newb question. sway bar? strut tower bar?

Bmorezcmunee · 05-02-2009, 11:15 AM

from what ive read the sway bar goes under the car and the strut tower bar goes on the top of the struts.

now do all Alero's have a sway bar? and if not does the combination of a sway bar and strut tower bar improve handling that much?

05-02-2009, 11:26 AM

You have sorta a basic understanding of it.
Sway bars (actually, anti-sway bars) are basically large spring steel bars which connect the moving parts of the suspension on opposite sides of the car, and anchor to the frame/subframe. They help limit body roll when cornering and add stability.
Strut tower bars connect the tops of the strut tower on opposite sides of the car. They may (or may not) anchor to other points on the body. They Aren't meant to do what anti-sway bars do, although some people may tell you differently. They mainly serve to help stiffen up the unibody, which can enhance the responsiveness of the suspension and steering systems. Their effectiveness can vary greatly from one car to another. The Alero doesn't suffer from a huge amount of unibody flex, but they do help a smidge.

The Alero has both front and rear anti-sway bars.
I highly recommend both anti-sway bars and strut tower braces (along with stiffer springs/dampers and sticky tires) to anyone looking to maximize handling and cornering potential on these cars.

Bmorezcmunee · 05-02-2009, 11:55 AM

oh ok thanks mfuller

i was reading up on it and i thought i had buy both! then i read how you do it on autozone.com and you have to drop the frame!

i was like @#$%........expletives and such. but i guess i just go with my planned setup of AGX struts and Eibach springs and get the strut tower bars. then eventually the corvette brake upgrade....

05-02-2009, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bmorezcmunee

oh ok thanks mfuller

i was reading up on it and i thought i had buy both! then i read how you do it on autozone.com and you have to drop the frame!

i was like @#$%........expletives and such. but i guess i just go with my planned setup of AGX struts and Eibach springs and get the strut tower bars. then eventually the corvette brake upgrade....

You don't have to do everything at once (most people can't afford to do everything whole-hog)......but upgrading the anti-sway bars will be a much more noticeable difference. A lot of people start out with just a rear anti-sway bar upgrade, and then do the front later.....and some people don't bother upgrading the front bar at all. Personally, I think doing both makes the car feel more balanced - they were designed to be used together. Think of it as having summer tires up front and all seasons out back - sure, it'll work, but not as well as it could.
The front anti-sway bar is a pain.....the front subframe must be lowered. I am lazy so I paid a shop with a lift to do it.....but a few brave souls have done it in their garage with a jack and stands.