Just installed them today and let me just say WOW! You can really feel the difference taking corners and traveling at high speeds on the highway. I ordered them on Monday from GRUPPE-S and picked 3 day select shipping, they got here in 2 days. Definately would recommend them, quick service and reliable ordering. The stock sway bars are hollow as the cusco's are solid all the way through. I've always felt less body flex w/ solid bars then hollow. I've come to the conclusion that solid bars allow less flex compared to hollow. Since the Nismo bars are hollow, I decided to go w/ the cusco's and i'm glad I did. I am in no way badgering the nismo bars as i'm pretty sure their great but I believe solid is better IMO. Plus, the cusco front sway is adjustable as Nismo is not. Definately recommend for anyone who upgraded to 19's. This will help cure the understeer a bit without spending $1500+ on suspension.

 

how much were they?

 

Any increase in ride harshness?

 

Can I see some pics, thanks!

 

The car handles a lot better, I don't know what you mean by "ride harshness" but the understeer is a lot better. I paid $495 shipped and $80 to install, definately worth it. I will get pics as soon as I get my camera back.

 

The ride is more harsh right? That's usually what happens when you install sway bars on a car... When going over bumps the left and right side don't have as much independent travel because the stiffer sway bar makes it harder for the suspension to travel independently (left from right).

 

No, it's actually improved. I feel that the car is stiffer going over bumps. No complaints here!

 

When you say stiffer do you mean the chassis feels more solid?

Or do you mean the ride is stiffer (Therefore more uncomfortable?)

 

Hey guys!!

First of all, i'm glad your happy with the Cusco sways zdreamz. Cusco is reknowned for making very high quality suspension pieces, I've always trusted them as they really know what they are doing. BTW, do you have them on the stiffest setting right now? Lets see those pics

Z461--Swaybars do not make the ride stiffer. Rather, they tie the chassis together thus making the chassis itself stiffer. This will provide more direct feeling and predictability of the car through turns. I hope this helped

Thanks guys,
Mike
mike@gruppe-s.com

 

I don't think they actually make the chassis stiffer, they just prevent the struts on both sides from responding as independently, it's the strut bar that actually makes the chassis tighter...

 

How long did it take for you to get the sway bars from Gruppe-S??

 

I bought my Tein Flex's at Gruppe-S and had them installed yesterday at thei shop. What a huge difference- understeer is gone.
I'm supposed to be getting the Cusco sways in the next week or two. Whenever their next shipment comes (when are they coming Mike ? ). After reading your post I can't wait to get the sways installed.
The guys at Gruppe-S are good guys- I would definitely recommend them. (Mike- give me a call when the Cusco's show up )

 

So many discussions on chassis tuning I thought I'd add few notes:

Sway bars, or anti-roll bars, stiffen the tendency of the entire chassis to roll from side to side. This is accomplished through stiffer bars. When the chassis starts rolling to one side due to a corner the bar twists; a stiffer anti-roll bar resists the twist more obviously, hence less weight transfer from side to side; thus better cornering ability.

Ride harshness does get effected due to stiffer anti-roll bars, but not too much. Suspension systems, or as commonly called coil-over systems, determine the final harshness. The "harshness" of a ride is determined by the bound setting of the suspension. If it is too soft, you will feel a plush (Cadilac-type) ride; if it is too stiff you will feel like a race car type ride. If it is too stiff, the car may bounce too much over bumps and cause loose traction. The bound and rebound settings of the suspension systems also help during "transient cornering" (and strut bars help keep chassis-flex to a minimum during such transitioning) where as springs and anti-roll bars help steady-state cornering.

So, initial turn-in response to a corner and in-corner dynamics of a chassis can be tuned carefull by adjusting all these 6 elements (one at a time), provided that everything else stays contant

 

Great information!

I think I'm going to hold out for the 350EVO guys. It sounds like they are working hard on tuning all of the six elements mentioned above. I didn't give them much thought at first but their presence on this board over the last 3 to 4 months is starting to impress me.
Otherwise I think I will go with the nismo suspension and Cusco sways.... Keep it simple.

 

Frankly, if you are going to spend majority of your time on the street with occasional track or auto-x events (<6 each a year) then my suggestion is to go with non-adjustable stuff like the Nismo S-tune components. Otherwise you will be spending your time trying to fine tune a chassis in an extremely limited period of time and once you find the right balance you will just leave it there

Most of us should save headaches and just use fixed manufacturer parts, IMHO.