front sway bars

[tigeo]

Lots of folks say only upgrade the rear sway bar. I went that route originally but really like that I have both upgraded now. The body roll is substatially reduced and there isn't any noticeable understeer as many point out happens when you upgrade the front coming from an upgraded rear-only. My feeling is that if the front was as easy to do as the rear folks would do it. It's a PITA and I had mine done when the subframe was out for the LCAs. Understeer is caused by your inputs i.e. too much power/speed into a corner for the traction your tires have available. Reducing body roll keeps the alignment more stable on a mac strut car during cornering - picture below is in the same corner/same position but slightly different picture location...2022 picture shows car to be flatter and I'm probably going faster than in 2021. I've read that you some recommend disconnecting the FSB and just run heavier front springs and get a better result but on the street, you will be stuck with the high spring rate. Sway bars are great b/c unless you are conerning, your spring rates are unaffected. I'm a fan of the FSB upgrade.

A video you can see the impact of the FSB starting at ~11:20

Discuss.

 

[-DK-]

I have both front and rear sway bars (H&R 26/24) and wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m actually curious about at 28/26 mm setup.

 

[ZuMBLe]

FSB seemed to increase the stiffness (like increased spring rate) of the front a lot on my car. Someone with aftermarket springs may not notice it as much, but my front is much harsher now with the FSB and my stock Alltrack springs. I haven't pushed mine hard yet, but it feels nice.

 

[tigeo]

FSB seemed to increase the stiffness (like increased spring rate) of the front a lot on my car. Someone with aftermarket springs may not notice it as much, but my front is much harsher now with the FSB and my stock Alltrack springs. I haven't pushed mine hard yet, but it feels nice.

Same. Any uneven suspension movements will be stiffer.

 

[ZuMBLe]

Same. Any uneven suspension movements will be stiffer.

I'm going to say it negatively affected my ride quality for NYC roads.

 

[Scanner]

In the Summer, I installed the Front SB 29 mm a couple of weeks after the Rear SB 25 mm (Eibach kit). I was happy with the noticeable further improvement in handling/steering after installing the Front. I recommend both especially if you go to a few track days per year. Of course, stiffer, and not a comfortable ride in the Toronto area with many bumpy roads. I have lower Eibach springs too (1.2-inch front and 0.8-inch rear).

 

[tigeo]

I'm going to say it negatively affected my ride quality for NYC roads.

Makes sense if the bumps/holes are on one wheel only it's increasing the effective spring rate.

 

[tigeo]

I'm going to say it negatively affected my ride quality for NYC roads.

Check my linked video at ~5:00...

 

[SPLR337]

I have the matched H&R set (F: 26mm/R: 24mm). Did the rear first and paired it with B8s/DG springs. Had the front done a few months ago. I commute and drive daily in and around NYC, I don't have any noticeable increase in harshness or drivability. Doing the rear first really made me notice how much I wanted one in front. IMO, the front was more immediately noticeable than the rear. I also feel like it would be a much more popular modification if it wasn't such a hassle compared to the RSB.

 

[jay745]

I cringe when I read people saying to upgrade the rear and leave the front stock.

 

[tigeo]

I cringe when I read people saying to upgrade the rear and leave the front stock.

It's driven mainly in my opinion by 1) internet bro-science and 2) PITA to install. My car handled fine with just the rear but man the front really made a massive difference in body roll reduction, much more-so than when I added the rear. I think a rear-only upgrade is a nice easy mod for many people. The front on the GSW is only 24mm stock, I believe the GTI/R/Alltrack all have a thicker front bar to start which also helps out with a rear-only upgrade on those models.

 

[ZuMBLe]

I have the matched H&R set (F: 26mm/R: 24mm). Did the rear first and paired it with B8s/DG springs. Had the front done a few months ago. I commute and drive daily in and around NYC, I don't have any noticeable increase in harshness or drivability. Doing the rear first really made me notice how much I wanted one in front. IMO, the front was more immediately noticeable than the rear. I also feel like it would be a much more popular modification if it wasn't such a hassle compared to the RSB.

If your springs you had are stiffer than the FSB, you probably won't feel a difference as much. What I now experience is not terrible, but the car is certainly less comfortable over bumps now. Personally, I'm filing the FSB under "race car shit". Any turbo bigger than a IS38 is "race car shit" in my book too. Just things that hurt everyday normal performance and improve performance when "racing".

 

[ZuMBLe]

It's driven mainly in my opinion by 1) internet bro-science and 2) PITA to install. My car handled fine with just the rear but man the front really made a massive difference in body roll reduction, much more-so than when I added the rear. I think a rear-only upgrade is a nice easy mod for many people. The front on the GSW is only 24mm stock, I believe the GTI/R/Alltrack all have a thicker front bar to start which also helps out with a rear-only upgrade on those models.

Def internet bro-science. People echoing shit they heard other people say.

 

[jay745]

Def internet bro-science. People echoing shit they heard other people say.

Bingo

 

[Charlotte.:R]

I also feel like it would be a much more popular modification if it wasn't such a hassle compared to the RSB.

Pretty much this.

Those of you that had this done, about how much did it cost?