Do sway bars offer any benefits if you already have stiffer springs?

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Old 08-17-2014, 03:13 PM
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halfshaft
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Do sway bars offer any benefits if you already have stiffer springs?

I currently have an almost stock G37S coupe and I want to improve the handling and in particular reduce body roll and possibly improve steering feel/road connectedness. I am thinking about getting swift springs and using them with the OEM struts. I am wondering if adding eibach sways in addition to this will actually benefit the handling at all or will it just make it harsher with minimal improvement to handling?

One of the other reasons I want the springs is of course to drop the car and make it look much better.

I am hoping some of you with both springs and sways will chime in.

Last edited by halfshaft; 08-18-2014 at 03:21 AM.
Old 08-17-2014, 05:03 PM
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JT2014
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Skip the springs & get coil overs. Then get sways & you will be very happy.
Or just get sways to start. They will improve the areas you described.
I only had this car a month but I can tell the stock suspension combined with the 19" tire setup is really good for a stock car.
Old 08-17-2014, 05:14 PM
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halfshaft
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Originally Posted by JT2014
Skip the springs & get coil overs. Then get sways & you will be very happy.
Or just get sways to start. They will improve the areas you described.
I only had this car a month but I can tell the stock suspension combined with the 19" tire setup is really good for a stock car.
Agreed that the stock suspension is already quite good.

Are coilovers really worth it for just daily driving purposes? I won't be tracking this car and I don't think I'd really use the adjustment features of coilovers too much. Most people seem to just set it and forget it. I am also only looking for a very conservative drop, something that the swifts seem to offer.

How do coilovers compare to swift springs (with possibly Koni yellow shocks) as far as performance and ride compliance goes?
Old 08-17-2014, 06:53 PM
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G37Some
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coilovers are good if you want adjustability, being able to adjust how soft or stiff the car rides or how low you want your drop. If you live in a place that gets snow it is good so you can have your car real low in summer and raise it up to oem when theres snow.

If you dont want adjustability like that, go this route (amazon says it doesnt fit my vehicle, but this is the model for the 08 g37s coupe I have. not sure if there are dif versions for sedan or awd):

Robot Check Robot Check

I bought and installed this bundle and it was an amazing change in driving experience. I have the springs on my oem struts. the ride is great, little stiffer when hitting bumps and stuff but not annoying. the handling and body roll is night and day. I got the springs done and noticed a slight improvement all around, then a few days later got the sway bars installed and it improvement was the most noticeable change in driving experience ive done to the car. Very pleased and definitely think this is the route to go unless you need all the adjustability that coilovers offer.
Old 08-17-2014, 08:22 PM
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Lances Infiniti
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Originally Posted by halfshaft
I currently have an almost stock G37S coupe and I want to improve the handling and in particular reduce body roll and possibly improve steering feel/road connectedness. I am thinking about getting swift springs and using the with the OEM struts. I am wondering if adding eibach sways in addition to this will actually benefit the handling at all or will it just make it harsher with minimal improvement to handling?

One of the other reasons I want the springs is of course to drop the car and make it look much better.

I am hoping some of you with both springs and sways will chime in.
I just got my swift springs on my car and the handling is improved quite a bit. Haven't decided weather or not i want sways because they make you lose grip in the corners. If i was to get sways i would just get 1 and put it in the back.
Old 08-17-2014, 08:58 PM
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Lego_Maniac
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Sway bars are a transformation mod. They make a huge difference, but you definitely want to get a F/R matched set.

Springs are mostly for looks. They aren't going to have as big an impact as swaybars and some people have issues with getting their alignment in spec without camber kits. Long term, the are likely to wear out the stock dampers quicker than with the OE springs.

Originally Posted by halfshaft
How do coilovers compare to swift springs (with possibly Koni yellow shocks) as far as performance and ride compliance goes?
Koni yellows + swifts is marginally harder riding than the stock setup, handling is significantly improved. If you don't care about adjusting the height Konis are a great alternative to a coil over setup.
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Old 08-17-2014, 09:13 PM
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Black Betty
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Originally Posted by Lances Infiniti
I just got my swift springs on my car and the handling is improved quite a bit. Haven't decided weather or not i want sways because they make you lose grip in the corners. If i was to get sways i would just get 1 and put it in the back.
Patently false. Sway bars reduce body roll so that you gain speed in corners. Adjustable sways take it one step further allowing adjustment of the cornering characteristic more toward oversteer or understeer to suit you preferred driving style. Stiffening only the rear will make the car oversteer more.
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Old 08-17-2014, 09:50 PM
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Lances Infiniti
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Originally Posted by Black Betty
Patently false. Sway bars reduce body roll so that you gain speed in corners. Adjustable sways take it one step further allowing adjustment of the cornering characteristic more toward oversteer or understeer to suit you preferred driving style. Stiffening only the rear will make the car oversteer more.
G37's tend to understeer. So if you add only 1 sway in the back you will counter your understeer to help neutralize it so that you will be in-between understeer and oversteer!
Old 08-17-2014, 10:06 PM
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Lego_Maniac
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Originally Posted by Lances Infiniti
G37's tend to understeer. So if you add only 1 sway in the back you will counter your understeer to help neutralize it so that you will be in-between understeer and oversteer!
Ever car understeerls from the factory. It's safe. Oversteer does not equal good handling.

