Sway Bars with Snow and Ice (WInter Driving)
08-11-04, 09:08 PM
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Sway Bars with Snow and Ice (WInter Driving)
Do stiffer sway bars hurt the performance of a (front heavy) car on snow/ice?
The handling of my '98 ES300 is sloppy when pushed hard around corners but I don't think the ride quality is all that great to start with, so I don't want to get stiffer springs/shocks. (Try driving the 4cyl Camry over the same roads sometime and it soaks up everything like a European car, but with lots of body bobbing.) The ES isn't a sports car, but it isn't really soft either - they definitely tried to compromise.
I'm thinking about adding either the TRD rear sway bar or the Whiteline bars, although I'm not wild about poly bushing. (Cars should move, they shouldn't be heard.) But my concern is winter handling.
I've only had the car through one winter, and the tires will be replaced soon, but I forgot how awful a front heavy car is in snow and ice. My last car was rear wheel drive and I always new when it was breaking loose and could easily control it. The ES300's light back end broke away from me twice last year on ice with so little warning that I lost all control. I'm almost scared to keep the car, but luckily winters aren't that long here and I don't drive all that far.
As I understand it, the thicker rear sway bar that so many people recommend will cause the rear end to break away even sooner than the front, which it already does on slippery roads. Could it be that Toyota designed the rear soft to keep everyone from spinning of the roads? Given my experience on snow, I'd be more tempted to upgrade the front only.
I have no experience with performance suspensions and would really appreciate any input!
Thanks,
Mark
The handling of my '98 ES300 is sloppy when pushed hard around corners but I don't think the ride quality is all that great to start with, so I don't want to get stiffer springs/shocks. (Try driving the 4cyl Camry over the same roads sometime and it soaks up everything like a European car, but with lots of body bobbing.) The ES isn't a sports car, but it isn't really soft either - they definitely tried to compromise.
I'm thinking about adding either the TRD rear sway bar or the Whiteline bars, although I'm not wild about poly bushing. (Cars should move, they shouldn't be heard.) But my concern is winter handling.
I've only had the car through one winter, and the tires will be replaced soon, but I forgot how awful a front heavy car is in snow and ice. My last car was rear wheel drive and I always new when it was breaking loose and could easily control it. The ES300's light back end broke away from me twice last year on ice with so little warning that I lost all control. I'm almost scared to keep the car, but luckily winters aren't that long here and I don't drive all that far.
As I understand it, the thicker rear sway bar that so many people recommend will cause the rear end to break away even sooner than the front, which it already does on slippery roads. Could it be that Toyota designed the rear soft to keep everyone from spinning of the roads? Given my experience on snow, I'd be more tempted to upgrade the front only.
I have no experience with performance suspensions and would really appreciate any input!
Thanks,
Mark
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