. Take it to a shop and the labor charge will be basically the same as just having bought the Nismo ones. The results either way are very good for those that do not need adjustable caster.

As for sways, I did forget that I have also used the Whitelines and they worked well. They are pretty thick. Whiteline has a good reputation for making well developed suspension products. The cusco appear to be thinner and I am eager to try them out on the project car.

One thing that has not be mentioned in this thread is that it is important o tailor your sway bar choice to your suspension choice. If you have a typical japanese style coilover with very little droop, you probably want a stiffer bar. This will prevent you from doing a pissing dog and keep your wheels on the ground. Being very stiff with no roll is not always optimal however. Its all about the balance of the car and compromises to make it perform to you specific uses and needs.

Just like Charles said.. You want some give and roll in suspension.. That's why I have OEM endlink bushings with the Largus bars.. The combination works amazing for autox and road courses.

I just replaced my TC rod bushings today. 6 17mm nuts and 5 minutes later they were out.. If you take the TC rods to a good mechanic he should have a suitable drift to pop the sleeve out with the bushing, as I did today. Worst case scenario you tear through the old bushing by pressing it out, cut the sleeve out, and press in the new bushing.. took me about 20 minutes. If any of you want me to press out your old bushings and install new bushings, let me know.

-Bart