Standard 1" sway bar vs PT Helwig sway bar......is the extra money worth it?

[Nicks67GTO]

Im looking at new rear sway bars. Im trying to decide between a standard 1" rear control arm mounted sway bar like this one...http://www.ebay.com/itm/64-72-CHEVELLE-CUTLASS-REAR-SWAY-BAR-HARDWARE-KIT-1-/270536385057?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessorie s&fits=Model%3AChevelle&vxp=mtr&hash=item3efd39a221#ht_1422wt_952

and a more PT type of higher end sway bar like this one from Hellwig...http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hellwig-55864-Rear-Tubular-Anti-Sway-Bar-CLEARANCE-/310388489377?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3AChevelle&vxp=mtr&hash=item4844987ca1#ht_2723wt_1185

Im on 15" tires 225/60/15 in front and 275/60/15 in rear. I have a 1 1/4" WS6 bar in front and a 12:1 Jeep p/s box if that matters. I'm using stock boxed {by me} rear control arms.

Any suggestions on which type of bar to go with? What are the advantages of the high dollar bar setup as opposed to the standard stock type setup??

[Nicks67GTO]

I forgot to mention this is on a 1967 GTO

[Rod]

I don't think you need a 1 1/8 rear bar, but if you do, buy the Helwig its is adjustable the eBay cheapo isn't, so what ever the ratio is that's what you get, did you look at Hotchkis also? I think theirs is also an adjustable rate

[UMI Tech]

We are working on a Pro-Tour style adjustable rear bar. For most general cruising our 1" trailing arm mount is great. For spirited driving, auto-x and increased drag performance I'd recommend the Hellwig for sure. Of course if you have time to wait a month or two, we think ours is going to be pretty sweet.

[69cutlassrkt]

I think its worth it. It is fun to try the diff settings and see which one you like best. And it wont pick up the inside tire when making a u turn like with one connected to the lower control arms. I think its the inside tire can't remember, was about 4 years ago when I did that once. One advantage is you can change the amount of understeer and oversteer with it. On the looser setting mine seems to have some oversteer with a sts 1 1/4 front bar.

[Nicks67GTO]

Ramey, is your pt style bar going to be a 1" or 1.125"? Solid or hollow? Is 1.125 too much bar to match the 1.25 in front in my application? Will pricing be competitive with the hellwig? Will it be available in black?

[UMI Tech]

Ramey, is your pt style bar going to be a 1" or 1.125"? Solid or hollow? Is 1.125 too much bar to match the 1.25 in front in my application? Will pricing be competitive with the hellwig? Will it be available in black?

Thanks for the question.

The current prototype is 1" hollow. We are still tuning the arm lengths and will finalize as soon as we can get some skidpad time (initial arm length is 7, 8 and 9 inch) to verify performance. When we're done with the testing we'll publish results and detail which springs and front bar were in the car at the time. Our goal is to have proper balance with our 1-1/4 solid front bar. It will be available in red and black and will be cost competitive with other premium Pro-Tour bars on the market.

ramey

[Dave@Hellwig]

I have run both styles of sway bar on my 68 Chevelle. I may be biased but for my car our PT bar is the way to go. Ride quality is better and it handles bumps in the turns better. Here are a few pics of our PT bar installed. Our 1-1/8" bar works well with a 1-1/4" tubular front bar if you have tall ball joints or tall spindles. I ran my Chevelle for quite a while with a 1-1/4" solid front bar and it did fine. Spring rate in the rear is going to have a lot of effect on how much rear bar you need. THe SPC rear springs work very well with our PT bar.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/01/378839329-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/07/378860696-1.jpg

[UMI Tech]

I'd trust any sway bar related info dispensed by Dave, for sure.

[SRD art]

You prolly already know this, but getting rid of those tall flexible 275-60s would make a world of difference in handling no matter what sway bar you run. I have 275-60-15s for street driving my Nova and simply bolting on the shorter 275-50-15 drag radials I feel a difference. When I swapped from a 225-60-15 V rated tire on my wagon to the 245-50-16 V rated tires, I felt a huge difference there too. At this point you're tightening up the suspension but your tires as the weak link will still flex/ sway, almost defeating the purpose of the sway bar investment. Just a thought to consider.