Eibach Rear Sway Bar Impressions

[MerlintheMad]

I got eibach rear bars installed yesterday, haven't driven much till now. But stock ones seemed they were locked. I tried to rotate them in bracket at home, they bent a little but did not move. Looking at where they go in bracket, they seem like they were not intended to move. Lootk at that rubber like section on sway.

I posted a similar pair of pics on the other Eibach thread. My conclusion matches yours: this bar does not rotate in the bushings (which are rubber); it flexes. Interesting contraption: I'm sure it works really well as-is. Unless you are going to really push the car often, I see no reason to worry about replacing this OE bar.

 

[Ruturaj]

I posted a similar pair of pics on the other Eibach thread. My conclusion matches yours: this bar does not rotate in the bushings (which are rubber); it flexes. Interesting contraption: I'm sure it works really well as-is. Unless you are going to really push the car often, I see no reason to worry about replacing this OE bar.

Side lifting in corners is not good with stock sway bars.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Side lifting in corners is not good with stock sway bars.

You're talking about comparison and degree, not an absolute "bad habit" of handling. The stock Stinger handles really well. It might "feel" strange to some drivers. All the reviews by competent drivers indicate that they just (literally) roll with it and make the car go fast. Again, the compromise is "grand touring" style of driving with performance. Nearly all drivers of the Stinger will never "lift a corner". Even those that do only have slight corner lift. All four tires remain planted. The Eibach just improves the feel. I still doubt that the car actually goes faster through corners with it being stiffer than stock.

 

[Ruturaj]

You're talking about comparison and degree, not an absolute "bad habit" of handling. The stock Stinger handles really well. It might "feel" strange to some drivers. All the reviews by competent drivers indicate that they just (literally) roll with it and make the car go fast. Again, the compromise is "grand touring" style of driving with performance. Nearly all drivers of the Stinger will never "lift a corner". Even those that do only have slight corner lift. All four tires remain planted. The Eibach just improves the feel. I still doubt that the car actually goes faster through corners with it being stiffer than stock.

It's subjective, if current stock setup is good enough or not. Also it's not like every decision Kia made was right one, like fake vents. Again subjective. But they might fix it in future generation if there is any.

Many reviewers did not focused on sways. Alex on autos did. But no one was aware of sways being like this.

 

[MerlintheMad]

It's subjective, if current stock setup is good enough or not. Also it's not like every decision Kia made was right one, like fake vents. Again subjective. But they might fix it in future generation if there is any.

Many reviewers did not focused on sways. Alex on autos did. But no one was aware of sways being like this.

Tork, for one, asserts that the 19mm rear sway bar is the one that Kia should have put into the Stinger in the first place. He could be right about that.

 

[Ruturaj]

I posted on reddit about sway bar

This is one of the helpful reply I got from a guy with id CarlCarlsonl

So what you're seeing is a "rate plate", the bushing is designed with a plate (might just be a much stiffer section) that changes the rate of the bushing. The matte colour you see is an adhesive, so it looks like this is what we call a bonded bushing. The biggest advantage of a bonded bushing is that (if designed properly) the bond will hold for the life of the vehicle, and there's no motion between the bar and the bushing. With no motion (sliding) you eliminate most of the chance anything will squeak.

The bar is designed to provide roll stiffness (tuned with the bushing in mind). With a bonded bushing you also can tune the vehicle spring rate to use the bar as an extra spring, but I haven't seen that in use too often. (A lot of vehicle tuning is still trial and error during a drive).

FWIW: I'm a design engineer at an OEM and I used to work for a company specifically working on stabilizer bars and springs.

Thread: Ever heard of vertically locked sway bar? : cars

 

[Dochidalgo]

You're talking about comparison and degree, not an absolute "bad habit" of handling. The stock Stinger handles really well. It might "feel" strange to some drivers. All the reviews by competent drivers indicate that they just (literally) roll with it and make the car go fast. Again, the compromise is "grand touring" style of driving with performance. Nearly all drivers of the Stinger will never "lift a corner". Even those that do only have slight corner lift. All four tires remain planted. The Eibach just improves the feel. I still doubt that the car actually goes faster through corners with it being stiffer than stock.

In my humble opinion and experience in driving, even though the stock Stinger is a grand touring car, the suspension behavior at 160 km/hr (floating), or in curves or corners, is deficient, not secure, not control, and the suspension rebound and compression damping on speed bumpers is bad calibrated. Agree that there is not corner lift, but a poor feeling of control. I am not a track or speed race guy.

It's subjective, if current stock setup is good enough or not. Also it's not like every decision Kia made was right one, like fake vents. Again subjective. But they might fix it in future generation if there is any.

Many reviewers did not focused on sways. Alex on autos did. But no one was aware of sways being like this.

Well, according to a member of this forum (win....2000, or something like that) commented that there is a difference in the performance of the suspension between Stinger 2018 and Stinger 2019, both stock. Which suggests that Kia, adjusted the settings of the adaptive suspension (shock absorbers / springs) or installed beefier sway bars both or rear only (which is not yet confirmed by the author of the comment). he stated that his 2019 model do not requires the springs and the sway bars upgrade.

 

[Ruturaj]

In my humble opinion and experience in driving, even though the stock Stinger is a grand touring car, the suspension behavior at 160 km/hr (floating), or in curves or corners, is deficient, not secure, not control, and the suspension rebound and compression damping on speed bumpers is bad calibrated. Agree that there is not corner lift, but a poor feeling of control. I am not a track or speed race guy.



Well, according to a member of this forum (win....2000, or something like that) commented that there is a difference in the performance of the suspension between Stinger 2018 and Stinger 2019, both stock. Which suggests that Kia, adjusted the settings of the adaptive suspension (shock absorbers / springs) or installed beefier sway bars both or rear only (which is not yet confirmed by the author of the comment). he stated that his 2019 model do not requires the springs and the sway bars upgrade.

