Sway Bar

[alnoor15]

Anyone here have any experience with sway bars? Are they actually effective at ride handling and is it worth the investment? Been thinking about getting rear/front sway bars for my b8.5 a4, just not sure if it is worth the investment. If anyone can help greatly appreciated!

[old guy]

Adding a set of Hotchkis F/R sway bars to my A4 B6 made an incredible difference in the handling performance.

[BrewDude]

Just the rear on my allroad made a difference. Happened to find a Stasis one on clearance before they went t1ts up.

[alnoor15]

Just the rear on my allroad made a difference. Happened to find a Stasis one on clearance before they went t1ts up.

how long does it take to install the rear? If I go with it I probably would get it done at a shop.

[Coca-Cola]

I installed my 034 Motor Sport rear sway bar in my driveway. It took a few hours but worth it. Bought it on sale. -Kevin

[alnoor15]

I installed my 034 Motor Sport rear sway bar in my driveway. It took a few hours but worth it. Bought it on sale. -Kevin

ahh nice, I prob will invest in it then. Do you think it is good enough to just get the rear, or should I get rear and front?

[old guy]

ahh nice, I prob will invest in it then. Do you think it is good enough to just get the rear, or should I get rear and front?

When I installed the Hotchkis set on my A4 I installed the rear bar first and took the car for a spin. I was very impressed with the difference it made. Then when I went back and installed the front bar. It took it to a totally different level. The car felt so much more planted to the road than with just the rear bar.

[alnoor15]

When I installed the Hotchkis set on my A4 I installed the rear bar first and took the car for a spin. I was very impressed with the difference it made. Then when I went back and installed the front bar. It took it to a totally different level. The car felt so much more planted to the road than with just the rear bar.

That's sweet, I messaged my mechanic and he said that I would have to replace the end links as well. Cant I just keep the current end links I have?

[old guy]

I didn't have to on my A4. But keep in mind my A4 is a B6 rather than a B8 so the B8 could be different.

[Spawne32]

When I installed the Hotchkis set on my A4 I installed the rear bar first and took the car for a spin. I was very impressed with the difference it made. Then when I went back and installed the front bar. It took it to a totally different level. The car felt so much more planted to the road than with just the rear bar.

Did it make the ride rougher?

[Theiceman]

For clarification, are we talking about replacing stock swaybars ? Or are there none there now and just the mounting is there for S series cars ?

Sent from my SM-G973W using Audizine mobile app

[old guy]

Did it make the ride rougher?

Not at all. If you are driving over uneven terrain you can sometimes feel the sway bar stiffness transfer from one side to the other. But under normal conditions it feels the same as the OEM bars. World of difference once you start pushing hard in the corners.

[old guy]

For clarification, are we talking about replacing stock swaybars ? Or are there none there now and just the mounting is there for S series cars ?

Replacing existing OEM sway bars.

[Theiceman]

Replacing existing OEM sway bars.

Ah thanks. Sounds like a fun and reasonably priced upgrade.
Any popular choices for my b 8.5 ?

Sent from my SM-G973W using Audizine mobile app

[old guy]

Ah thanks. Sounds like a fun and reasonably priced upgrade.
Any popular choices for my b 8.5 ?

I will be installing a Hotchkis set on my A5. I have used them on numerous other vehicles and have never been disappointed. They are a hollow tube construction rather than a solid rod. They are adjustable and come with greasable polyurethane bushings. They are not the cheapest out there but you get what you pay for. Here's the set for your A4. Clicky click®

[Theiceman]

I will be installing a Hotchkis set on my A5. I have used them on numerous other vehicles and have never been disappointed. They are a hollow tube construction rather than a solid rod. They are adjustable and come with greasable polyurethane bushings. They are not the cheapest out there but you get what you pay for. Here's the set for your A4. Clicky click

Great thanks !!

Sent from my SM-G973W using Audizine mobile app

[whats77inaname]

Did it make the ride rougher?

I was a bit apprehensive about that when I did it, as well. The ride isn't rougher, even with H&R coils. But it does feel significantly more planted in transition. There's a traffic circle in my neighborhood, and I can take it at a much higher rate of speed with a lot more confidence than before I made this upgrade. The upgrade really shines w/a CR15 and an Alu-Kruez. I've had 800lbs of adult in the car and even with the drop, the ride felt sorted, so sway bars = highly recommended.

