I just purchased a rear swaybar directly from Comptech after reading so many great reviews. I installed an adjustable Neuspeed rear swaybar on a 2003 Jetta GLX that I used to have which greatly reduced the huge amounts of understeer that car had. I expect the Comptech swaybar to do wonders for my TL.

However, I was just searching for comments about the bushings that people are using, trying to determine if I should order some poly bushings or just use the bushings that Comptech supplies (it sounds like people have been satisfied with Comptech's revised bushings so I'll give them a try). During that process, I came across a comment from somebody that the Comptech swaybar made the front end of their TL feel really soft and loose. That seems to be the only negative comment I've found and it really confuses me as to why this would happen.

I can only picture a soft and loose front end due to understeer and would think that the thicker rear swaybar would dial out much of the understeer and transfer quite a bit of cornering force to the rear. I don't plan on doing any other suspension mods so I'm hoping this isn't true because I don't want to negatively affect the handling and be forced into spending more money.

I don't drive very aggressively anymore (doing a 180° spin in an intersection with my S2000 a few years ago and wrecking my G35 6MT sedan a couple of years ago after it began to fishtail have "woken me up"). I'm guessing that in average driving, I'll be very happy with the new swaybar.

Any thoughts?

 

I haven't seen that comment you mentioned, but it probably came from somebody with improper tire inflation following installation of the RSB...
Every other comment about the RSB has been extremely positive with regard to 5ATs. I don't know if the RSBs improve handling as much on 6Ms though, since the 6Ms start with a thicker bar that is only slightly smaller than the Comptech.

 

The post was by RKA who said on 8/7/06:

Here

I hope this was due to something like inproper tire inflation because I wouldn't want my car handling like this. Again, this is the only comment of its kind that I've found.

 

Well, here's my input:

The rsb will make the rear of the car roll less. This could have a tendancy to make the front feel like it moves around more.

A stock car that understeers does not roll around so much in the front. A big sway bar in the front keeps the control arms level, making the front stay flatter in turns. This aids in stability, as the front of the car is not overly sensitive to steering inputs. It also causes the understeer.

By contrast, the rear of the car is set up with a softer sway bar to have the opposite effect. The rear end rolls more and grips better (yes, more rolling at street-speeds will grip more...to a point).

Putting a bigger bar in the rear forces the front of the car to roll more, making the front grip better. Also, the rear will be stiffer will roll less and have more of a tendancy to slide. Overally, putting a bigger bar in the rear than stock will neutralize the handling.


So, the other person is very sensitive to the change the rsb made, or the car is messed up somehow.

 

Well, tell you what. . .I'm so happy I did this.

I ordered my RSB last Thursday, got it Friday, and installed it Saturday. The installation took me about 2 hours because I did it without removing any tires and with the car flat on the ground. This wasn't by choice -- I couldn't figure out where to put my jack stands after using my floor jack to lift the car up. Without having any additional clearance under the car, it does take longer to do the work. The installation went without any major drama.

I immediately noticed how much more neutral the handling was after the new RSB was installed. Body roll is greatly reduced (but there is still some with the stock springs and shocks). The rear end definetely feels like it rotates faster and, in everyday driving, there's no feeling of the car plowing through turns (understeer). I also don't feel any sort of increased roll in the front. In fact, because the handling is much more neutral, the steering feels quicker (the car is willing to change direction faster).

Although, hypothetically, the thicker RSB shouldn't affect ride quality, in reality it does. I noticed this when I added an adjustable RSB to an '03 Jetta GLX and I notice it with the Comptech RSB on the TL. Very rarely do both rear tires go over a bump at the same time where both wheels will react exactly the same where the thicker swaybar would go unnoticed. When the rear wheels react independently over bumps, there is a noticeable increase ride harshness.

My only issue is that I've always felt that the front of the car was undersprung and I would like to someday fix that (but not spend a fortune doing it).

 

Actually, "hypothetically" (correct wordage?) the ticker rsb will most definately effect ride quality. I think it is more noticable over greater road variations. So while it CAN be felt under straight-line driving, the feeling is pretty minimal.

What suspension is in your car? Stock?

Marcus

 

I'm stock. . .for now. I've already put 28K miles in just over a year on my TL (my commute is 110+ miles round trip). For most of my driving, the stock shocks are fine but there are some nasty, undulating sections of freeway where the car floats too much (in my opinion). I want to tighten up the ride a bit without making the car ride like an old Accord I had with Eibach springs (1 inch drop) and Koni reds (i.e. harsh when the pavement drops out).

I also don't want to spend a lot of money because of the miles I'm putting on the car (I'll probably only keep the car for about 5 years) and because my wife would kill me. Basically, I'm waiting for an alternative to the Koni yellows -- something stiffer than stock but not adjustable.

 

Maybe you need the Spec sus. It barely lowers the car, and rides the same...but it takes away some of that floaty feeling. It is a nice way to go.