Sorry, this may be a simple question, but what are Swaybars for, what do they do?

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

sway bars run under the car. when you take a turn the body of the car rolls meaning the car leans. sway bars by comptech or any other company are upgrades, they replace stock ones. they are bigger or thicker thus there is less body roll in a turn. helps prevent understeer. it makes the car handle more like a true "sports sedan"

 

Yep, Sway bar's generally reduce the side by side "sway" a car does in a turn, or even a lane change...they make the world of a difference in handling with no sacrifice in ride comfort at all...Your car will feel more like a handler than "grandpa's caddy". I recommend them very highly!
Ed

 

If they improve handling so much with no sacrifices, why doesn't Acura put larger diameter sways on to begin with? I'm not questioning whether this is true or not, but I've always wondered why such a simple improvement isn't made by the manufacturer.

 

Possibly too expensive? Or just too lazy

 

Same reason they don't put a SC, performance headers, exhaust, or even 18s with high performance tires..... because Acura tries to find the balance between performance and luxury. Remember, the TL is not a sports car.

 

Does better handling mean less luxury?

 

Car makers tune their cars to cater for the general publics, not just for some hardcore handling freaks like you and me. A larger diameter sways would mean harsher ride for most other people. In addition, Acura uses rubber bushings for the OEM sways to prevent the squeaking noises that are common with aftermarket poly-urethane bushings which come with aftermarket sways. Otherwise, buyers will complain why their suspensions are so noisy, and why their expensive cars make noise.

 

I love you guys, but you must be quite young.

I am a 37 year old performance enthusiast. While most of us who post on this board would gladly sacrifice a little bit of cushiness for handling prowess, we sometimes forget what the car handled like stock. We are so excited to be able to take that turn a little bit faster that we forget how smooth the car was before.

The old gang and I have modified many cars and trust me when I say that there is a sacrifice (however minor) with any suspension tweak out there.

Do what I do...before you make any mods to your vehicle, find someone who has made the mod and both of you drive each other's car. That is the only way to tell how much of a difference a mod makes.

And by the way...I am all for any and all mods. Just don't tell me that they are invisible