Topic: Sway bars

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Could one of the more knowledgeable members of this forum please educate me on the differences between the stock Redline sway bars and the "ZOK" items I have seen mentioned? Do they make a real difference in the way the car feels and handles?
Thanks in advance 

[Carbon Sky]

A sway bar is more accurately described as an anti-sway bar in that it's attempting to reduce sway, or lean.  It does so by coupling the suspension on either left/right side to the other through this bar.

Generally up to a given point and depending on wheel base and center of gravity, the more you resist lean, the less total grip you can generate, but the quicker you get to that maximum weight transfer and thus maximum grip in a corner.  When you go with more lean, you actually generate more grip because you transfer weight better to the outside wheels which are doing a lot more of the cornering than the inside wheels.  But now transitions between left and right become more dramatic, and a bit of a pendulum effect can be utilized (think of the "Scandanavian flick").

The ZOK bars are stiffer than the FE3 bars, and thus resist roll more.  When you increase the roll stiffness in the rear compared to the front, it tends towards oversteer, and when you increase the the front roll stiffness compared to the rear, you will get more understeer.

Getting the ZOK rear bar alone will be quite noticeable.  It will be far more neutral, and depending on how much power you have, and what tires you run, perhaps even more prone to oversteer.  If you get both front and rear ZOK bars, it'll feel a lot more like stock in terms of under/oversteer, but will not lean as much under higher cornering loads.  So if all you want is mostly less lean in a corner, get both front and rear.  But if you want it to be more neutral, and understeer less, go with just the rear bar.

It used to bug me that my car would understeer on tighter on ramps, and that the only way to get it more neutral was to break traction under power.  Now the same on ramps have me generating four wheel drifts on command.  Albeit, the rear ZOK bar was the last suspension addition after many of the other frame stiffeners.  Don't forget all the other practically required body stiffeners like a backbone, a probeam, and even a LVFCB.

[LatinVenom]

The LVKFCB is now been offer by DDM with no wait, so you can get all three components mentioned by Carbon SKY through DDM.

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Thank you Gentlemen.  I already have the LV brace; I bought it directly from him some time ago and the backbone is coming soon. I had been curious for some time if adding the ZOK pieces would make a difference if added. If I read your comments correctly, for balanced use(daily Driver) ZOK on front and rear would be best? I assume that these bars will require new bushings, brackets,etc? I will do some searching and see what I can find.
Thank you....

[Sly Bob]

The entire set of Redline ZOK swaybars with the bushing can be purchased through DDM.

http://ddmworks.com/sky/suspension/zok_package.html

[Carbon Sky]

Thank you Gentlemen.  I already have the LV brace; I bought it directly from him some time ago and the backbone is coming soon. I had been curious for some time if adding the ZOK pieces would make a difference if added. If I read your comments correctly, for balanced use(daily Driver) ZOK on front and rear would be best? I assume that these bars will require new bushings, brackets,etc? I will do some searching and see what I can find.
Thank you....

The ZOK front and rear setup still tends towards steady state understeer.  As in, put it on a 200 ft skid pad, start building up speed slowly, and the front will understeer before the rear will oversteer.  So arguably it's a "safer" setup.  Going with ZOK rear only will require a little more "attention" on those days with rain and snow, but I have more control over the car in that because it's closer to neutral, it's not constant understeer only . . . depending on weight transfer, my car regularly slightly over and under steers, which is what I want.  However, some people prefer the slight "dumbed downness" of steady state understeer, and call "neutral" dangerous.

Like there are times in the winter when I'm running around in my fiance's 2011 Mazda 3, and it's so much easier to drive at the limit.  And there were times I appreciated the fact I was in that car and not my own at 120km/h in snow on the high way.

My personal opinion, go with the rear bar only first.  If you feel like it's a little too aggressive, get the front bar to match.  Won't cost you significantly more to do it this way, and if you find you like it, it'll save you for sure.