MoncefGS

Strut bars are just bars that increase structural rigidity.

Sway bars connect both sides of the suspension together, so as you turn, it indirectly increases the spring rate, reducing body roll.

sakataj

iTrader: (182)

i have been saying to everyone to stop using carsons for years now.....they are super, super high. if you register to Sewell you can get them for much, much cheaper

PushinLEX

iTrader: (9)

Well, the front and rear sway bars go under the car and tighten up the undercarriage. The front and rear strut bars connect the strut tower mounts together on the upper body of the car.

I added daizen sway bars after I lowered my GS on Tein CS V.2. The sway bars made the biggest difference in cornering handling, by far. Turning with the sways is just smooth and solid, greatly reducing body roll. You can feel the sways catch the car in your turns as it fights to keep your car from flexing.

Now I added the struts last. So they may have had a more pronounced effect in conjunction with the lowering and sways, as it completed the rigid geometry of the car. Suspension mods are complementary and each additional suspension mod has an ever increasing effect as the whole beast becomes more rigid. Now if I had a stock GS with just the strut bars, I'm sure the difference in handling would be negligible. But when you complete your suspension setup with the struts, it makes a BIG difference.

The GS is a pig. You can really feel the strut bars reduce upper body roll in hard cornering. The GS turns sharper with much more ease. You can really feel the rear strut bar come into play when you make super hard rights or do donuts. When doing donuts, the GS swings like its on a ball and joint pivot. I can literally drift in my car now. Lastly, I can make sharper U turns.

Order of suspension mods with most bang for buck IME:

(1) Lower.
(2) Sways.
(3) Struts.
(4) Bushing Kit.
(5) Other (A-frames, multi-link kits, etc.).

repugnante

I felt no difference with the strut bar. It seems that this car vastly improves with the upgraded sway bar

DavidCBY

All of you guys, thanks a million for your help. I know exactly what to do, and when to do it. Soon as I moog out my front end, ill get on the sways. Only thing, with 235/45/17 tires, how far can I lower it before rca's are required?