Quick question, and yea I've kinda searched both topics..
 

Ok well I've been contemplating whether or not to get either Hotchkis sway bars, ARK hfc and uprev but I can't pull the trigger on any of the deals. I'm going to take my car to the track for the first time in 2 weeks and idk what's gonna benefit me the most. Should I get the sway bars and end links? Like I said I'm gonna take it to the track soon but I NEVER drive it hard on the streets. Way too reckless and stupid for me to risk my Z doing that IMHO.

If I get the hotchkis sway bars and just do city driving will I break my stock end links quickly or will it take time for them to break? Should I order the SPL end links at the same time if I order the sways?

Or should I get the HFCs and uprev? I take the takeda CAI and ark dts exhaust at the moment.

Thanks guys!

Get the sway bars. You can run the stock links until they break or swap them out now. They may last a lot longer than you think. You'll notice the sways every time you turn the wheel.

Wait to tune the car until you have all the mods you want to do. It'll save you the cost of a re tune down the line.

+1 on sways, suspension is always a huge benefit. You'll get more out of the car with upgraded suspension, especially your first time at the track.

I would start with an oil cooler ;)

:iagree:

Yep! And a brake fluid change. Before the sway bars. ;)

Well I usually don't drive hard around the city but when I do my oil temperature never exceeds 210. Should I still get the oil cooler?

How? You're in TX. Even in the summer you don't see over 210? Are you sure the previous owner didn't install an oil cooler?

If you plan to track the car, an oil cooler is a necessity.

Not that I know of. I know I'm gonna sound like a wus but I don't drive my car hard. I do spirited driving every now and then when I'm getting onto the highway but nothing crazy. I don't think I've even see it hit 220. Is there a certain temp that's critical for our engines?

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not even sure that's possible. Even sitting in traffic or commuting in the summer the rest of us are seeing 220+. If you're seeing a max of 220 in the summer driving spiritedly, either you have an oil cooler or you're reading the gauge wrong.

I see 240 to 250 in just a half mile of running the car a high rpms w/o an oil cooler. It's never gone into limp mode, but just normal driving on a summer day I'm at 220 or better and that is with 0-30 motor oil.

I'm with Gibby. I'm in Dallas, drive an 09 with no oil cooler and can count the number of times I've crossed 220 on one hand. One of those being a straight line run to 150 mph (on a closed course of course;) )

If you're only gonna track every once in a while I would get the sways too. You'll feel that benefit every time you drive the car. The oil cooler will only benefit you on track days for the next 3-4 months.

And my stock end links connected to Hotchkis sways lasted about 2.5-3 years before they broke and I replaced them with SPLs. It's probably easiest to replace them all at once but not necessary if you're crunched for cash.

I should mention my commute is only 5-7 miles depending on the route i take so its not often I have an opportunity to drive long enough, once the car has warmed up, to get past 220. With the weather we've been having lately I'm lucky to get to 180 without waiting in the parking lot at work for a bit before going in.

What happens if I install the sway bars but not the aftermarket end links and the end links break while I'm driving? Will I feel the difference in my turns? Will it sound like something is broken? Will I lose control of the car? I know these are pretty stupid questions but I'm just wondering cuz I don't wanna be in the middle of a turn, something snaps, and I spin out of control and crash into something....:confused:

Most likely you'll barely notice until you crawl under the car. You'll break the rear. You may have a little more under steer until you replace the end links. It's really a nonevent.

So I won't lose control of the car? Like I can still drive around the city until the new links come?

Yeah, it's really not anything to be worried about.

I drove around with one completely broken (disconnected even) for about 6 months before I fixed it.

You'll notice a bit more roll in the rear on VERY sharp high speed turns, that's it. Car drives fine with no sway bar, just doesn't perform at 100%

so you won't lose control of anything at all.

What track will you be going to? I see you are in Brownsville and I'm not aware of a track south of Harris Hill in San Marcos, which is still pretty far from Brownsville.

I'm going to the pca track in Laguna vista. Ok so just to recap. If I get the sway bars right now w/out the end links I'll be fine. If they break WHILE I'm driving I won't lose control of the car. And eventually I am going to have to replace them. Sound about right?

pretty much but i'm on hotchkiss bars for 3 years now with factory links sooo.

Its mostly guys with stiffer lowering coils that have popped the factory links

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Yep. You'll be fine. The end links will be under a lot more stress than stock, but you may not have them break for years. You'll love the sways. Start off soft in the rear and stiffen it up as needed.

I think someone recommended that having the front sways on stiffest is ok and the rears to be on medium or soft? Anyone care to explain why? Or perhaps a different recommendation?