1-1/8 & 1-1/4 front sway bar vs factory 7/8?

-
Thats what i was figuring, even if the 1-1/8 solid bar weighs 5 lbs more than my current 7/8 bar it wont be noticed, i could stand to loose a few pounds myslef lol
 
71DodgeDemon340 said:
So im having a hard time understanding, i found a sway bar spring rate calculator and assuming all lengths are the same, a 1-1/8 solid bar will be 1.75 times stiffer than a 7/8 solid bar. And the 1-1/4 tubular bar at .25” wall thickness (guess) will only be 1.5 times stiffer. Is this true? But then i saw a video where a 1-3/8 hollow bar had more stiffness than a 1-1/4 solid bar.

From hotchkis: “a 1’3/8″ hollow bar is equivalent to a 1’1/4″ solid. But the 1’3/8″ hollow bar is 6% stiffer and 43% lighter than the 1’1/4″ solid.” So a 1-1/4 hollow would be equivalent to a 1-1/8 solid but be slightly stiffer and lighter?

Im about to just go the solid 1-1/8 bar route and say screw it lol

Not even sure how accurate the calculator is

I appreciate everyones input and thanks for being patient with my questions.

Also according to summit the hellwig 1-1/8 tubular bar is curently discontinued and the 1-1/4 tubular bar is being discontinued with none in stock, the 1-1/8 bar is available, so are they limiting it down to only one option on the front? Im just concerned about it being too stiff if its even possible with .870 bars

@72bluNblu
@autoxcuda
Click to expand...

Calculating the stiffness of the bar depends a lot on the wall thickness, so guessing for the wall thickness won't give you a very accurate answer unless you're right on. The other thing is that most of the calculators assume that the metal all has the same spring constant, which isn't necessarily true either. And the exact shape of the bar plays a role too, so even similar diameter bars can be slightly different. They're not a bad way to get a ballpark estimate, but to get an accurate answer you need to have the actual specs.

Or just believe Hotchkis. My guess would be that the 1 1/8" solid and 1 1/4" hollow bars are pretty close to the same for stiffness with the weight being the biggest difference.

More than likely though you won't be able to tell the difference in stiffness or weight between those bars, because both are going to be relatively small differences. And with your torsion bar and tire compound options your car isn't exactly optimized to the point that a small difference would really stand out. You're talking about a margin that might show up only if you're running consistently against a stopwatch, not something you'll feel by the seat of your pants.
 
Thanks all for your opinions. I will see how the hellwig bar fits. Hopefully it will exceed my expectations.
 
Is a light coat of grease needed on the polyurethane bushings? I dont think the hellwig sway bar bushings are greasable
 
71DodgeDemon340 said:
Is a light coat of grease needed on the polyurethane bushings? I dont think the hellwig sway bar bushings are greasable
Click to expand...

The Hellwig bushings and mounts are greaseable. At least the ones I got with my 73-76 sway bar are.

A light coat of grease on install is always a good idea though.
 
My Hellwig bar came with grease that is applied between the bar and the two K member mounts. The end links did not get greased.
 
Hey guys finally got the hellwig 1-1/8 bar today, man lol what the hell is wrong with shipping these days? Was coming from summit warehouse in Georgia to Tennessee. Left Georgia, went to Kansas, then to Tennessee, way to go fedex! Plus one end of the bar was sticking out of the box about 2” lol. Come on now, good thing it wasnt fragile.

Heres the before pics. This is the factory 7/8 bar setup

42E1500F-3230-446E-8E93-A79B3F8A69AF.jpeg


6278A858-E112-4FE8-A061-E3AC0C93F567.jpeg


Heres the factory 7/8 sway bar compared to the hellwig 1-1/8 bar.

B09F03EA-BAB0-4DF3-BC59-A87CB6FE50CD.jpeg


C6A85600-8E11-4CBE-AEF0-6FDD80FEFCE4.jpeg


If anyone is curious i also weighed them.

