Installing a F-Sport Sway Bar
#16
I am extremely happy with the F-Sport bars and feel they were well worth the money. Steering is direct and predictable, cornering is nice and neutral.
I would recommend them to anyone thinking about buying them.
I would recommend them to anyone thinking about buying them.
#18
Only the rear sway bar is available for the IS250 AWD, but it made a major difference in cornering. Reduced the oversteer, not that there was much to begin with. Well worth the price. I notice the bar is about twice the thickness plus is straight rather than curved (why the curve on the stock bar, I'm not sure). Both add to the rigidity. And as it should, it did not affect the vertical stiffness when going over bumps in the road.
#19
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Would the rear sway for the AWD work on the RWD ISX50? On some cars, "upgrading" the front sway is minimal. Even without a front sway, wouldnt having just a rear improve the overall handling of the car?
#20
I can't see how it would hurt. It should be an improvement no matter what. It's not like replacing half your springs. The AWD and RWD can't be that much different. It would be interesting to see if the rear bar of the two bar RWD package is the same as the single rear bar sold for us AWD folks.
#22
Only the rear sway bar is available for the IS250 AWD, but it made a major difference in cornering. Reduced the oversteer, not that there was much to begin with. Well worth the price. I notice the bar is about twice the thickness plus is straight rather than curved (why the curve on the stock bar, I'm not sure). Both add to the rigidity. And as it should, it did not affect the vertical stiffness when going over bumps in the road.
Even the IS 250 and IS 350 RWD suffers from Understeer.
How the heck does our AWD suffer from Oversteer?
I'm so confused . . .
The AWD model has front sways that are already as thick as the F-Sport options in the RWD models. That's why they offer only the Rear sway bar for AWD models. It'll make the handling more neutral by making the rear more stiff and slide out more to counteract the understeer.
I hope I'm not the one that's confused here . . .
I need Lance here . . . now
#23
I just finish installing the F sport rear swaybar on the IS. It was a very easy install that took about 30 mins. If anyone is wondering the IS350 rear swaybar is the same one as the AWD rear one. When I placed an order with Sewell, they basically told me to just order the AWD rear.
Last edited by LexyIS350; 09-23-08 at 11:08 PM.
#24
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I just finish installing the F sport rear swaybar on the IS. It was a very easy install that took about 30 mins. If anyone is wondering the IS350 rear swaybar is the same one as the AWD rear one. When I placed an order with Sewell, they basically told me to just order the AWD rear.
#25
I only driven it around the block and thats not enough for me to notice any improvement. I will take it up to Highway 9 near Saratoga this weekend and see how much it helped with the body roll.
#27
For the IS250 AWD, besides the F-Sport bar being straight across as opposed to multiple bends on the stock bar, it is substantually thicker (almost 1.5 times) in diameter. Not sure if the steel itself is a different grade, but the bar is definitely heavier. And being straight rather than having bends should increase the torsion. And yes, it is powder-coated in a pretty blue with the logo! Very important to put it on with the logo upright!
#28
To answer your question about cost. Got it from Sewell - total cost was $189 including FedEx Ground shipping. Make sure to enter discount code "F-SPORT" at checkout. Better discount than the CL code. I installed it myself with car on ramps. Hardest part was manuevering the OEM bar out due to its curved shape once I had removed it. New one slips in easy as it is straight. Follow the detailed instructions and hints and you'll be fine.
#29
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can you write some review of how the body roll and handling improved with only the rear sway bar?
thanks in adavnce
#30
Well I finally got a chance to take it out and see how it affected my handling. First of all I by no mean pushed it to the max on public road. That would be too dangerous even on a road with low traffic. I drove it about 60percent of what it's capable of.
The body roll was reduced. Not by a huge amount but significant enough to make the car feel "tighter". Everytime I would turn left and then a quick right on the curve, the weight transfer was minimized. The back end felt more reactive to my steering input without the previous sway. I couldn't tell if the car's tendency to understeer was reduced, since I don't want to end up rolling down a hill but I did notice the turn in was quicker in response.
Please keep in mind this rear swaybar is the only suspension upgrade in this car. I'm sure, if I added the F-Sport spring and shocks, the improvment would've been magnified. Overall for $195, this upgrade was well worth the money for it's return. Now for the tires...
The body roll was reduced. Not by a huge amount but significant enough to make the car feel "tighter". Everytime I would turn left and then a quick right on the curve, the weight transfer was minimized. The back end felt more reactive to my steering input without the previous sway. I couldn't tell if the car's tendency to understeer was reduced, since I don't want to end up rolling down a hill but I did notice the turn in was quicker in response.
Please keep in mind this rear swaybar is the only suspension upgrade in this car. I'm sure, if I added the F-Sport spring and shocks, the improvment would've been magnified. Overall for $195, this upgrade was well worth the money for it's return. Now for the tires...
Last edited by LexyIS350; 09-27-08 at 02:42 AM.