[mtroxel]

Did it make the ride rougher?

Not at all. If you are driving over uneven terrain you can sometimes feel the sway bar stiffness transfer from one side to the other. But under normal conditions it feels the same as the OEM bars. World of difference once you start pushing hard in the corners.

I agree. The Hotchkiss I put on my B5 made a big difference. But, I did notice the ride penalty. Obviously if you hit a speed bump dead on, there is no penalty. But a pot hole, or your wheels are turned, etc. I wouldn't do it again. I thought the ride penalty was a bit much of a trade off.

[Iceman502]

That's sweet, I messaged my mechanic and he said that I would have to replace the end links as well. Cant I just keep the current end links I have?

Also curious, should you use a new OEM replacement set or is it worth getting an aftermarket billet/adjustable set like what 034 offers? There is a significant price difference between the two....

[old guy]

Unless you are planning to corner balance your car I wouldn't bother with the adjustable links. For a street driven vehicle I doubt you will ever feel the difference.

[JLAllroad]

A note on sways and body roll. You will notice a huge difference by just adding the rear, but, if you want to eliminate most of the roll “feel” you will want the front as well. This is not necessarily the best for all out handling (on a track) as it increases understeer, but gives a “controlled feel” for a street driven car.

As for end links I have yet to hear of a failure of the stock links but I’ve heard plenty about noise created by aftermarket links.

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=860666


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[Iceman502]

A note on sways and body roll. You will notice a huge difference by just adding the rear, but, if you want to eliminate most of the roll “feel” you will want the front as well. This is not necessarily the best for all out handling (on a track) as it increases understeer, but gives a “controlled feel” for a street driven car.

As for end links I have yet to hear of a failure of the stock links but I’ve heard plenty about noise created by aftermarket links.

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=860666


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

Unless you are planning to corner balance your car I wouldn't bother with the adjustable links. For a street driven vehicle I doubt you will ever feel the difference.

Much appreciated! I don't see corner balancing in my future and am all about avoiding a $400 noise issue. Getting ready to proceed with a Eurocode kit since it's on sale with free shipping. https://www.ecodetuning.com/EC0202-0...ategory_id=650

[Iceman502]

Eurocode sways installed this weekend, and so far they have made a considerable difference in handling. Going through curves and on/off ramps and the car does not dive into the turn the way it once did. To me it feels much more balanced and planted, allowing for greater speed and confidence through all driving conditions (2.5 hour drive back to Raleigh last night gave me some time to test them out). The overall comfort has not been reduced and I only notice a slight transfer from side to side when hitting larger bumps in the road. I appreciate the input from this thread and am very happy with the purchase. Sitting at 85k and looking at some Vogltand's once I hit 100k as the next step!

[the-quattro-man]

Anyone here have any experience with sway bars? Are they actually effective at ride handling and is it worth the investment? Been thinking about getting rear/front sway bars for my b8.5 a4, just not sure if it is worth the investment. If anyone can help greatly appreciated!

The rear sway bar on B8.5 A4 is tiny but the front is ok. I'm planning on just replacing the rear.

[Theiceman]

nice, if they had some form of customer service i might have owned some too :)

[Iceman502]

Figured this might be worth sharing: the front set was easy and I just put the car up on rhino ramps. With the front panel dropped you have plenty of room for access with a socket wrench and short extensions. You'll want a normal socket set and ratcheting crescent wrenches for 13mm and 16mm. The front end link stays installed but is twisted slightly to remove the sway bar connecting bolt. The rear I had to use jack stands so the suspension would drop to provide more working room. The whole rear end link comes out (shock tube blocks access to sway bar bolt) and would be impossible to remove otherwise. The hardware kit I bought from Eurocode had everything to replace the TTY bolts, and grease for the bushings came with the bars themselves.

I would recommend dropping the muffler as the instructions suggest to give you much better access on the rear, especially since I broke the head off one of the bushing bolts. Luckily, the bolt threads into a U channel shaped piece of steel, so I was able to thread it out the back. This prompted me to be very careful with the rear end link bolts as they thread into cast iron.

