Can You Say Swaybar?

[ChargerOsix]

I can and for sale after 2-3 weeks of testing.

http://stratusphere.net/forums/gallery/1124593700/gallery_152_58_8711.jpg

[bstowers]

Please let us know how installation goes. I've heard the other sway bar kit is a real monster.

And get that off your pool table!

[GoDaddy]

"swaybar" i said it!!!! yippie. keep us posted i am interested to know how much these help out and i am with bstower...i have also read that they are hell to get on.

[DutchMaster]

Are sway bars really worth $400+ and however many hours of labor? Do they really improve the ride all that much?

[GoDaddy]

i shot a letter to hotchkis asking the same question as well as questions about springs....i will keep you posted

[ChargerOsix]

I finally got the swaybar on yesterday/today. I did not drop the rear to do it either. When they are available for sale, I'll show yall how I did it. Dont want anyone stealing my ideas. Anyways, so far its the shiznit. The ass of the car is tight, just as I like it. Now the front needs some work. I guess I'll have to make one of those, too. Website will be online next week. Took a while to find a designer. L8R!

[Of The Moonlight]

mmm tight asses.....

[beezn]

mmm tight asses.....
I feel violated! hehehe

[farkedup]

I can't wait to ram a tight ass coming out of some tight curves.

[ChargerOsix]

Today I drove the R/T to Texas Motor Speedway which is about an hour, round trip. I like the bar more today than earlier today. The one thng that took me a while to notice is that I wasnt battling the steering wheel. Before the bar the ar would seem to sway from side to side on its own. Now thecar has the tendency to go in a straight line.

Also noticed that the rear of the car no longer lags behind the front. When the front tires are turned left or right, the ass end follows. Just point the car in the direction you want to go and its there. At the Speedway I decided to hit a lot and do a few fish tails. I should of had someone tape it. Its a whole lot easier to swing the rear. My R/T has 20s and I had no problem with the fish tails and even did a mild drift. :)

So far so good with the bar. Before the install I did not have the confidence in this vehicle to drive it aggresively. Now I cant wait to put my foot in it and whip it.

[ChargerOsix]

A few days ago I went down to the dealership where I bought my R/T. I gave my salesman a ride around a few corners and to a lot to do some fish tails. He said that the car is very much improved with the upgraded sway bar. I could tell that just by the smile on his face. Since he has driven all the LXs, he has a good gauge on the amount of improvement.
I’ve noticed a few more characteristics about the car that have resulted from the bar. Before when going over tracks the rear tires would skip and hop over to the other side. That and hopping over other sharp bumps is virtually gone. The car stays planted.
When going around curves, the car can easily increase speed and adapt to the change in direction quickly and precisely. In other words, you don’t have to ease into the turn as before so you can be more aggressive. The other benefit I’ve noticed is smoother acceleration. Thinking about it, on a rear-wheel drive car this makes perfect sense. It feels like putting firm motor mounts on a FWD car by keeping the wheels planted to the road when the transmission transfers the torque.
So as for performance, the bar is performing beyond my expectations. We are still in R&D mode so when everything has checked out, I’ll update again.

[ChargerOsix]

UPDATE: So far so good with the bar. We are going to make one more design change to the setup. The bar being oversized will make the end links wear out faster so that must be addressed. We have a few ideas so testing starts next week.

[hopster]

UPDATE: So far so good with the bar. We are going to make one more design change to the setup. The bar being oversized will make the end links wear out faster so that must be addressed. We have a few ideas so testing starts next week.

PM'd you for some info...... :ninja:

[maximus]

Have my hotchkis tvs system coming in today. It has front and rear springs and sways. I will let you know of the install and ride. Also brembo going on today. Black calipers with dril rotors. got my fingers crossed.

[Big Country]

Swaybars are one fo the cheapest, and best ways to improve a cars handling in the twisties. They make the car corner a lot flatter than before, and also give you a noticeable quicker turn in. Usually, it's better to install one on the front than the rear (but best to do both), because that's where all the weight is, and therefore, where the car needs more stiffness with regards to side to side movement. I believe that on the Charger, as with most cars, you will notice a bigger improvement by upgrading the front swaybar than the rear. Once upgraded, the car will handle much more crisply in turns. Has anybody thought about checking on the SRT8's swaybars??? I mean, should practically be a replacement product since it's designed for the same car.

