Group Buy: Eibach Front Sway bar 28mm | Ludicrouspeed.com

[AutoM3otives]

Due to some interest in purchasing just the Eibach front sway bar from the previous group buy sponsored by Ludicrouspeed.com, I've gone ahead and contacted the owner (Chookeat) about a group buy for just the front bar.

Just like the last group buy, if 3 people can commit to the order, the group buy price for the front sway bar will be $180 shipped.

Two people, myself included, are ready to go. We just need one more person to qualify for the $180 price.

Please post up if you are interested and can commit.

[thesk8nmidget]

damn wish i had money to jump on!

[lkwd318ti]

bumpidump

[Kaliimc]

Questions for the guru's:

1. What is the difference between installing both front and rear aftermarket sways vs. just the front aftermarket swaybar?

2. Is the front bar alone that much of a difference?

3. How does the rear enhance performance?

The first three questions can probably be summed up in one answer.:smile:

4. Are these effective on a base model where the only "mod" so far is to take out the foam from the airbox?:biggrin:

[PeteN95]

Big front bar only = understeer!

[gimp]

Big front bar only = understeer!

Big false.

The larger front sway bar will better control the camber curve (less roll = less camber loss) and actually increase front end grip, creating a tendency to overstreer. It's counter-intuitive, but true.

[PeteN95]

Well, that might be true, but in general, according to every suspension design book I've read and personal experience, more roll stiffness transfers grip to the opposite end of the car.

[gimp]

Well, that might be true, but in general, according to every suspension design book I've read and personal experience, more roll stiffness transfers grip to the opposite end of the car.

And you are very right... but the BMW is an odd ball when it comes to handling.

[LudicrouSpeed]

You'll also find many WRX guys in STX going with the big front bar - it is counter intuitive, but many guys are running 27mm front bars and something smaller in the back. More than a few WRX suspension gurus are backing up this suspension theory with better track times and improved feel at the local autocrosses.

You can check NASIOC's suspension threads for reference.

[gimp]

UPDATE - http://318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=17730&page=14&highlight=group+buy

[RidingSimple]

I posted in that thread, if you can get the bar to Honolulu, Hawaii for the $180, I'm 100% in.

[Jean H.318TI]

any 1 know the size for the stock swaybars and stock sport sway bars?

[RidingSimple]

24/14 non sport
25/16 sport

or something to that nature. A 28 front bar is HUGE compared to what's on the car from when I had mine.

[Jean H.318TI]

wow is a huge difference

[Mr.Squeelerz]

What good is one over having both front and rear? Just curious.

[RidingSimple]

What good is one over having both front and rear? Just curious.

It's usually better to have both, but they don't make a kit for the rear of our car anymore. Only option here is to buy a Suspension Tech or IE E30 rear bar and match it with any non M3 E36 front bar. Or you could jump from the stock 14mm rear bar to the sport 16 mm rear bar, which I'll do at a minimum.

[Jean H.318TI]

dinan have the front and rear for the TI 27mm front 22mm rear

[RidingSimple]

^ $$$$$

[Jean H.318TI]

$369 front and $399 rear

[gimp]

An advantage to only a front can be due to not having a limited slip rear end. Having no, or a softer rear sway will allow for more independent wheel travel and hopefully keep you from lifting your inside rear tire on a corner.

You compensate for the lack of roll control with spring rates, shock tuning, and/or both.

Even without a rear bar, the larger front bar makes the car more neutral (contrary to standard suspension tuning theory) because you lessen the amount of positive camber gain, therefore increasing your front grip and lessening the tendency for the car to understeer, or "push".

[LudicrouSpeed]

It's usually better to have both, but they don't make a kit for the rear of our car anymore. Only option here is to buy a Suspension Tech or IE E30 rear bar and match it with any non M3 E36 front bar.

Hmmm, I do get ST parts from two distributors...I'll do a little price checking today as soon as California comes online (if there is a part number - I don't see one in the ST 2006 catalogue).

[Kaliimc]

Is there room for me to jump in on this? My CFO (wife) has alocated funding...

She feels the difference with the recent X-brace install and is interested in more stability. It's kinda like more insurance I tell her. :biggrin: Which is not far from the truth.

Is there a way that Das Auto and I can have both sway bars shipped in the same box to help with the shipping to Honolulu?

[LudicrouSpeed]

If both parties were willing, I could probably swing that. The cost would be more for you, but not anywhere near as much as some other vendors have charged. Just to give an idea, I shipped two STI Limited spoilers and the cost was just under $40, but those didn't weigh anywhere near as much as a swaybar does. I'd get you true cost though, as best as the distributor could determine.

