Sway Bar sizes

[eckoman_pdx]

Hey everyone, I know I don't normally ask a lot of questions on here but I have a question for a change. I have been looking at various sway bars to get for my 92 Civic. It's currently lowered 1.75" with Tokico HP's (blues), H & R sport springs (NOT the H & R OEM sport), and both front and rear camber correction kits. The tires I currently have (came with the CP-10 rims in a package deal from a shop around here) are 205/40/ZR17 Pirelli P7000 Supersports, 80W. I also have front and rear strut tower bars (I know that lots of people in here say they don't make a difference on civics) I would like to now add front and rear sway bars into the equation. I have been told Suspension Techinques is good, but I have heard they hang low on 5th gen civics (how low exactly, is it a problem?). I know Eibach makes some also. Is there a specific brand that is best, or that you would stay away from? Secondly, what is the biggest sized bar someone makes that I can put onto my car for both the front and rear? So Far, Suspension Techinques made the biggest size I found (rear was a little bigger than Eibach, plus they cost less). Thanks for the help. Also, would it help in any way to pick up a lower tie bar as well? (I can get a good deal on one)

[BullShifter]

Neuspeed & Eibach are the best IMO
If the bar is solid, not hollow & comes with good end links/bushings the brand doesn't really matter. I have the ST bars because the rear is adjustable & they were the cheapest. My car understeers more with the ST front bar - not in use any more. I use the stock front bar with poly bushings & no front bar when off-street. Also a lower tie bar & sub-frame reinforcement should be used and/or welding brackets to frame. Larger rear sway bars can actually twist/tear the frame under heavy cornering. You may run into exhaust clearance issues, sway is more important than exhaust IMO.
24mm-7/8" is about the average size - I could easily duplicate a copy of my sway using larger steel & now that I think about it, I just might do that.

Check out the ST rear sway w/ lower tie

Functional strut bars do make a difference, just not a whole lot.

[cstyle13]

someone had said on here that DC sports strut bars are not for performance they are only for looks. he said that they will flex under pressure. And what is the difference between the sway and strut bars?

[BullShifter]

Strut bars provide bracing between the strut towers. Sway bars provide roll control basically reducing suspension travel during cornering.

[eckoman_pdx]

Originally Posted by jackasssi

Neuspeed & Eibach are the best IMO
If the bar is solid, not hollow & comes with good end links/bushings the brand doesn't really matter. I have the ST bars because the rear is adjustable & they were the cheapest. My car understeers more with the ST front bar - not in use any more. I use the stock front bar with poly bushings & no front bar when off-street. Also a lower tie bar & sub-frame reinforcement should be used and/or welding brackets to frame. Larger rear sway bars can actually twist/tear the frame under heavy cornering. You may run into exhaust clearance issues, sway is more important than exhaust IMO.
24mm-7/8" is about the average size - I could easily duplicate a copy of my sway using larger steel & now that I think about it, I just might do that.

Check out the ST rear sway w/ lower tie

Functional strut bars do make a difference, just not a whole lot.

Thats for the help. I've never seen that ST sway bar with lower tie bar before. Do they make it for 92 civics? So you like Eibach and Nuespeed better than ST I'll have to look into the exhaust clearence issue, since I already have a custom built cat-back system on there. I had the exhaust work done following the swap for the LS a little over a year ago. I that usually a problem, the clearence? Is there a way to find out before buying it, so I am not SOL if it has clearence issues? Does the sway bar usually cause frame twist/tear issues you talked about, on civics, if you don't have sub-frame reinforcements, or is 24mm for the bar not big enough to cause issues? I think I'll go ahead and get the lower tie bar eventually, from what you said. Also, do you know any brands that are hollow, not solid? That way I can stay away from them, lol. Thanks for your help.

[SilverY2KCivic]

Originally Posted by cstyle13

someone had said on here that DC sports strut bars are not for performance they are only for looks. he said that they will flex under pressure. And what is the difference between the sway and strut bars?

That was me.

And the differance as stated by JackassSi is that strut bars DO NOT reduce body roll, they are merely just to make the body stiffer and react to handling as a whole. Swaybars help distribute weight when the car is in a turn by lessing the amount of roll the chassis and suspension encounter in a hard turn or curve. A strut bar is not a substatute for a swaybar. There is a reasn when sways cost more than strut bars.

Eckoman, Skunk2 makes a very nice 21mm rear sway bar that a friend of mine has on his 5th gen Si hatchback. Suspension Techniques also does have good sway kits, and I think the bars are like 20-something front, and like 18 or 19mm rear. The same 22mm ITR rear swaybar I have on my 6th gen coupe would also work on your 5th gen. Just remember ANY OEM rear bar you use on a 5th gen Civic will require you to drill out endlink mount holes in your rear lower control arms. And if you really want big, Mugen does sell and offer a massive 26mm rear swaybar that was originallt designed for ITR's, but will work on Civics too.