[jmorrell]

Usually, it's better to install one on the front than the rear (but best to do both), because that's where all the weight is, and therefore, where the car needs more stiffness with regards to side to side movement.

The Charger R/T is close to a 50/50 weight distribution (actually 54/46): a front swaybar should be an improvement, but not nearly as much as on a car that has alot more weight in the front than in the rear.

[KurbyRTHemi]

ChargerOSix, I'm buying when you start selling. I live in Maine and everytime I go over tracks or Motar hole in the road up hear the damn rear end jumps and skips. I want mine like yours, NO BUMP, NO SKIP.....

Thanks for the info on the site, hoping to have one of your sway bars installed before Christmas.

[moparfan]

I have nothing to compare to, but I can say that the SRT8 with the front and rear swaybars stays very flat in the turns. I was amazed.

[Inferno Charger]

I have nothing to compare to, but I can say that the SRT8 with the front and rear swaybars stays very flat in the turns. I was amazed.

That has alot to do with the actual shock absorbers and lowered stance then just the swaybars which I am sure are also larger.

[GoDaddy]

That has alot to do with the actual shock absorbers and lowered stance then just the swaybars which I am sure are also larger.

yeah alot of the bump issue with the rear wheels is a need for a tighter suspension setup. the srt8 is stiff as hell so i can imagine that bad boy just stay planted on the road. with the r/t a lowered stance alone doesn't get that stiffness, so i am probably going to go with the coilovers so i can change the dampening rate of the shock/dampers. but alas, headers are going in first and this will be down the road.

swaybars - cool but i would only do the backend and with a lowered car - very cool.

[Inferno Charger]

yeah alot of the bump issue with the rear wheels is a need for a tighter suspension setup. the srt8 is stiff as hell so i can imagine that bad boy just stay planted on the road. with the r/t a lowered stance alone doesn't get that stiffness, so i am probably going to go with the coilovers so i can change the dampening rate of the shock/dampers.

A lowered stance with lowing springs does not actually in its own right give you better handling. If the spring lowers the car and also has a progressive rate coil that as the spring compresses it also becomes harder to compress then you have something but just a lowering spring doesn't give you much. Besides the lowering spring tends to make it easier to bottom out the shock and if you have a really stiff spring then you might actually do the reverse and top out the shock and neither one of those instances are fun. Your best bet is the direction you are going with coilover shocks with adjustable perches. The beauty of coilovers isn't just the lowering effect you get when you drop the perches but also you can set corner weighting to help balance the overall vehicle handling......or if you don't autocross or do track days at the road course then you might never need to worry about corner weighting.

Later (Probably more then you cared to know though)

[GoDaddy]

A lowered stance with lowing springs does not actually in its own right give you better handling. If the spring lowers the car and also has a progressive rate coil that as the spring compresses it also becomes harder to compress then you have something but just a lowering spring doesn't give you much. Besides the lowering spring tends to make it easier to bottom out the shock and if you have a really stiff spring then you might actually do the reverse and top out the shock and neither one of those instances are fun. Your best bet is the direction you are going with coilover shocks with adjustable perches. The beauty of coilovers isn't just the lowering effect you get when you drop the perches but also you can set corner weighting to help balance the overall vehicle handling......or if you don't autocross or do track days at the road course then you might never need to worry about corner weighting.

Later (Probably more then you cared to know though)

good information man. i hear what you are saying and these are all the reasons for going with the coilovers i have come up with.

[Big Country]

The Charger R/T is close to a 50/50 weight distribution (actually 54/46): a front swaybar should be an improvement, but not nearly as much as on a car that has alot more weight in the front than in the rear.

I understand what you are saying, and agree, but my point is this. The Charger, when pushed hard in turns, tends to push, correct? When a car pushes (or is tight) the front end is plowing through the turn rather than turning in. Installing the thicker swaybar on the front, will help to correct that more than installing it on the rear.

[maximus]

Just had the hotchkis tvs system installed. Lots of good things to say about this kit. This car is a daily driver and I must say that I get to keep a quality ride with added performance. a nice job by the team at hotchkis in y mind. Unfortunatly, I dont have a racing background or a lot of experience with suspension so for me I am extremly impressed. I hope to have some pictures soon. Just been to busy with work the last few days.