# ISM front sway bar links installed



## OnlyTaurus (Mar 20, 2012)

Thats awesome.. good write-up! I strongly dislike the plastic sway links we have now, and may have to consider this! Is the difference really THAT noticable??


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## Record_player (Nov 16, 2011)

I also have a question. How do they effect ride quality? Is it still as smooth as before?


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

This won't affect ride quality one iota. It's simply making the sway bar more effective.


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## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

Link? price?

Thanks for write up! Suspension more important that performance for me right now.


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## jakkaroo (Feb 12, 2011)

on the ksport coilovers these are included in the kit,there adjustable too


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

OnlyTaurus said:


> Thats awesome.. good write-up! I strongly dislike the *plastic sway links *we have now, and may have to consider this! Is the difference really THAT noticable??


...are the OEM links _actually_* plastic *or is it *powdered* metal?


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

70AARCUDA said:


> ...are the OEM links _actually_* plastic *or is it *powdered* metal?


I have not handled the part in question, but it looks EXACTLY like the plastic end links I have seen on other cars.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

double post


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

70AARCUDA said:


> ...are the OEM links _actually_* plastic *or is it *powdered* metal?


They are nylon with rubber bushings. They do not affect ride quality at all. It does make a very noticeable difference in the way the car feels in turns, I have a feeling if the OEM part was better it wouldn't be AS noticeable with just the preload adjustment, but the OEM part is so soft it really does make a nice difference in steering feel


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## blk88verde (Apr 30, 2011)

I will be getting these end links in the next week or so. Thanks for the great install write up!


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

NBrehm said:


> Added 5 turns of pre-load to the bar


Can you explain what you mean by 5 turns of preload?


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## MyShibbyEco (Jan 21, 2012)

Blue Angel said:


> Can you explain what you mean by 5 turns of preload?


Set the length to be the same as stock, install on both sides, then turn the shaft (gold in the OP's picture) 5 times in the extension direction. That center bar is threaded left and right hand on opposite ends so it can be adjusted on the car. Almost all adjustable aftermarket suspension parts are like this.


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## Christopher_2 (Jul 31, 2012)

Mick said:


> Link? price?
> 
> Thanks for write up! Suspension more important that performance for me right now.


Insane Speed Motorsports - Insane Speed Motorsports Adjustable Front Sway Bar Links for Chevrolet Cruze /Buick Verano


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

MyShibbyEco said:


> Set the length to be the same as stock, install on both sides, then turn the shaft (gold in the OP's picture) 5 times in the extension direction. That center bar is threaded left and right hand on opposite ends so it can be adjusted on the car. Almost all adjustable aftermarket suspension parts are like this.


almost right, everything above is correct except you tighten the ends to preload the bar, not extend them


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## MyShibbyEco (Jan 21, 2012)

NBrehm said:


> almost right, everything above is correct except you tighten the ends to preload the bar, not extend them


Talking preload on the rod end that connects to the car? or the rod end that connects to the gold shaft? I meant turn the gold shaft so the overall length extends by 5 turns.


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## Ian_12 (Aug 19, 2011)

MyShibbyEco said:


> Talking preload on the rod end that connects to the car? or the rod end that connects to the gold shaft? I meant turn the gold shaft so the overall length extends by 5 turns.


You shorten the link to preload the suspension, not extend it.


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## nosidefcp (Dec 24, 2010)

i came across this product today...i need it. im with eibach springs and gonna install bilsteins b8 next week and i need this...
hope they will fit my 2009 150hp diesel cruze...


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

Ian_12 said:


> You shorten the link to preload the suspension, not extend it.



yup


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## nosidefcp (Dec 24, 2010)

No one knos if the sway bar links are the same in a 2009 lt disel and 2011/2012 model?come on guys. I wanna put the stock sway bar links next to the stock suspension, make a fire with them and send the video to GM...


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Tuning back into this thread after a while...



Ian_12 said:


> You shorten the link to preload the suspension, not extend it.


My original question was a bit vague. By "pre-load", what are you implying? Is this something you decided to do on your own? Is this something that's suggested in the manual?

Here's why I ask:

1. If you are adjusting both links so that they end up the same length (whatever the length may end up being) then you are not preloading anything, you're just altering the geometry of the links and sway bar relative to the suspension. If the reason for doing this is to correct the bar geometry after lowering the car, then you are correcting the link geometry, not preloading. If this is the case, are you checking the geometry with the car on the ground or just by a pre-determined number of turns on the turnbuckles?

2. If you are adjusting the links so they are NOT ending up the same length, THEN you are preloading the sway bar. This practice is usually done while corner weighting a car (to ensure minimal sway bar preload), but can be adjusted afterwards as well to help cure inconsistent left-to-right handling imbalances (a car that oversteers left and understeers right, for example). This can be part of dialing in a "wedge", or purposely uneven corner loading, popular with oval track cars that only turn in one direction.


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

The sway bar is not a weight bearing part of the vehicle, "wedge" is dialed in by compressing the spring so you get a different spring rate. What we mean by pre-loading the sway bar is you are actually bending against the weight of the car so it doesn't have the ability to flex as much, which keeps the lateral movement of the front end tighter by effectively keeping the bar from being able to extend fully. You could possibly get very minor weight adjustments between the left and right wheels with the sway bar, but the springs are what support the weight of the vehicle. You can see this by disconnecting the sway bar with weight on the car, the ride height will not change.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Looking at your signature I see you've been around quite a bit, but I'm having trouble understanding what you're trying to say:



NBrehm said:


> *The sway bar is not a weight bearing part of the vehicle*, "wedge" is dialed in by compressing the spring so you get a different spring rate. What we mean *by pre-loading the sway bar is you are actually bending against the weight of the car* so *it doesn't have the ability to flex as much, which keeps the lateral movement of the front end tighter* by effectively *keeping the bar from being able to extend fully*. You could possibly get very minor weight adjustments between the left and right wheels with the sway bar, but the springs are what support the weight of the vehicle. You can see this by *disconnecting the sway bar with weight on the car, the ride height will not change*.


