:. Projects/Mods .:. Hotchkis Swaybars & Endlinks.:
| Tools |
Get From: |
| 13mm, 18mm, 19mm deep sockets |
Hardware store |
| 16, 18, and 2 19mm wrenches (3/4" works for 19 too) |
Hardware store |
Introduction
Thought I'd post some impressions after having had my 4th set of swaybars on this car.
My car started off with the stock early-sized Z51 swaybars. ( ROFL! ).
Pretty early on, I replaced them with a set of Z06 bars, which are substantially larger. When installing them, I also installed the nifty new metal endlinks. The car cornered much flatter, and had zero degradation in ride quality that I could detect, and this included swapping to a Z06 rear spring at the same time. My autocross times went down a bunch, and the car was much more neutral. For $220 shipped these days from Fred Beans, I would heartily recommend these as the ultimate street upgrade for a guy who just wants his C5 not to roll as much.
Next, I installed T1 swaybars, since I was having some trouble with my 305 fronts rubbing, due to the extra size of the tire, and extra suspension travel afforded by my shortened Penskes. All body roll was absolutely gone, and the car felt like it was absolutely on rails. However, the handling balance tipped back a bit toward understeer. I confirmed this talking to Gary Thomason (Solo II ASP national champ), who had the same impressions. The T1's are apparently a better solution for road racing, where the car doesn't need to rotate quite so easily. Further, on the street, they were absolutely brutal. The car crashed over any kind of irregularity in the road surface, and I removed them after a week or so in favor of the Z06 bars again. Peace was restored.
After a new alignment and a few over-winter goodies, the car is now generating enough grip that I started rubbing again in long sweepers, even with stepping down to 285/30-18 fronts. So, I have installed a set of Hotchkis swaybars, along with the fancy endlinks they provide. I have not yet competed with them, but they came highly recommended by Gary Thomason, so I am confident they will feel excellent, and will hopefully cure my rubbing problems. As far as their street manners, I was able to detect only a slight degradation of ride quality over the Z06 bars, and once properly aligned and tightened, I haven't heard a single peep out of the adjustable endlinks that Hotchkis provides. The packaging, instructions and fit-and-finish were, bar none, the best attention to detail I have *ever* seen when buying aftermarket parts. I was floored. At $500, they are not cheap, so they don't present a good value relative to the Z06 bars, unless you're looking for a bit of an edge over the Z06 bars, and want a great street/autocross compromise. I will be keeping these for a long time, I believe.
I hope that reviewing the four back-to-back from one person can help somebody
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Final Pricelist
| Item |
Cost |
From |
| Hotchkis Swaybars |
$515 shipped |
The LAPD (www.thelapd.com)s |
| Sell Z06 bars |
-$175/font> |
GM Dealer |
| TOTAL: |
$340 |
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