# Rear sway bar on Eco



## Dwnshft (May 16, 2011)

So, does anyone know if/when a company will release one for us ECO guys? Every car i've owned has had this upgraded and every car has felt 150% better in the turns and generally more planted over all...even with stock springs/struts.


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## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

Nothing yet, but if there's ever an improvement over the zlink suspension, I'll be purchasing it


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## northvibe (May 4, 2011)

The eco uses a torsion beam like the cobalt, so yes in theory there could be a RSB. Not sure if anyone has made one though.

The eco suspension already is better than the zlink


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## Dwnshft (May 16, 2011)

Ya, my gti had a rear torsion beam too and a rsb made a huge difference. So hopefully someone like Eibach, Progress, or Hotchkis will be nice to us. 

Im new to the domestic tuning scene so i dont know of any domestic specific tuners.


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## limited360 (May 6, 2011)

shawn672 said:


> Nothing yet, but if there's ever an improvement over the zlink suspension, I'll be purchasing it


.84G in eco vs. .85G in a regular cruze with Zlink... so does it help that much?


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## cruzeman (Mar 13, 2011)

i found these from that korean place SupeRich Motors | Car Accessories | SUV Accessories | Truck Accessories


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## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

limited360 said:


> .84G in eco vs. .85G in a regular cruze with Zlink... so does it help that much?


I didn't know they were that close... makes you wonder why use a zlink at all...

Either way, when something comes out that's better, I'll be on the buy list for sure


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## limited360 (May 6, 2011)

shawn672 said:


> I didn't know they were that close... makes you wonder why use a zlink at all...
> 
> Either way, when something comes out that's better, I'll be on the buy list for sure


I saw a road and track comparison. I was surprised it was that close! I mean thats within measurement error %!!!


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## Eco (May 13, 2011)

The Z-link for comfort and stability over road imperfections not skid pad figures.


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## Dwnshft (May 16, 2011)

Then why put something engineered for comfort on the sport tuned model? That seems silly doesnt it?


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...anybody remember *ADDCO* sway bars?

...their current catalog (no Cruze yet): http://www.k2graphicservices.com/ebooks/AddcoSwayBars/index.html


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## Dwnshft (May 16, 2011)

Nope.


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## Skilz10179 (Mar 22, 2011)

It would be nice if someone made a nice hollow tube chromemoly sway bar set. Solid sway bars are so **** heavy....


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## jakkaroo (Feb 12, 2011)

hey guys i dropped my car off at eibach and i started to ask if they would be doing anything other than springs i recommend sway bars so in the futre hopefully from eibach


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## rlhammon (Apr 7, 2011)

I find it funny that people are looking for sway bars for this car. It's not a fast car by any means, you aren't going to shred corners with it. Apparently others are using these cars differently than me (which is great)... I sold a Cobalt to get the extra gas mileage of the ECO.

One could easily make their own from here:

Off Road Unlimited Custom Sway Bar Links - Sway Bar Link - Suspension Components - Lift Kits, Suspensions and Shocks - by Performance 4 Trucks

Looking at the picture of available bars (I assume the bottom bar is the rear, I have not looked at my ECO to confirm) here:

SupeRich Motors | Car Accessories | SUV Accessories | Truck Accessories

The rear would be rather simple to do as it's straight across the car, and then you need end links. You could also get a custom one built from many places:

Swaybars

Speedway Engineering's Sway Bars

It just depends on what you want to do. I've only ever needed to change the stock bars when I race the car... street driving the OEM do enough engineering to have the right bar selected already. Besides which, are you just going to upgrade to upgrade, or do you have an issue you are trying to correct? If you have an issue, do you understand what that issue is, and what you need to change?

Springs (rate), roll center (ride height affected), and sway bars work together. You should spend some time understanding this relationship and do some measurements on the car if you want to make the car do something it's not already.


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## jakkaroo (Feb 12, 2011)

rlhammon said:


> I find it funny that people are looking for sway bars for this car. It's not a fast car by any means, you aren't going to shred corners with it. Apparently others are using these cars differently than me (which is great)... I sold a Cobalt to get the extra gas mileage of the ECO.
> 
> One could easily make their own from here:
> 
> ...


 have you ever taken your cruze down a mountain road,car handles pretty good for stock,tires are the biggest key,i get what your sayen though a sway bar why the car has very little body roll at all lowering it will achevie good results,but its all about looks a slammed cruze would look sick


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## Dwnshft (May 16, 2011)

Well, all I know is that every car i've put a RSB on has performed much better at ANY speed. 

