I have a 2010 sh awd tl that has a 20mm rear sway bar in it already from factory. Is it worth upgrading to the progress 22mm one? I'm worried that if I did it could pull through the mounting brackets if I hit a pothole. Plus with the progress bar it requires you to drill through the rear subframe to widen the holes which means i couldn't go back to stock easily and would probably impact resale value. I found another bar from ultra racing that appears to just bolt in but the subframe ripping issues would likely be a big concern with that and I haven't heard anything about this bar.

Should I just go a different direction with the car if I want it to feel tighter around turns? I was really kinda looking at sway bars since they're a pretty easy install and seem to provide really good performance.

 

do you know if progress or or UR bar is hollow or solid?

In any case, a stiffer sway bar will keep the rear more level, esp if you are pushing the car hard. Push too hard and you can end up lifting a rear wheel off the ground totally negating the purpose of a stiffer bar.

How many speed bumps do you have where you live?

IMO, upgrading the tires is going to give you much better feel than the sway bar. Go with a summer tire for warm weather like the Cont ECS2 or the comparable Michelin. If you need to tackle snow/ice, go with a Ultra-high-performance Season Tire that you can push/lean heavily on.

I have the Conti ECS2 and LOVE them, the grip difference over the Conti DWS is pretty apparent even with the tires cool. Once they warm up they are pretty amazing. I get about 30-35K out of a set without issues.

 

As an alternative to an aftermarket bar, if your car has the 5AT, maybe see if the bar in the 6MT is different. My understanding is that the 6MT suspension is not the same as the shawdy AT, but I don't know which parts are different.