I bought a 1 1/8 FRONT sway bar the other day that came off of a '80 Z28.

Now I've come across a pretty good deal for a used 1 1/8" aftermarket REAR sway bar.

I've learned that the front bar needs to be bigger than the rear, but no one has mentioned trying to use the SAME SIZE front and rear.

Is it ok? Would I be asking for trouble? I hate to pass up a good deal, but I don't want it to negatively affect my handling. Thanks guys! smile.gif

Sta-bars are tuning aids for suspension systems. Using the same size bar is OK as long as that is what the vehicle needs, I've never seen a car/truck that needed it but it's possible. It should also be noted that most cars do not need rear sta-bars at all. If you need a rear bar, something else is not set up correctly.

Generally speaking Dennis is absolutely right about swaybars being a tuning aid. If the car plows in corners (understeers) you need more rear bar or less front bar. If the rear end is loose and the car wants to spin out then you`ve got too much rear bar or not enough front. Almost all road race cars up to and including Formula 1 use both front and rear bars so that both ends of the car can be tuned. Normally you`d never use a rear bar the same size or larger than the front on a front engined car. However...the rear swaybars on A body (and G body) GM cars mount in an unusual way. Rather than the ends of the bar being mounted to links they`re bolted to the lower suspension arms,effectively making the "arms" of the swaybar MUCH longer than the bar alone. This exerts a LOT more leverage on the bar`s center section (the actual torsion bar section) and makes their rate much lower than their diameter might otherwise indicate. How much? Less than half! Short answer ( ;) ),you need to use a larger rear bar than you might otherwise think on A and G body cars to get the same amount of understeer reduction. With no geometry mods and stock type spring rates dual 1.125" bars should yield pretty neutral handling. It should be nice and lively in the corners but a little too much throttle will get you in trouble faster than you might be used to so if you go with it,take it easy until you get used to it. :eek: Mark

The car's suspension was pretty stock till this past year. This is what I have so far:

Front: PST Super Front End kit with polygraphite bushings. All new front end parts (tie rods, idler arm, centerlink, ball joints, etc.) are new except for Pitman arm.

1 1/8" front sway bar
stock springs and 15-year old Monroe shocks

Rear: air bags in both springs

stock springs
Competition Engineering 3-way adjustable shocks
NO rear sway bar
stock upper and lower UNBOXED control arms
factory triangulation braces


I've yet to get an alignment, so I don't know how the car truly feels. Within the next few weeks, I'll be upgrading with these components:

BMR upper adjustable control arms
BMR lower tubular arms

Koni Classic Street adjustable shocks all the way around

Originally, I wanted to get the car set up for mild cruising, a Friday drive to work and the track on weekends. In other words, safe, but more of a fun weekend strip ride.

NOW, things have come up and I will need to start using her for a daily driver by the end of next February. So, I have about 5 months to get her plenty safe, for daily driving on the freeways and city streets of Houston, TX.

Maybe I should install what I have and get a good alignment to see where I am. I still want to get the shocks and control arms, as I like the idea of adjustability for street driving and MAYBE the occasional run down the strip. Houston has WAAAY too many tracks for me not to hit one some weekend.

Advice anyone? I may just wait on the rear bar. I'm curious as to what you guys think. I know I could go thru GMpartsdirect.com and get a factory 7/8" rear bar for about $60-70. That does sound like a nice, cheap upgrade. I was really sick of how the car handled bone stock. Thanks!