I am only taking delivery of my car tonight so I haven't had a lot of driving experience with it. If all it needs is a little drop to increase its cornering ability then fine. I'm cool with that.


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## Skilz10179 (Mar 22, 2011)

rlhammon said:


> I find it funny that people are looking for sway bars for this car. It's not a fast car by any means, you aren't going to shred corners with it. Apparently others are using these cars differently than me (which is great)... I sold a Cobalt to get the extra gas mileage of the ECO.
> 
> One could easily make their own from here:
> 
> ...


I don't ever plan to race this car but i would like to try to balance out the understeer. A rear sway bar is a great way to reduce typical understeer on economy cars and give the car a more nuetral balance for hard cornering.


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## CHEVYCRUZE RS (Mar 29, 2011)

Any companies release any type of sway bars? front or back of the cruze? looking in a FRONT mount plus REAR if they have...


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## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

Front strut bars are generally wastes of money because some/most front struts are welded to the body I believe (at least all of my past cars have been)

Rear bars are a different thing altogether and are on my 'wish list'


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## rlhammon (Apr 7, 2011)

jakkaroo said:


> have you ever taken your cruze down a mountain road,car handles pretty good for stock,tires are the biggest key,i get what your sayen though a sway bar why the car has very little body roll at all lowering it will achevie good results,but its all about looks a slammed cruze would look sick


I'm not looking to do this to my car... only answering a question that started this thread.


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## rlhammon (Apr 7, 2011)

Skilz10179 said:


> I don't ever plan to race this car but i would like to try to balance out the understeer. A rear sway bar is a great way to reduce typical understeer on economy cars and give the car a more nuetral balance for hard cornering.


Yes, I agree that a larger rear bar will help reduce the factory designed understeer.

I'm just surprised to see that folks are concerned (enough to make a change). It's good though, because it forces development... however I'm just thinking that the market for performance parts on the Cruze is limited.


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## CHEVYCRUZE RS (Mar 29, 2011)

any front or back sway bars released for the 1.4L Cruze?


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## Dwnshft (May 16, 2011)

CHEVYCRUZE RS said:


> any front or back sway bars released for the 1.4L Cruze?


 Not yet, I believe another member here had mentioned the need of this to Eibach...I don't know what the status on that is...but it would be nice to start getting a little more support.


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## Kaimumma (Apr 14, 2011)

My concern right now is not if the sway bars will be made for our vehicle. It's more aimed towards, what company plans to make an upgraded pair of endlinks? The horrors of hearing the clunk noise from below give me the chills.......

Has anyone honestly ever experienced that bad of understeer driving this car though? This has got to be one of the best cars I've turned on the dime.....seriously.


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## Dwnshft (May 16, 2011)

There is always room for improvement. While I agree, that out of the box, this car is great...It COULD be a lot flatter in the corners.


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...unfortunately, no amount of front & rear sway bars will compensate for under-inflated street tires being "pushed" beyond their limits.

...when you take a corner and leave the *sidewall* lettering on the tires behind on the pavement, you know it's time to look into _higher_ performance tires.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Many of you will already know this, but for those who don't... also, these comments are very GENERALIZED; every driver and car are different, so subjectively speaking, everyone will have their own feelings and safety/risk/fun envellope boundaries.

Changing the stiffness of the sway bars (or anti-roll bars) on the front or rear of a vehicle affects the roll stiffness of the suspension, which in turn affects the Tire Lateral Load Transfer Distribution (TLLTD).

TLLTD refers to how much of the vehicle's lateral (cornering) load is handled by the outside front and outside rear tires (the ones handling the majority of the load). A vehicle with a front biased TLLTD will tend to understeer (front tires lose traction first, car "pushes" in turns) while a car with a rear biased TLLTD will tend to oversteer (the rear tires lose traction first, the rear slides out in turns). Front/Rear TLLTD is determined (mostly) by the roll stiffness of the suspension at either end of the car, the end with the higher roll stiffness generally putting more lateral load on its outboard tire and causing it to lose traction before the other end.