It was @Waynerm002. I think there is no difference in sway or springs. May be they tightened the chassis (improved assembly/glue) after all creaking complaints.

 

[MerlintheMad]

In my humble opinion and experience in driving, even though the stock Stinger is a grand touring car, the suspension behavior at 160 km/hr (floating), or in curves or corners, is deficient, not secure, not control, and the suspension rebound and compression damping on speed bumpers is bad calibrated. Agree that there is not corner lift, but a poor feeling of control. I am not a track or speed race guy.



Well, according to a member of this forum (win....2000, or something like that) commented that there is a difference in the performance of the suspension between Stinger 2018 and Stinger 2019, both stock. Which suggests that Kia, adjusted the settings of the adaptive suspension (shock absorbers / springs) or installed beefier sway bars both or rear only (which is not yet confirmed by the author of the comment). he stated that his 2019 model do not requires the springs and the sway bars upgrade.

That would be @Waynerm002. Since then, he has posited that bars might be in his future after all.

 

[Ruturaj]

So on 2019, I felt the difference. There is 450 degree turn, circular exist (I don't know what it's called), my best on it was 58 miles/hour when I could feel rear end lifting. Today I did it at around 64 miles/hour, feel confident.

I think I would wait a month and do front ones.

 

[MerlintheMad]

All: I have a confession to make: all this time, as recently as this post Eibach Rear Sway Bar Impressions I have been using the terms "oversteer" and "understeer" bassendackwards. Almost excluseively I have said "understeer" while meaning oversteer. In my mind I've known what I meant. My body certainly has no confusion about what I've been feeling. Oversteer.

The funny thing is, that I got the Eibach rear sway bar with the impression (due to my reversal of the terms, and thus not capable of reading for comprehension!?) that it would make the oversteer less. That was incorrect. But my main reason for getting this upgrade was to improve the "loose" feeling in the rear; which the rear bar certainly does.

Now, I have just ordered the front Eibach sway bar. I will set it on "soft" too. Perhaps I shall be surprised and impressed at the improvement in steering feel: I might have been battling with incipient oversteer and simply not recognized that I am holding back because I've learned to not push to that point: but I haven't recognized this because I've been suffering cognitive dissonance over my false understanding of what the rear bar was doing: which is, not helping in the least with oversteer, and, if anything, making it more likely to occur.

Education is a beautiful (often painfully embarrassing) thing!

 

[itguy61]

Merlin, you were correct, bigger rear sway bars do decrease understeer. More front sway stiffness will increase it.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Merlin, you were correct, bigger rear sway bars do decrease understeer. More front sway stiffness will increase it.

That's the irony. I wasn't talking about understeer: I was talking about "jabs of [oversteer]". Get it? Nobody caught it at the time because nobody thought that I or anybody else talking about oversteer and understeer would get it wrong. I told all you all that I am not a car guy. I drive a Stinger. Not the same thing at all. And although I find competition driving interesting, I never learned all the terminology (obviously). You could call my last year a learning curve. Give me another year, and I could carry on a conversation with race car fans and automobile modders without embarrassing myself. (as long as I mostly keep my mouth shut )

 

[MerlintheMad]

Now, I have just ordered the front Eibach sway bar. I will set it on "soft" too.

But, Eibach cancelled my order this morning, because the sway bars will not be back in stock until at least August.

 

[Ruturaj]

But, Eibach cancelled my order this morning, because the sway bars will not be back in stock until at least August.

That's awful. But at least you have rear.

 

[MerlintheMad]

That's awful. But at least you have rear.

Yes, but now I need the front. Patience is a beautiful thing. Meanwhile there are other interests to occupy me: such as getting new rear tires and then pushing the "skid pad" Gs (in Sport, only, of course). But my curiosity has been awakened with the revelation that my previous use of "understeer" was opposite, therefore my expectation of reducing oversteer was opposite to reality. Yet I have not felt any oversteer since putting the rear bar in. It is an interesting situation. I need to push until I get oversteer again, and get a feel for it; then the installing of a front bar upgrade will show me the difference. So the wait until the front bar is available can work to my advantage; give me more practice time since discovering the error of my perception.

 

[Ruturaj]

Yes, but now I need the front. Patience is a beautiful thing. Meanwhile there are other interests to occupy me: such as getting new rear tires and then pushing the "skid pad" Gs (in Sport, only, of course). But my curiosity has been awakened with the revelation that my previous use of "understeer" was opposite, therefore my expectation of reducing oversteer was opposite to reality. Yet I have not felt any oversteer since putting the rear bar in. It is an interesting situation. I need to push until I get oversteer again, and get a feel for it; then the installing of a front bar upgrade will show me the difference. So the wait until the front bar is available can work to my advantage; give me more practice time since discovering the error of my perception.

When I found the deal on tirerack (both bars for 338), it was no brainer to get both.

I am thinking about doing front soon now. Yesterday I over steered crazy. My traction and stability control was off. I think they kicked in to save my ass.

 

[MerlintheMad]

When I found the deal on tirerack (both bars for 338), it was no brainer to get both.

I am thinking about doing front soon now. Yesterday I over steered crazy. My traction and stability control was off. I think they kicked in to save my ass.

So, you have the rear Eibach in? And oversteer. So, let us know what the steering feel does when you get that bar in.

 

[Ruturaj]

So, you have the rear Eibach in? And oversteer. So, let us know what the steering feel does when you get that bar in.

I have rear installed. Waiting for garage and do front on my own. Will update.

 

[Manaz]

A powerful RWD (or RWD-biased AWD) car will always oversteer if you apply enough power to exceed traction.

No swaybar will prevent that.