Kyle@STILLEN

It is common practice to run staggered holes on sway bars. We have been doing it for years without any negative results.

Before I dive too deep into this subject let me start off with something that I feel needs to be mentioned.

First off, I commend the OP on his efforts to establish a baseline for the sway bar testing. However trying to convert that into a measurable/definitive explanation of what to expect (for example % of over/under steer) is impossible. As the OP pointed out there are just too many variables to consider to give a definitive answer and in all honesty, even trying to assume what the car will do based off facts on a piece of paper without considering those other variables is a major waste of time. Just a few of the variables that need to be considered, tires, weather conditions, and road surface conditions will make for HUGE changes in which sway bar to select. Our sway bars/products are designed for street use, so we develop them to be soft enough for street use yet durable enough for track use. Hence the adjustability of the sway bar. I'll elaborate on this further in my post.

Take for example, our Nissan GT R rally car. When we competed in Targa New Foundland we were dealing with torrential downpours, terrible road conditions, and had to make the tires last an entire week. So we wanted the car to be as soft and compliant as possible. We actually found that in order to achieve our goals we had to run the factory front bar with our rear bar, and an increased ride height.

When preparing the same car for the Spectre 341 hill climb challenge, we lowered the ride height, went full stiff on the front bar and rear bar, and didn't care if the tires melted after two runs because there was no penalty for tire consumption.

Then when we went to Targa New Zealand we increased the ride height a little bit, because this rally is famous for having a few "jumps", also increased spring rate, we also stuck with the STILLEN front bar but backed off the rigidity because the roads are in good shape, and the weather was good but you still want a bit of compliance on a rally car. However, when it started raining, we again, reinstalled the factory front sway bar and softened up the rear bar in order to make the car even more compliant

Getting to the main question: Does staggering the sway bar pre-load the bar and/or negatively affect the handling of the car? In our experience, the answer is no. As it has been mentioned, the proper way to set up a cars suspension is by disconnecting the sway bar, completing your corner balancing, completing your alignment, putting the car back down squarely on all fours, give it a few bounces, make sure everything is happy, and re-installing the sway bar. From our experience we do not see the suspension pre-loading or causing any concern.

With that being said, we do not recommend starting out by staggering the sway bar mounting holes. These finite adjustments are intended for the guys who can push their cars 100% and can actually feel the difference. To be honest, the number of people who will be able to feel the difference is slim. However, for the guy(s) that can tell the difference, it is invaluable to have that additional adjustment capability!

To start out, set the bars in the middle setting. We find that most people set the bars here and leave them. Some decide to go full stiff, others go full soft, but the vast majority of our customers set the bars in the middle and never look back. If it were my personal car, and I was working with anywhere from nice smooth roads in the hills leading up to my house, to the terribly choppy and uneven 405 freeway to the god awful, might as well be an off-road track) Redhill outside of STILLEN, I prefer leaving my sway bars in the neutral setting and carrying a tool box with me when I go to the track and worrying about dialing in my suspension there. On the street, I like a nice, tight, firm suspension. More so than stock. However, I find that I don't need full stiff because the roads I travel are too different, and I do like to drive more "spirited" than most so I prefer to adapt my driving style to the changing conditions. However, I do so by starting with a good base, and to me a good base is the middle setting on our sway bars. As I mentioned, for some of our customers it's full stiff, for others it's full soft, it is a very personal choice that has no "right answer."