Virtually all cars, as designed by the OEMs, are set up to understeer. This is seen as a "safer" way to lose control of the car in a turn as lifting the throttle or applying the brakes will usually bring the car back under the driver's control. If this is not possible the car will theoretically leave the road front-first, keeping the crumple-zone of the vehicle in between the passengers and anything they are likely to hit before stopping.

Too much understeer, however, can make a car boring and "lifeless" to drive hard in a corner.

A stiffer rear sway bar can remove understeer by increasing the rear roll stiffness and shifting the TLLTD to a more neutral specification. This change alone will (slightly) reduce body roll due to the increase in rear roll resistance, (slightly) increase cornering grip as the rear tires will be forced to take more lateral load, and (slightly to greatly) affect the balance of the car mid corner; pushing an understeering car hard through corners gives the feeling of the front of the car just wallowing around, but correct the balance of the car and it will feel as though it is rotating around a point in the middle of the car - very satisfying - and you can "feel" the rear tires now playing an increased role in the action.

The downside to this? The car will now be more prone to oversteer. TLLTD is based on cornering a vehicle at a set speed and lateral load. Any dynamic inputs such as steering, acceleration or braking will affect TLLTD. The OEMs tend to tune for understeer as it leaves a reasonable safety margin for dynamic changes while cornering. Alter the TLLTD from the OEM's design intent and that margin changes... all that increased cornering pleasure might come at the expense of a "white knuckle ride" in the winter time, for example, where the limits of traction are often exceed either intentionally or not.

As with any modification, the driver of the car should educate themselves when making a change and then fully explore the results of that change in a safe place. I've changed sway bars on cars and the difference can be really rewarding! Having said that, hitting a mid corner bump on an icy road can have your "safely Engineered" FWD car pointing its arse at the ditch pretty quickly!

Buyer beware, and have fun!


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## WHITECO (Mar 31, 2011)

Blue Angel said:


> Many of you will already know this, but for those who don't... also, these comments are very GENERALIZED; every driver and car are different, so subjectively speaking, everyone will have their own feelings and safety/risk/fun envellope boundaries.
> 
> Changing the stiffness of the sway bars (or anti-roll bars) on the front or rear of a vehicle affects the roll stiffness of the suspension, which in turn affects the Tire Lateral Load Transfer Distribution (TLLTD).
> 
> ...


Very well said thanks for the info!!


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## Dwnshft (May 16, 2011)

Blue Angel said:


> Many of you will already know this, but for those who don't... also, these comments are very GENERALIZED; every driver and car are different, so subjectively speaking, everyone will have their own feelings and safety/risk/fun envellope boundaries.
> 
> Changing the stiffness of the sway bars (or anti-roll bars) on the front or rear of a vehicle affects the roll stiffness of the suspension, which in turn affects the Tire Lateral Load Transfer Distribution (TLLTD).
> 
> ...


Absolutely correct! And something that most people don't consider before they upgrade they're car (either suspension or engine) is they're own driving habits, abilities and expectations of the modification. So absolutely buyer beware and as the above poster says...educate yourself...but also to thy own self be true. I've known many people who have upgrade pretty much every single suspension piece available only to realize they now hate how the car feels to THEM.


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## Dwnshft (May 16, 2011)

So, has anyone heard anything new on anyone making one of these yet?


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

An Air-Lift rear air helper spring kit #60809 should work in the rear coil springs of the Cruze. It acts like a sway bar by stiffening up the rear springs when inflated. It's also helpful for putting a load into the trunk by assisting the rear springs to hold up the load.


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## InsaneSpeed (May 7, 2011)

We custom fabbed one up on ours using an old sway bar, it's looks like heck(not posting pics, it's that bad). We wanted to see if it was possible, it is but we need to really clean up the design, A LOT! To be honest we only noticed a small difference.
Later,
Steve


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Having a twist-beam rear suspension means it's already acting like its own sway bar. That being said, our Honda has a 17mm sway bar inside the twist beam. Go figure.


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## Mpower (Dec 23, 2013)

Dwnshft said:


> So, has anyone heard anything new on anyone making one of these yet?
> 
> 
> Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app


I ended up at this tread after doing a search for Rear Swaybar for the ECo

Any reason the ECO cannot use the Whiteline or ISM bars that are being offered for the Cruzes?

The only thing different would be the underbody panelling


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