Rear Sway Bar

is anyone here so kind to tell me his personal story about how things have changed moving from a setup with 24mm rear sway bar + 22mm front sway bar to a 24mm sway bar both front and rear setup ? thanks

 

I put a 24mm bar on the back and a 03 carolla 24mm bar on the front, a strut tower bar off ebay for 99 plus 33 ship, a stiffner plate. The car is like another car, a lot
of difference. Side wind doesn't phase it.

 

thanks Wilsid. Would you say understeering has not increased ? did you move to this setup in one shot or step by step ?

 

Was the strut tower bar for the front or rear?

Galaxy Nexus ? 2

 

I put the stiffening plate on first. then rear 24 mm bar, 03 carrolla 24 mm bar,
front strut tower bar last. I did this over a couple of weeks.

 

many thanks Wilsid. So you made overall 4 steps. When you moved to the third step (24mm front bar), what improvements did you feel driving the car ? how understeer changed ? how comfort has changed ? did the front 24mm Corolla bar replace the OEM bar without problems ?

many thanks in advance

 

It kept the front end a lot more stable, then the strut bar did the rest. No
difference is steering. I would do it again the same way. The 03 24mm fit like a
glove. There is a step by step on how to change it.

 

Hi Wilsid,

actually front end roll stiffness is lacking, in my opinion, with stock 22mm front bar working with 24mm TRD rear bar. Car handling has changed a lot with my setup, and I'm close to be able to really push it hard when I want. I guess front 24mm sway bar will be my best next step.

where did you take Corolla 24mm bar ? have you Toyota OEM PN (Part Number) for this bar ? did you replace 24 mm bar rubber bushes ? did you replace bushes brackets ?

 

I got the bar at a wreaking yard for $50 complete with bushings and brackets.

 

thanks !!

actually an used part at wreaking yard is the the best idea, expecially with sway bars, they cannot wear out.... I'll start looking for it !

 

I still have the corolla bar if anyone needs it. I never got around to installing it and it won't fit my GenIII.

 

F8L, please what Toyota PN (Part number) is 24mm Corolla sway bar you still have ? thanks

 

I'm not sure what the part number is. I purchased it at a local wrecking yard. I will look and see if there is a number stamped on it and get back to you.

 

I'm back now from a long discussion with Mr. Wayne Bolton, technical /costumer service from White Line, the Australian manufacturer of sport sway bars, bushes and accessories. Well, some days ago, asking him for some Prius GEN 2 sport sway bar (front or rear), he told me usual words to justify lacking parts in their items list and no interest for this car: "they are a car people buy to save the ozone layer and most owners are not into driving the car in any way†and so on… and this is nothing new.

At this time I asked him if BTF72Z White Line 24mm sway bar for Corolla would fit GEN 2 Prius and the answer was: “this item is for Corolla an Celica and will not fit Priusâ€.

I was close to surrender, when I decided to let him know some guys form PC had replaced OEM front sway bar of their GEN 2 Prius with used 03 Corolla 24mm sway bars found in wrecking yards and replaced it like a glove. I expected to be passed over like a wimp.

This morning I was surprised to receive an answer, and what an answer !! Mr. Wayne Bolton had confirmed with another source that the Corolla sway bar has been fitted and used on a GEN 2 Prius. At this point BTF72Z White Line 24mm full kit adjustable swaybar listed for 01-07 Toyota Corolla is good for GEN 2 Prius too.

In order to help Prius handling enthusiasts, I asked Mr. Wayne Bolton if he would consider to update their White Line items list and add BTF72Z kit for Prius GEN 2. He was very kind letting me know they will do it in the near future.

Next week I’ll place an order for this full kit adjustable swaybar and let you know how the story will end up.

I’m enthusiast about this kit because in addiction to be supplied with urethane bushes and relative brackets, it is a 2-point adjustable 24mm bar so that starting from 22mm OEM front bar we can increase stiffness 42% at first (outer) hole and 67% at second (inner) hole, as if we would be able to increase its diameter to 25mm.

 

Be wary of the urethane brackets. I had them on my MR2 and after a while the Urethane elongated and they would clunk over bumps.

 

oz thanks for telling your experience. I'm aware that urethane can lead to issues. I'm going to purchase OEM 24mm bushes as they should be made of natural rubber, more reliable and comfortable for car ride.

 

just a little info on metric bolts here. the number on the bolt head indicates how hard the bolt is. the stock prius bolts have 11 on em, the trd bolts have a 13. so the trd bolts are a harder grade of steel.
i think the trd bolts are supposed to be torqued tighter than the stock bolts, and that should eliminate the noisy loosening of the bolts.
typical standard thread bolts are grade 5 and have 3 lines on the head. the next grade is grade 8 with 6 lines on the head.

new meat here, thanks to y'all for this info. i just bought my 2nd prius and am gonna replace the rear bar asap.

 

After almost 2 years of wanting this, I've finely ordered my Progress sway bar, It arrived yesterday and I can't wait to get it installed!

Anyone out there thinking of doing this mod, don't hesitate, Just Do It!
Here's a link to a post with an installation guide for anyone who may need it:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...gen-ii-prius-sway-bar-installation-guide.html

 

I'm back now from reading "sway bar istallation guide" and I can confirm that the TRD sway bar is "upside down" in those pics. I've got Corolla TRD 24 mm on my car and I can confirm that following TRD sticker guise can lead you to a wrong installation. TRD bar can work the same in upside down position but will scratch the C-beam paint (and cause extra, unwanted steel stress), as happend to my car after driving it for two years with TRD sway bar upside down

 

just ordered the sway bar. can't wait. one of the very few good things about being a mechanic is i always have access to a lift and compressed air.