Has anyone else noticed that the Hotchkis sway bars move back and forth in the bushing? Well I decided to try and correct that and make it more like the stock setup by putting shaft collars around the bar. So far it seems to be working. I'm reserving my final opinion until after my next track day. I got the collars at Mcmaster-Carr, part #'s 6436k141 and 6436k146. About $35 bucks for all four shipped.

 

pardon the question if its dumb, but wats so bad with them shifting a little... I mean they are clamped down pretty tight with the 4 bolts in the front and the 2 in the back so any movement is really minimal isnt it? Does it make noises? Cuz i just put mine on and wondered about that for a sec but then thought it would be a big deal.

thanks

 

any play in the bushings means less anti-roll bar stiffness, which means more body roll. generally, bushings that allow play will result in less communicative chassis feel.

 

do other sways (ie:cusco,nismo,350evo) have this additional play as well? sorry haven't paid much attention to those when under the car...

 

How does the Z feel with the Hotchkis sways installed?

 

Thanks for all the responses guys. The reason I put the collars on is because my sway bars were all the way to one side all the time. They weren't making noise, but my tires started to show uneven tire wear at track events after putting the sways on. I don't have proof that the sways made the uneven wear, but it started shortly after the bars.

I'm sure its not critical, but I track my car regularly and I think it is just better to have that sway in the position where it was designed to be. Sway bars are levers. And if you change the fulcrum points or torsional characteristics it changes how the bar behaves. I'm pretty sure the bar was designed to have some travel in the bushings, but I doubt it was designed to work at its best all the way to one side. I did leave a small amount of room for play in the collars. Approximately 3/16" on each one.

So far, with the exception of the tire wear, I have really enjoyed the sways. When you set them to tight/tight it makes a dramatic difference in the Z's handling. That was a little much even for track days, so I have backed off and now I'm at medium/medium. Great bang for the buck mod.

 

Just for reference, 350evo has the same collars, Nismo are built-in the bars, Stillen is the same(built-in). Without the collors, the sways will move, the endlink will not remain perpendicular under load. That reduces the effective leverage of the sway bar and will lead to noise (I beleive).

 

zillinois: I just orderd a pair of Hotchkis and hadn't noticed your thread before. I'll probably get those collars but do they work ? I would think they would move if that much force is put on them ?

 

Here's a direct link to the company.

http://www.mcmaster.com/

All you have to do is plug in the part numbers Zillinois list's in the find products window in the upper left corner and your done.

BTW, the Cusco sway's do have the collar's. I had not idea that the EVO sway's had them.

 

I am planning on buying a set of hotchkis for my G35 sedan too. How should I install this collar thing if I am to buy a set??
Should I leave a little space for movement??

 

Thanks for the link!

 

If you do decide to get the collars, whoever installs them can put the collars on as well. The collars are very easy to install. I'd say install difficulty is a 2 out of 10.

And if you do put the collars on, I would leave a little space for play. The endlinks that the sways connect to are designed to move back and forth, so I'm assuming that some play is expected. Most of the force produced by the sways is torsional not lateral. Also, most other sways run some kind of collar.

The front collars have the least amount of room for mounting. I could not get the fronts to sit exactly flush against the bushing because the bar is radiused. But its pretty close. The back fits perfectly.

My next track weekend is next Saturday & Sunday. I'll be at Road America for two days. That should really put the collars to the test.

Here's a pic of the rear fitment. The pic in the first post is of the front fitment. You can see that it does not fit exactly flush.

 

Same here, the hotchkis sway bars moved all the way to the one side and have seemed to remain there. I also track the car somewhat. I don't notice too much noise or anything, and yes the sways make a major improvement even with them shifted.

Does anyone know how much play there is on the other adjustable brands (350Evo or Cusco)?

 

Good post, I noticed this too, the fact that OEM has them, and the hotchkis didn't. All that lateral play in the sway introduces more dirt into the greased bushings and reduces the initial response during turn-in, especially if the bar as to more laterally first before can apply torsion to the bars. I guess that's one reason why the sways were so inexpensive. I'm definitely ordering a set of these collars. Really, thanks for the info zillinois.

My sways are getting a bit squeaky, and I'm pretty sure it's because I drove on a dirt road for 5 miles, and all that dirt/dust got into the bushings.

 

I have been using Cusco bars for a long time with no problems, but they have rings welded to the bar to prevent movement. I don't remember how much lateral play there is, if any.

BTW, this looks like a great solution. Let us know how it works at Road America.

 

Well, I'm going to try these to see if they will help solve the creaking noise I have when I hit bumps while turning and while going up inclines at an angle - the Hotchkis sways work great when they are pushed hard, but they make a ton of noise on the street... I've tried relubing them, but nothing seems to help... hopefully, this will be the solution - thanks Zillinois!!!

 

I have been having the same problem with my Hotchkis sways, and I think I have narrowed it down to the grease used. I spoke with my distributor, Hotchkis, and my installer regarding this issue. Once the fronts were lubricated the noise dissapeared, but slowly started to reappear. A Hotchkis rep. told me that I should use the grease that was supposed to be provided in the shipping box (never found included grease). He said that this grease is not available to purchase in stores and does not come off unless WD 40 is used <STRONG STUFF>. Anyway he is shipping me out more packets of grease free of charge. In case anybody is interested in contacting Hotchkis, their number is (562) 907-7757.

These shaft collars look very promising for increased handling improvement and noise reduction, and for $35 bucks I will definetely give them a try. Thanks!

 

When the wheels are turned right or left, doesn't the sway bar shift to accomodate the change in distance to endlinks? I know this might sound a bit stupid seeing as you, zillinois, have already track tested this, but I could have sworn that the bar shifted side to side when the steering wheel was turned. Thanks for the help / explanation ahead of time.

 

^^ same question. Can someone with stock sways or any other sways that have these included post how much clearance is between the bracket and the stopper?

 

Can anyone recommend any type of grease that's readily available in stores?