[Dark_Knight_335]

The more I think I'm going to sell them without even installing them. While they allow for better cornering, they seem to cut down on the body roll somewhat that indicates to you, as a driver, when to cut the shit and risk being in a world of shit.

Can anyone please help ease my mind, or talk me into or out of doing this? Just ordered a set, but now I'm losing my balls and am no longer certain it's a great idea. Maybe I should just leave the suspension to stock I have a 2009 328xi coupe.

[guerilla twang]

Attend your next local car control clinic, get some track time.

Know how the car is going to respond, when/if you do lose it.

I'd say keep them, invest in some driving schools, then slap them on there and explore the edge at a TRACK. Where it is as safe as possible.

[Dark_Knight_335]

Sounds good man. We all get those moments where we get insecure
Anyone actually have swaybars (JUST swaybars, everything else stock) and can attest to the effectiveness/ ineffectiveness of them? Seems like for 600 bucks the impact can't be all that dramatic, though I could be wrong!

[guerilla twang]

Originally Posted by SDeFranco1

Sounds good man. We all get those moments where we get insecure
Anyone actually have swaybars (JUST swaybars, everything else stock) and can attest to the effectiveness/ ineffectiveness of them? Seems like for 600 bucks the impact can't be all that dramatic, though I could be wrong!

Completely understandable, i can't attest for them on my current car; but I had them on my old mkIV jetta and they made a world of difference. Good luck!

[Tee212]

They kick ass and makes the most difference per dollar far as suspension upgrading goes imo.

[DimSum]

I got them H&R's without the right tires and setup they start to under-steer kinda bad.

[rlndeep]

Which sway bars did you purchase?

[Stuart@BMRAutowerkes]

I thought I'd chip in here without making a new thread.

How can I use swaybars to give more front end grip and less understeer?

[5erman]

you have a 328xi-by no means are they even sport sway bars, let alone even close to high performance. You are in need of them. A super overly stiff swaybar, something you will never see on a 328 does what you say but not anything you can put on.

On my 5 series with active roll stabilization the front and rear sway bars stiffen the harder you turn and there is NO body roll-however you still can tell when the car is at the limits based on other things.

YOu would greatly benefit from this mod

[marconi118]

go for M3 E92 or 335i E93 bars ZSP

E93 335i are softer

[neoduffer]

I think you'll get more out of front camber plates and tires if you're looking for grip.

[e90pilot]

Originally Posted by 5erman

you have a 328xi-by no means are they even sport sway bars, let alone even close to high performance. You are in need of them. A super overly stiff swaybar, something you will never see on a 328 does what you say but not anything you can put on.

On my 5 series with active roll stabilization the front and rear sway bars stiffen the harder you turn and there is NO body roll-however you still can tell when the car is at the limits based on other things.

YOu would greatly benefit from this mod

Well said. Active roll stabilization is one of the best handling gizmos BMW ever put on a car. I wish they put it on the 3 series.

I have Dinan sway bars and it is not snappy at all. The car has so much roll with stock zsp and rode so stiff. At least now I have some handling to go with my stiff ride. The rear sway is really important. That being said, my car still understeered way too much even after I got stage 3 from dinan. Dinan does not use a super stiff rear sway.

The real key was the front tires. I widened them to 245 on an 8.5" wheel. If you've ever driven a non-sport 3 series, the limits are low, but balance is way better than ZSP. The car just doesn't have enough front grip to overcome the massive rear tires. Not only that, the 28/25 doesn't have enough grunt to use all that rear rubber.

[OnlyTruth]

Originally Posted by 5erman

you have a 328xi-by no means are they even sport sway bars, let alone even close to high performance. You are in need of them. A super overly stiff swaybar, something you will never see on a 328 does what you say but not anything you can put on.

On my 5 series with active roll stabilization the front and rear sway bars stiffen the harder you turn and there is NO body roll-however you still can tell when the car is at the limits based on other things.

YOu would greatly benefit from this mod

Wonder what are these things you that tell you what is going on with car control?

[Dark_Knight_335]

Originally Posted by Oleg

Wonder what are these things you that tell you what is going on with car control?

Your tires starting to chirp, followed by people swerving out of your way

[Dark_Knight_335]

Originally Posted by rlndeep

Which sway bars did you purchase?

You know what? I'm not sure, let me find out- the tuning shop who did my AA flash bought em for me

[Psukhe]

Originally Posted by Oleg

Wonder what are these things you that tell you what is going on with car control?

For me it's a feeling of utter and sheer terror as the concrete barricade gets closer and closer and closer?

[mike-y]

the 328 and 335 use the same size swaybars last I checked, fwiw. Anyway, you need to find out which swaybars you have, and what size they are. Assuming they are solid swaybars (most are), you can start comparing the sizes to stock.

A swaybar basically acts as an extra spring, when cornering loads are applied. A simplified rule of thumb, is that a stiffer rear swaybar will cause the rear end to lose traction easier, and a stiffer front bar will cause the front end to break traction earlier than before.

When you get both, you need to look at the ratio of front to rear stiffness/size compared to the stock bars, to get an idea of how the balance will change. And some bars are adjustable, so there can be some fine tuning involved.

Many front wheel drive cars benefit from adding a thicker rear bar only, since they are inherently front heavy and tend to understeer. adding only a thicker bar in the rear makes the car more neutral.

The same theory applies to a RWD car, but the changes are usually a lot smaller in size. So find out what size front and rear bars you have, and we can compare them to stock.

[OnlyTruth]

Originally Posted by SDeFranco1

Your tires starting to chirp, followed by people swerving out of your way

Originally Posted by Psukhe

For me it's a feeling of utter and sheer terror as the concrete barricade gets closer and closer and closer?

seriously, probably to much pressure feel from the door? or feeling that you have to hold on to steering wheel tighter?

[stressdoc]

I would advise against changing sways unless you also change dampers & springs.

The rear sway is an expensive install.

[Dark_Knight_335]

Crap. Would it make that much of a negative difference with my setup?

[e90pilot]

Negative difference? It depends on your driving style. What don't you like about the way your car handles now, or what do you want to improve? My car understeered badly and still did after I installed coiloveres as swaybars. I only got rid of the understeer when I reduced the tire stagger because that's the way my setup was tuned.

When to get something for your car, keep a goal in mind. The sways bars will reduce body roll and increase steering response but may lower grip if it's too stiff. The rear bar will cause you to go up on three wheels on uneven driveways. I think the handling benefit outweighs the disadvantages. Remember also whatever you're getting may or may not have been tested with your setup. It's always better to get something that was designed for your car's configuration.

[Dark_Knight_335]

Originally Posted by e90pilot

Negative difference? It depends on your driving style. What don't you like about the way your car handles now, or what do you want to improve? My car understeered badly and still did after I installed coiloveres as swaybars. I only got rid of the understeer when I reduced the tire stagger because that's the way my setup was tuned.

When to get something for your car, keep a goal in mind. The sways bars will reduce body roll and increase steering response but may lower grip if it's too stiff. The rear bar will cause you to go up on three wheels on uneven driveways. I think the handling benefit outweighs the disadvantages. Remember also whatever you're getting may or may not have been tested with your setup. It's always better to get something that was designed for your car's configuration.

Well essentially I am looking for a reduction in body roll, slightly, and increase my steering response. I don't want to do laps on a track, and it is a daily driver (not in severe winter weather). Just looking for a little more tweak to get that extra handling on the curves so it's not leaning back and forth like a drunk wildebeast during my occasional "spirited" driving romps. Nothing more.