i just got off the phone w/ summit. Hotchkis front swaybar $196.95 1 1/8 hollow bar high carbon steel . Summit brand front sway bar $139.95, 1 1/18 4140 chromemoly spring steel solid bar .Hotchkis 4lb. lighter. Any body have any opinions on which way to go on this ?
Has anyone ever used the summit brand? Pro & cons thanks
phillip

i just got off the phone w/ summit. Hotchkis front swaybar $196.95 1 1/8 hollow bar high carbon steel . Summit brand front sway bar $139.95, 1 1/18 4140 chromemoly spring steel solid bar .Hotchkis 4lb. lighter. Any body have any opinions on which way to go on this ?
Has anyone ever used the summit brand? Pro & cons thanks
phillip

First, you can get the Hotchkis for a round $180, and this would make it a $40 difference. There's a slight benefit to less weight, but it's pretty negligible at 4lbs difference. It's also suggested that you keep certain suspension components "matched", but if you haven't changed anything except the anti-sway bar you might want to go with the one with a lower rating (I'd guess Summit's, but don't know). If you're not making any other suspension changes...you should consult with an expert as to whether a bigger/thicker anti-sway is a wise choice on its own. Hopefully someone here can chime in on that aspect.

I would think that a 1-1/8" solid s/b would equal the twist of a 1-1/4" hollow s/b.

I think David or somebody has posted a table on this..

pdq67

I do have the the hotchkis front springs /rear leaf ,bilstien shocks ,guldstrand mode I guess the question is which one is going to be more benificial to my set up solid or hollow ? thanks

I do have the the hotchkis front springs /rear leaf ,bilstien shocks ,guldstrand mode I guess the question is which one is going to be more benificial to my set up solid or hollow ? thanks

In that ^ case, go with the Hotchkis, hands down. And what pdq was trying to say (I think) is that a 1-1/8" hollow bar has equal strength to a 1" solid.

Go to "Do I need a new front sway bar thread ,lots of good info. and visit David Pozzi's site I didand did a lot of homework before I bought my suspension kit and took David's advice Hotchkis TVS kit complete shocks and all,I love it ,even though I only got one good cruse in before the rains hit ...Happy Motoring

If you have the Hotchkis springs, then their bars are made to go with the springs. Other brand bars may work, but are most likely designed to work with stock springs. A hollow Hotchkis front bar is almost the same calculated rate of a 1" solid bar. However the rear bar cannot be easily compared due to the different arm lengths and widths.

What I'm trying to say is, the Summit bars are close and may work fine, but they might be a bit off, resulting in the balance F/R being wrong. Also if there is a large difference in tire sizes front to rear, some added bar mods may be needed.
David

Thanks all

I installed Hotchkis TVS kit on mine. It is not back down on the ground yet but I have made an observation about the front sway bar. It has stops on the bar that prevent it from moving side to side in the bushings. I am not an engineer but it looks like this would transfer the weight/pressure to the body through the mounts instead of transfering it to the opposite side of the suspension. I am sure they put lots of engineering in it and it was just an observation compared to most of the other designs. Thoughts ?

I had the hollow Hotchkiss bar on my X11 along with the HAL/QA1 coilover conversion, Steeroids power rack and pinion kit, poly bushings everywhere, stock A-arms and that car would 'bout fling your head out the window if you cranked the wheel at speed. The only problem i had with my sway bar was my 17x9 wheels with 255/40/17 tires would rub at full lock.:(

I think a solid 1 1/8" bar would be a bit too much. These cars really DO NOT like too much sway bar.

Eveyone wants to save money and I try to help people do that for a living, but to be blunt, your triping over dollars to pick up pennies trying to save $60 on a sway bar when you already have Hotchkis parts on the car.

Also, I did not know Summit were reknowned suspension designers like John Hotchkis. The designer of the Summit bar is probably Hun Yoe Chow!

Also, I did not know Summit were reknowned suspension designers like John Hotchkis. The designer of the Summit bar is probably Hun Yoe Chow!

Or some guy at Addco or Hellwig and wholesales them off to Summit...

The Hellwig bars are quality bars. A 1" front Helwig or Addco bar is equal to a 1 1/8" hollow Hotchkis bar, but I don't know about the rear bar. I wouldn't go to a 1 1/8" front bar on a first gen unless it had totally stock springs and wide wheels and tires, which isn't logical anyway. You need stiffer springs to control a car that has wide tires. You need a matching rear bar.

It seems the direction is going from front bar/no rear bar to front bar/rear bar for better balance and/or tuning(?) Years back, I did the usual front 1 1/8" hollow bar with Bilsteins and GW coils for the front and Hotchkis leafs with no rear bar and bilsteins. I also have 16" rims with 245/50-16 in front and 255/50-16 in the rear. Am I mismatched?

It seems the direction is going from front bar/no rear bar to front bar/rear bar for better balance and/or tuning(?) Years back, I did the usual front 1 1/8" hollow bar with Bilsteins and GW coils for the front and Hotchkis leafs with no rear bar and bilsteins. I also have 16" rims with 245/50-16 in front and 255/50-16 in the rear. Am I mismatched?

The only way to tell is to get out on the track and sling it around a little. Your car will speak to you.