imported_mrchaos

what are the differences between sway bars and tie bars?

what different, if any, parts of the chasis is each of bars stiffening?

is it beneficial to run upper AND lower tie and sway bars front and rear

or

sway OR lower tie and upper tie front and rear?

Buff 'n Stuff

Not sure, but I think you mean tie rods. They have to do with your steering, usually part of the rack (rack & pinion steering)... although some cars have them in the rear as well. Sway bars are located in the front & rear of your vehicle on the chassis.

You may also be thinking of strut bars.

imported_mrchaos

strut bars = upper tie bars
tie rod = lower tie bar or arm bar
sway bar = sway bar

all in my world

but the question remain...

Raocorp

first off a tie rod is not a tie bar. they are two completely different things. ALL cars have tie rods....its what keeps the car from swaying from right to left when driving. Sorry its more like wandering, it keeps the car from wandering on the road.

a tie bar is a bar that connects two points of the subframe. Usually from one side to the other. They are obviously located underneath the car. There are the least effective way of tighening your suspension, and they are available for both the front and back of the car.

A strut bar goes in the engine bay and in the trunk. They connect to the strut bolts. The help with tighten the front end under heavy load (eg hard cornering). This is the second best way of tightening your suspension.

A sway bar is a bar that is an essential part of your suspension. Its connects from the underbody of the car from the left control arm to the right. All cars have front swaybars....and only a few civics have rear swaybars. Upgrading or adding a front or rear swaybar is the best way to tighten your suspension.

The first step would be to add a rear swaybar to your car if it doesn't have one, or even upgrade it if it does have one. For example (i'll use an SiR cuz thats what I know), an SiR stock has a 26mm front swaybar and a 13mm rear sway bar. The 26mm front swaybar is more than adequate so there is not need to replace that unless you autocross. Also there really isn't may if any companies that make a larger front sway bar for the civic than 26mm. But since the rear is a puny 13mm, many people upgrade them to a type r rear swaybar which is 22mm.

imported_ryanhook

The benefits of these components in question really depends on what you intend to use your car for.

I recently added a rear sway bar to my Si coupe in hopes of tightening up the rear end and resulting in less understeer. I was after this because I'm starting to participate in Solo events and want the car's rear end to slide out easier (though a small sway bar like I have added is not going to make the car neutral or induce oversteer).

A strut brace / upper tie bar is intended to stiffen the tub of the unibody between the shock / strut towers (usually). It will help reduce flex in the body structure. Sometimes the effect of a strut brace is noticeable, sometimes it is not. The most effective are solid bars that do not have flex points on them.

A lower tie bar does a similar job as a strut brace / upper tie bar but is reducing flex along the suspension instead of the unibody. It really doesn't have much effect on the car.

That's my understanding at least... I'm sure someone is going to correct something I said.

imported_mrchaos

thanks so much...exactly what i was looking for