However, I still can't find a part number for a Suspension Techniques sway bar for your application according to the catalog I've got. If you know of one, I can see if it's available.

[spidertri]

Hey LudicrouSpeed any info on what comes with the front sway bar? Bushings, brackets, endlinks?

[LudicrouSpeed]

Gimp is throwing all these other alternative part numbers for the e30 at me (he says that's the rear you guys have anyway?). Suspension Techniques apparently had, according to another vendor, a full kit PN 52010, but that doesn't seem to be available anymore.

Eibach has an E30 16mm RSB PN 2003.312 IN STOCK, MSRP $301, and I can probably do that for $180.6 shipped to the lower 48 (if I can get a total of 3 Eibach orders). I'd have to figure out shipping costs to HI, and see if the parts are in stock. More answers to come as soon as I can get them!

[gimp]

Hey LudicrouSpeed any info on what comes with the front sway bar? Bushings, brackets, endlinks?

If I remember correctly, all that's in the kit are new bushings and the sway. Maybe new brackets, but I'm not 100% sure. There are no endlinks included - your stock ones work just fine.

[RidingSimple]

Gimp is throwing all these other alternative part numbers for the e30 at me (he says that's the rear you guys have anyway?). Suspension Techniques apparently had, according to another vendor, a full kit PN 52010, but that doesn't seem to be available anymore.

Eibach has an E30 16mm RSB PN 2003.312 IN STOCK, MSRP $301, and I can probably do that for $180.6 shipped to the lower 48 (if I can get a total of 3 Eibach orders). I'd have to figure out shipping costs to HI, and see if the parts are in stock. More answers to come as soon as I can get them!

Are you sure the upgraded bar is only 16mm? Because that's the stock size for all 318ti sport models, so I don't foresee anyone dropping money on that. IIRC, the E30 suspension tech rear bars were 19mm??? Can someone confirm or deny that please?

Also, as far as shipping to Hawaii, USPS is almost always the cheapest. And I figured that your cost to ship within the 48 states for one bar might be say $15 (example). So If Kaliimc and I both order a bar, shipped in one box, we could allocated that 15x2=$30, which would prob cover the shipping to us. What I'm getting at is the $180 shipped should remain for us, as you are only paying one large shipping amount, rather than 2 small ones. Is that feasible?

Thanks.

[gimp]

That 16mm is per the Eibach site. I too noticed it was the same size as the stock bar. I wonder if that is a mistake on their part.

[LudicrouSpeed]

Auto,

Unfortunately, your shipping estimate is optimistic - during the last round, one of the shipments cost me $46, and was shipped directly from Eibach in California to the lower 48. Granted, it was for a set, but you're also talking about shipping two bars. I have to pay my distributor a drop ship fee to keep shipping costs low (it's cheaper to pay the fee than to have them ship the bar to me, just to ship it out again). I am sure they use a variety of carriers, but I have no control over which. I am pretty confident they would attempt to ship both bars in a larger box, but I can not guarantee it.

Not sure why Eibach would list a bar as being the same size as stock - maybe it's G14 Classified space metals?

[RidingSimple]

If I remember correctly, all that's in the kit are new bushings and the sway. Maybe new brackets, but I'm not 100% sure. There are no endlinks included - your stock ones work just fine.

From my upgraded SB purchases, that is correct. A front bar only purchase will net you the 28mm bar and the bushings to attach to the body. Sadly, no new brackets, hardware (these nuts and bolts need to be replaced in most instances, as I even had a bolt snap from rust in a midwest car), or front end links are included.

If I do recall correctly, my full Eibach set for the E36 318is did come with rear end links along with the bar and body bushings. That was 7 years ago though, so I don't recall.

Auto,

Unfortunately, your shipping estimate is optimistic - during the last round, one of the shipments cost me $46, and was shipped directly from Eibach in California to the lower 48. Granted, it was for a set, but you're also talking about shipping two bars. I have to pay my distributor a drop ship fee to keep shipping costs low (it's cheaper to pay the fee than to have them ship the bar to me, just to ship it out again). I am sure they use a variety of carriers, but I have no control over which. I am pretty confident they would attempt to ship both bars in a larger box, but I can not guarantee it.

Not sure why Eibach would list a bar as being the same size as stock - maybe it's G14 Classified space metals?

Ok, I do understand shipping can get costly, but just let Kaliimc and I know what we're looking at pricewise. Because there's only two others interested right now, and if you can work a shipping deal, Kaliimc and I make 4 total, so it would be a go! :)