I detect a lot of conflicting information here. If what you're trying to say is correct I just want to make sure others can read it and understand it properly.

1. "The sway bar is not a weight bearing part of the vehicle" and "bending against the weight of the car" is conflicting and incorrect. The sway bar never bends against the weight of the car, it transfers forces applied to it by suspension motion to the suspension on the opposite side of the car (i.e. if the left front suspension compresses it transfers a compressive force to the right front suspension).

2. "it doesn't have the ability to flex as much, which keeps the lateral movement of the front end tighter" is incorrect. A sway bar actually twists (not flex), and the forces acting on it are tortional (basically a lever on a torque axis). If the twisting of the bar is reduced then so is its anti-roll affect. The more twist in the bar, the higher the force being transfered, the greater the anti-roll affect the bar has on the car. Adjustable sway bars allow adjusting this affect by allowing the links to be connected at varying positions along the "lever" of the bar; the closer to the torque axis the more twist in the bar for a given amount of suspension movement and the greater the anti-roll effect.

3. "keeping the bar from being able to extend fully". Sway bars don't extend... ?

4. "disconnecting the sway bar with weight on the car, the ride height will not change". Correct, but conflicts with "bending against the weight of the car".

Usually a sway bar is disconnected while a corner weighting is being performed. Then, with corner weighting complete and the car at race weight the sway bars are connected and the links adjusted so there is little or no tension in them. This ensures that the sway bars are not contributing to the corner weighting of the car in a static state or in straight line acceleration or braking, only when the car rolls in a corner.

Very stiff sway bars in sports cars and race cars can contribute significantly to corner weighting if they are adjusted with any significant preload. The Cruze front sway bar is relatively weak in this regard, but will still have some effect if adjusted in this manner.

If the links are adjusted so that there is no torsion in the sway bar at rest, then changing their length does nothing more than alter the geometry of the bar relative to the rest of the suspension. On a severely lowered car this may be an advantage by being able to correct the sway bar position back to the middle of its rotation travel at rest. Drawing a three bar linkage in a cad program can demonstrate this effectively.

BTW, I LOVE your sig!


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

Twist is def a better word then bend, and perhaps "untwist" would be a better description than extend, but grammar aside it is still not a weight bearing structure on the vehicle. Yes weight does get applied to it and yes it does "twist" under that weight and everything you said about moving the links to adjust for roll is also true. However you cannot get weight to transfer from wheel to wheel by adjusting it so it is nothing like a "wedge" adjustment. If what you mean is you can prevent that weight, to an extent FROM being transferred by reducing the amount the body can roll and unload/load the suspension then yes, that is true. But it is not, and does not, have the same affect as making a wedge adjustment. If you make a wedge adjustment it can be measured by increased or decreased weight on a wheel when the car is stationary, you are altering the position of the body in relation to the ground because the springs are weight bearing on the vehicle. With out force being applied you can mess with the sway bar until you are blue in the face and the weight on that wheel will the stay the same (or perhaps a very miniscule change) because the springs support the weight, hence the sway bar is NOT a weight bearing structure on the car. That is the point I was attempting to make, although maybe I should have done it after some sleep to create less confusion.


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

Blue Angel said:


> BTW, I LOVE your sig!


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

NBrehm said:


> Twist is def a better word then bend, and perhaps "untwist" would be a better description than extend, but grammar aside it is still not a weight bearing structure on the vehicle.


Ah, that's better!



NBrehm said:


> If you make a wedge adjustment it can be measured by increased or decreased weight on a wheel when the car is stationary, you are altering the position of the body in relation to the ground because the springs are weight bearing on the vehicle. With out force being applied you can mess with the sway bar until you are blue in the face and the weight on that wheel will the stay the same (or perhaps a very miniscule change).


I should show you the 38mm (1.5") diameter T1 sway bar I have for the front of my Z06! Any preload on that baby will show up on the corner weight scales for sure! The T1 sways/springs are not on the car yet, financials have held be back for the last few years. Someday...

I would imagine running low 11's in your TA you probably had a pretty good bar in the back of that as well, unless you enjoy lifting just the left front tire! :0


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

Just had a 26MM solid rear bar, nothing crazy. Between the subframe connectors, the roll bar, tubular torque arm, strut brace, panhard bar, LCA's tunnel reinforcements and the rear air bag there was VERY little chassis twist. Launched straight and hard (1.3/1.4 60ft's). I think i would also like to see what happens if you could pre-load a big bar like on your Vette, my money is on it still won't transfer much, if any, weight. I just don;t think you can twist it that far before something breaks, now my curiosity it peaked.


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## papoose42 (Apr 29, 2012)

so we can put these on our stock cars


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

Yes they are a direct bolt on in place of those stupid plastic sway bar links.

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## cronyjabrony (Aug 10, 2012)

they greasable?


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

I'm not sure and Steve hasn't been on in awhile so idk uf anyone has gotten them but I would hope that they are greasable

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