[BullShifter]

Yes, ST makes that rear sway/tie for 92-95 civic's

Both front & rear ST sways for my 91 civic Si are 7/8" roughly 22mm

There is no way to tell if your gonna have exhaust clearance issues until you install it, just gently bend the pipe out of the way if it does rub. Just dont go beating it with a hammer because the will be the first place it breaks. Heat with a torch then smack it with a hammer.

I don't know the names of hollow bars, but they are out there. Just stick with well-known brand names.

You would have to be very hard on the car to jack up the frame. After repeated strain it could happen or it could happen on the 1st hard corner. The reinforcements for the sub-frame are a good idea to have - if your doing just street driving its up to you. I would install the kit if it were my car. 22-24mm is large enough to mess up the frame

[eckoman_pdx]

SilverY2KCivic and Jackasssi, thanks for the help so far. Okay, so ST, Eibach, and Skunk2, plus the ITR bar. Is it pretty easy to drill the holes for the ITR bar, or am I better off with a good brand name. I have another question though, who makes a sub-frame reinforcement for the 5th gen? Only for the back, or for the front too? If 22mm can mess up a frame, it sounds like a good idea to get, since most bars will be that in the front, and a good deal are close to that in the back as well. Also, for lower tie bars, any brands that make a better bar you'd recommend? I can get a good line on the DC sports one, and I forget the other name I can get a good price on (for lower tie bars). That will suck I'll have to find out the hard way about clearence issues, lol. They tired to take into account that type of thing, adding on sway bars, etc, later, when they did my exhaust system, I guess I'll see how well it went, lol. Thanks again for the help. Sorry I keep asking questions.

[BullShifter]

It wont be hard to drill holes - use a slow speed
I would use an aftermarket bar

You dont really need front end reinforcement since the front is strong already - due to the engine & trans being there.

Upgraded rear sway bars will have more of an effect than fronts - at least for FWD car.

Neuspeed for lower tie

[SilverY2KCivic]

Yeah, front sway you don't need reinforcement for considering the stock OEM 6th gen Si coupe front sway is 26mm to begin with. It's if you have a 19mm or larger rear than I'd recommend a subframe reinforcement kit. The kit I have and what seems to be the best one out there is the kit that Beak's Performance offers for Civics utilizing an ITR rear swaybar. The site also tells you all the parts you'll need for using that bar and kit. You can see the kit I'm taking about in the pic below...

[eckoman_pdx]

Originally Posted by jackasssi

It wont be hard to drill holes - use a slow speed
I would use an aftermarket bar

You dont really need front end reinforcement since the front is strong already - due to the engine & trans being there.

Upgraded rear sway bars will have more of an effect than fronts - at least for FWD car.

Neuspeed for lower tie

Thanks, for all the info, I'll have to check the Neuspeed tie bar out. Yea, upgrading hte rear will have a greater effect on the car since it's FWD, but since the car origanally stock didn't come with a front or rear sway bar, it's smart to just have both put it. Also, who makes a sub-frame reinforcement for the rear? Or is it something that has to be custom done? I haven't seen any for the 5th gen civic, but I am pretty sure I have seen some for other cars, like the S2000. I think nuespeed made it for that car, not sure.

[BullShifter]

Check out silvery2kcivic's last post.

I thought all civic's came with front sway's?

[SilverY2KCivic]

Originally Posted by jackasssi

Check out silvery2kcivic's last post.

I thought all civic's came with front sway's?

Nope, only EX's and Si's (and HX too) came with front sways. The EX with a 22mm I believe and the Si with a 26mm front for 6th gen models. Not sure what 5th gens came with, but I'm pretty sure EX's and Si's came with fronts, and I know that no 5th gens came stock with rear swaybars.

[eckoman_pdx]

Originally Posted by jackasssi

Check out silvery2kcivic's last post.

I thought all civic's came with front sway's?

Yeah, he posted that as I was posting, lol. No, not all 5th gen's came with front sways. If I recall, it's only the EX came with the factory front bar.. The Beaks Performance site isn't working, I'll check later. Are they really the only company making sub-frame reinforcements? Also, do I have to use the ITR bar with that kit? I ask, becuase I'd like the option of being able to use a aftermarket one instead. Also, I looked up some info on the companies you guys recommended. The Eibach for 5th gen's w/o facotry front sway bar is 25mm front 17 rear adjustable. The ones for the 5th gen's W/ factory bar is 26mm front, 17 rear adjustable. For ST, w/bar is 1 inch front, the one for civics w/o factory bar is 3/4 an inch. The rear is 3/4 of an inch for both. Nuespeed is 3/4 inch (19mm), it says "Aftermarket Exhaust Systems May Not Clear Sway Bar, Must Have New Lower Control Arm w/ Factory Sway Bar Mounting." Thats what I have found so far. So, if the ITR rear bar is 22mm, it is bigger than any of the rears listed above. If you find any rear bars over 20mm bar an aftermarket company, let me know.

[BullShifter]

Wow I learned something
Not that I really cared