Factory 7/8 sway bar: 11.5 lbs
Hellwig 1-1/8 sway bar: 16.5 lbs

5 lbs heavier isnt going to even be noticed.

For what its worth i think the firm feel 1-1/4 hollow bar weighs about 12.5 lbs and would be roughly the same rate as the hellwig 1-1/8 solid bar.


Got the brackets installed. The bolts provided are 3/8 and the holes in the k member are smaller and need to be drilled out to 3/8. The bolts will almost go through the factory k member holes but drilling them out to 3/8 is more of a clean out of the holes than take any large amount of metal out.

Driver side bracket

F8F09F0A-8BEE-45ED-BB58-1AA65CC00B05.jpeg


Pass side bracket

A634BBA7-FF5D-4A6E-B0D7-E8CE7E917C77.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Got it finished up, the end links were a little bit of a pain but got em. I would advise anyone installing one to measure from a fixed point on both sides to a point on the sway bar links to ensure both sides are in the same position, also tighten each side gradually to help ensure the sway bar stays centered.

Heres after

Matches the hotchkis fox shocks nicely!

755015DF-EBAE-4A16-B8B0-D80B752BF51F.jpeg


10558165-3B83-49B8-AA05-EFC53758E997.jpeg


0F5FB8B9-A3A3-4A11-8782-DF0E4DF8F581.jpeg


4C1C0BA1-6560-45FD-A4B3-668AD9B01E08.jpeg


1DF1796B-D687-4AC5-808A-4D905075FE34.jpeg


F30B4961-4469-4AD4-847D-3EBDC2D08783.jpeg


Just gotta freshen up the lower core support brace and install it

Will find out how it handles when me and my dad go to the car show on sat.
 
Last edited:
Just got back from our local car show, man i can tell a vast improvement with the larger bar. Before with the 7/8 your body would lean in tight corners, now there is some slight body movement but you feel more planted in the seat, especially since i have a split bench you can deff tell the reduced body lean when cornering, front end feels a lot more predictable. Thanks guys for your help! Anyone know how often the bushings need to be greased?
 
I mean is it a once a year thing? Im sure it depends on driving style too and mileage but that grease they give you is pretty badass, had to wash my hands with dawn 4 or 5 times to get it off lol
 
71DodgeDemon340 said:
I mean is it a once a year thing? Im sure it depends on driving style too and mileage but that grease they give you is pretty badass, had to wash my hands with dawn 4 or 5 times to get it off lol
Click to expand...
ya, if it's the sticky silicone stuff, that's a **** to get off. which is good. you can find more HERE. use gloves! depends how much you drive, weather, ect. hence, when they squeak
 
Ok, I know I'm a day late and a dollar short, you obviously went with the Hellwig setup. But I said I'd report back on my
Hotchkis sway bar install. Night and Day difference from my stock 7/8" bar. Car feels great, predictable, and virtually no body roll in corners.
Went for a 5 min test drive, and the car felt so great I just didnt want to stop driving, got home 35 minutes later with a big smile of my face.

The hotchkis bar is 1-1/2" hollow. The mounts that came with look a lot like yours, but they have you weld them onto the K-frame.
Good luck with your new setup!
 
MileHighDart said:
Ok, I know I'm a day late and a dollar short, you obviously went with the Hellwig setup. But I said I'd report back on my
Hotchkis sway bar install. Night and Day difference from my stock 7/8" bar. Car feels great, predictable, and virtually no body roll in corners.
Went for a 5 min test drive, and the car felt so great I just didnt want to stop driving, got home 35 minutes later with a big smile of my face.

The hotchkis bar is 1-1/2" hollow. The mounts that came with look a lot like yours, but they have you weld them onto the K-frame.
Good luck with your new setup!
Click to expand...

Only reason i went the hellwig route is cause i didnt want to permanetely weld the brakets to the k member, otherwise i would of went the hotchkis route, glad it worked out for you!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top