A couple weeks ago I ordered some Dinan swaybars, as they were the biggest ones I could find. The 40% off helped the decision, too.
So they came, and I was planning on just bolting them right up. Yeah, right. So there's some welding involved. Not having enough experience or any equipment, I deferred to my mechanic, who took 3 hours to do the job.
For the front, the old bushing mounts had to be cut off so the new ones (gigantic!) could be welded on. Some reinforcements also had to be welded onto the strut.
For the rear, some extra brackets were mounted that bolted into the bottom of the trunk.
I've been unable to drive the car except around the block (different story for a different day), but last night I recruited one of my friends to take me for a good ride.
WOW. The turn-in is waaaay quicker; the car just dives in compared to pre-swaybars. It settles quickly and stays nearly flat throughout the entire turn. The transition between turns is now lightning-fast. Even from the right seat, feeling the extra grip the tires are now able to produce is AMAZING. The car feels much more solid and communicative as well. My guess is that cornering speeds just went up about 10 mph.
Once I'm able to get some seat time, I can tune the swaybars a little better, although they're set up pretty well right now. I could detect slight oversteer, which I don't mind at all. Maybe I'm too inexperienced, but I'd rather have slight oversteer than slight understeer. Especially at an autocross...
ANYway, I'm stoked! The difference is like night and day. If every upgrade out there made this big of a difference for a relatively small investment, I'd be broke...fast.
When I get a chance, I'll take some pictures of the new mounts/bushings, etc.
Go drive!
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