[Depthcharge]

I've already got the iron cross, thinking about doing just the rears when I do the transmission fluid service (have to drop the AK anyway, why waste a set of stretch bolts) and will report back. Also, two Icemen in one thread? Haha bettlejuice!

[Theiceman]

yeah one iceman isnt happy though :(

[spin0rz]

My car comes with the s4 front and rear sways. Im wondering how many people upgraded from thinner non sport sways bars.

OEM non sport: front 25.6mm, rear 19.6mm
OEM sport sways: 26.5mm, rear 21.7mm
Hotchkis: 32mm front, 25.5mm rear

The difference is quite significative from non OEM but I wonder for a daily driver if the need is justifiable. How much more PLANTED can this get?

Lets say I get a strut tower brace, the logical option be to upgrade the rear sway?

[Iceman502]

I installed the CF strut bar from ECS about a year ago and thought it provided a noticeable difference in ride firmness and flattened the car out some through corners. While not as big of a jump as upgrading the front and rear sways, it was still well worth the relatively light investment imho. So far I’m loving the combo of all three.

[A4x]

My car comes with the s4 front and rear sways. Im wondering how many people upgraded from thinner non sport sways bars.

OEM non sport: front 25.6mm, rear 19.6mm
OEM sport sways: 26.5mm, rear 21.7mm
Hotchkis: 32mm front, 25.5mm rear

The difference is quite significative from non OEM but I wonder for a daily driver if the need is justifiable. How much more PLANTED can this get?

Lets say I get a strut tower brace, the logical option be to upgrade the rear sway?

I'm one of the people that wants to upgrade from the non-sport sways to the sport sways. Just lacking the time to track down a good deal on some S4 sways, nevermind the install.

The reason I want to upgrade like this is:
1. Should be much cheaper than buying aftermarket sways.
2. Maintain some OEM comfort.

[whats77inaname]

Eurocode sways installed this weekend, and so far they have made a considerable difference in handling. Going through curves and on/off ramps and the car does not dive into the turn the way it once did. To me it feels much more balanced and planted, allowing for greater speed and confidence through all driving conditions (2.5 hour drive back to Raleigh last night gave me some time to test them out). The overall comfort has not been reduced and I only notice a slight transfer from side to side when hitting larger bumps in the road. I appreciate the input from this thread and am very happy with the purchase. Sitting at 85k and looking at some Vogltand's once I hit 100k as the next step!

Glad you're enjoying them. 10ish or so months ago this thread popped up https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...inks-setup-new

The parts sat for a MONTH and no one really moved on it b/c dude couldn't figure out how to get pics to load. TL;DR, I trusted him and paid $340 shipped for a brand new set of Eurocode front/rear sways and adjustable end links.

Welcome to the club!

[A4x]

I picked up an RS5 rear sway bar from eBay for $70. Part number 8K0511305S. It should fit.

22.5 mm thickness. My stock bar is 19.6 mm. That is a 15% increase in diameter which corresponds to a 75% increase in stiffness. Going to try to install this weekend with Moog end links for increased rigidity.

Finally, 3 years after a Bilstein B12 suspension install, I will get some matching sway bars to really tighten the handling up!

[whats77inaname]

I picked up an RS5 rear sway bar from eBay for $70. Part number 8K0511305S. It should fit.

22.5 mm thickness. My stock bar is 19.6 mm. That is a 15% increase in diameter which corresponds to a 75% increase in stiffness. Going to try to install this weekend with Moog end links for increased rigidity.

Finally, 3 years after a Bilstein B12 suspension install, I will get some matching sway bars to really tighten the handling up!

That's my kind of deal!

[A4x]

Well shit, I broke the weld on one of the nuts that the triple square bolts go into in the sway bar bracket. Then couldn't hold the nut and break it from the bolt. This means I couldn't get my stock sway bar out and the car is looser than a banana peel on the road now.

So frustrating.

Of course this happens on a relatively simple install. I should just give up trying to do jobs like this. I hope a shop can cut the bolt free and get another nut and bolt on the new bar to tighten things up.

[MeesterChoo]

is it advisable to mix h/r anti sways with airtekk air suspension ??

[Stubek]

is it advisable to mix h/r anti sways with airtekk air suspension ??

Start a new thread for this question. Don’t bring up an old thread that is only about half of your answer.