Matched sway bars reduce body roll and maintain neutrality.
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Old 08-17-2014, 11:35 PM
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Black Betty
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Originally Posted by Lances Infiniti
G37's tend to understeer. So if you add only 1 sway in the back you will counter your understeer to help neutralize it so that you will be in-between understeer and oversteer!
I see. Sounds like you've got it all figured out pretty good regarding how you like your G to handle and what mods will help in that area.
Old 08-18-2014, 12:50 AM
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Darkstar752
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Originally Posted by Lances Infiniti
G37's tend to understeer. So if you add only 1 sway in the back you will counter your understeer to help neutralize it so that you will be in-between understeer and oversteer!
LOL, as if a one size fits all equation works for that. There is a multitude of sizing, hollow vs solid, and varying stiffnesses between all aftermarket sway bars, none of which were made to match the front. You would be much better off getting a pair of adjustable swaybars to match and adjusting them until you have completely neutral steering. For instance, Hotchkis front with the rear on medium stiffness gives neutral steering.

Sways will not make you lose grip in the corners, conversely they will increase the predictability by keeping the car level, allowing you to have much better control in the corners.

Watch this video at 2:10 and please tell me which set up is more likely to send you into the nearest tree. Enjoy that front body roll while the rear remains stiff.
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Old 08-18-2014, 02:29 AM
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DPNx714
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I had Tein Flex coilovers installed prior to putting on my sway bars. The Tein Flex have a stiff spring rate compared to most coilover setups out there for our cars and I still noticed a huge difference in reduced body roll after putting on sway bars!
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Old 08-18-2014, 03:36 AM
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halfshaft
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Thanks for all the input all. I think I’m pretty sold on the idea of sways. I’m thinking I’ll get the swift springs to use with the OEM struts for now and also go with the Eibach sway bars. I am thinking that putting the front on the softer settings and the rear on the medium settings will be good for fairly neutral handling that will be a good fit for a DD?

This will actually be my first car with a drop. I understand that the swift springs give you a mild drop (1.3/1.0 in front/rear), how often would you expect to have issues with bottoming out on drive ways, bumps, etc. I hope it doesn’t make it too much of a pain to drive around with.
Originally Posted by G37Some
coilovers are good if you want adjustability, being able to adjust how soft or stiff the car rides or how low you want your drop. If you live in a place that gets snow it is good so you can have your car real low in summer and raise it up to oem when theres snow.

If you dont want adjustability like that, go this route (amazon says it doesnt fit my vehicle, but this is the model for the 08 g37s coupe I have. not sure if there are dif versions for sedan or awd):

Robot Check

I bought and installed this bundle and it was an amazing change in driving experience. I have the springs on my oem struts. the ride is great, little stiffer when hitting bumps and stuff but not annoying. the handling and body roll is night and day. I got the springs done and noticed a slight improvement all around, then a few days later got the sway bars installed and it improvement was the most noticeable change in driving experience ive done to the car. Very pleased and definitely think this is the route to go unless you need all the adjustability that coilovers offer.
So even with both springs and sways the ride quality is still pretty decent? I’d like to avoid completely killing comfort if possible.


Originally Posted by Lances Infiniti
I just got my swift springs on my car and the handling is improved quite a bit. Haven't decided weather or not i want sways because they make you lose grip in the corners. If i was to get sways i would just get 1 and put it in the back.
Are you happy with the amount that the swifts dropped your car? Is the ride height still enough to mostly drive around without bottoming out on things?

Originally Posted by Lego_Maniac
Sway bars are a transformation mod. They make a huge difference, but you definitely want to get a F/R matched set.

Springs are mostly for looks. They aren't going to have as big an impact as swaybars and some people have issues with getting their alignment in spec without camber kits. Long term, the are likely to wear out the stock dampers quicker than with the OE springs.

Koni yellows + swifts is marginally harder riding than the stock setup, handling is significantly improved. If you don't care about adjusting the height Konis are a great alternative to a coil over setup.
Good to hear. It seems that you’ve got the setup that I want to ultimately get (swifts, konis and eibach sways). Could you give any other specifics on what you like about the handling improvements compared to stock? I’m curious to hear about what improvements I could expect to see.
Old 08-18-2014, 03:44 AM
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halfshaft
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Originally Posted by DPNx714
I had Tein Flex coilovers installed prior to putting on my sway bars. The Tein Flex have a stiff spring rate compared to most coilover setups out there for our cars and I still noticed a huge difference in reduced body roll after putting on sway bars!
Well that does it, I'll get the sways for sure. I just despise body roll, even though the G37S doesn't have a ton to begin with I can still easily feel it. Love the feeling of staying flat through an aggressive corner.
Old 08-18-2014, 07:05 AM
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Lego_Maniac
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Originally Posted by halfshaft
I am thinking that putting the front on the softer settings and the rear on the medium settings will be good for fairly neutral handling that will be a good fit for a DD?
That is the settings I run on my Eibach sways.


Originally Posted by halfshaft
Good to hear. It seems that you’ve got the setup that I want to ultimately get (swifts, konis and eibach sways). Could you give any other specifics on what you like about the handling improvements compared to stock? I’m curious to hear about what improvements I could expect to see.
The handling is much improved compared to the stock dampers. The little bit of float in the suspension is gone. You feel it going over dips, or changes in elevation, one motion and the car is settled. It's even made shifting smoother as they seem to control weight transfer better during clutching and shifting. The car gets set much quicker when cornering.

Ride comfort isn't negatively impacted either. Our roads are pretty smooth here, and expansion strips and bumps aren't harsh. In fact, I hear smaller bumps now more than I feel them.

I haven't really messed around with adjusting them yet as I'm so happy with the results. Full soft on the front, +1.5 sweeps on the rear.

And don't forget good summer tires are the last piece to the suspension puzzle
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