Installed GT sway bars today

Jimp

New Member
Apr 9, 2005
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I got the front sway bar from Saleen, it's a GT take-off for only $30(plus $15 for shipping). The rear is a new GT convertible sway bar I got from Kevin at Clevenger Ford(great guy!) for only $225(including shipping) and he gave me all the hardware needed for the job.

My buddy came over and gave me a hand, only took about an hour and we took our time and took pics. Makes a huge difference, the car corners flat now. I took a couple s-curves near my house at 60mph(speed limit is 25mph, doh!) with no problem, I could have gone much faster. Here's some pics:








 
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Excepcion13 said:
Love my sway bars!!! Handling is simply awesome! Have fun in those curves! I have to learn the roads around here a little better before I break the 60 barrier!! But I always take the 'long way home' now!!!

I have to say thanks to whoever started the first thread about the GT sway bars. :flag:
 
Installed my GT-spec, swaybars yesterday. Took about 1 hour for the rear and 30 min for the front, which isn't too bad considering I did it by myself, without any help. The stock (front) 28mm swaybar was replaced with a 34mm GT takeoff from Saleen. Price was $30, plus $16 shipping/handling = $46 total. For the rear, I purchased the Progress Technology kit from V6Mustangstuff.com. Price was $270 for everything, including tax/shipping/etc. The bar itself is $175 and the adaptor kit (for the V6) is $95. I've heard of other members using the stock GT rear swaybar and paying less but I'm still glad I went with the Progress Technology kit. I've read good things about Progress Tech (they were one of the first manufacturers to produce true coilovers for the 2005 Mustang (front & rear)) and I can testify that their rear swaybar is top-shelf.

Surprisingly, the 24mm rear bar from P.T. weighs more than the 34mm front swaybar from the GT! (it's solid while the GT front bar is hollow) Also, the P.T. kit comes with everything you will need for the installation ... including the 2 links, all 6 rubber bushings (4 on links, 2 on axle), brackets, bolts, washers, grease and special nuts (the kind with the plastic inserts which keep them from spinning off). The bar&links are powder coated and everything is very high quality, except for the instructions. I either lost mine, or never received them. All I had was the parts checklist and some very basic instructions. Luckily, the installation is fairly intuative and simple.
Note: I used car ramps to work under the car. Much easier this way.

I’ve been driving around a lot the last couple days and find the handling to be significantly improved, even with the crapola stock tires. The car stays much flatter in turns, corners better and is much more confidence inspiring when turning aggressively. Overall, I am *Very* impressed with the improvement. I can’t wait to put some decent tires on the car to see how that helps things. For under $320 and 1.5 hours time, this mod is a complete “no-brainer” for anyone who wants a significantly more agile ride.

Note: my bar has a number of bends along its length and looks slightly different than the picture in V6Mustangstuff.com. I accidentally installed it upside down on the first try. Luckily I hadn’t tightened anything yet so it was easy to remove. Basically, I got the links set up on the bar, then bolted the ends to the axle (loosely). Then, I bolted the links to the frame (loosely). Finally, I slowly tightened all the bolts a little at a time to make sure everything was even. I can post more explicit instructions if anyone has trouble (make sure you have the right side up! Basically, orient the bar for maximum ground clearance).
 
Jimp said:
I got the front sway bar from Saleen, it's a GT take-off for only $30(plus $15 for shipping). The rear is a new GT convertible sway bar I got from Kevin at Clevenger Ford(great guy!) for only $225(including shipping) and he gave me all the hardware needed for the job.

My buddy came over and gave me a hand, only took about an hour and we took our time and took pics. Makes a huge difference, the car corners flat now. I took a couple s-curves near my house at 60mph(speed limit is 25mph, doh!) with no problem, I could have gone much faster. Here's some pics:









very cool...

now are you going to unhook that front sway bar when you go to the track? LOL
 
scrming said:
very cool...

now are you going to unhook that front sway bar when you go to the track? LOL

Yeah, if I ever get back there. With my wife's schedule the way it is, I can't get to the track. Hopefully soon. Of course, until I upgrade the rearend I probably don't need to worry about it. I'll just flick the NOS switch after I get going.
 
Just out of curiosity, why would you want to remove the rollbar at the track? Rollbars (aka swaybars, stabilizer bars) only prevent the body from twisting (rolling) during a turn. They have *NO* effect on the suspension when both wheels move in the same direction. Thus, rollbars have no effect during acceleration or braking (unless you’re accelerating around a turn, of course)
 
NJstangpilot said:
Just out of curiosity, why would you want to remove the rollbar at the track? Rollbars (aka swaybars, stabilizer bars) only prevent the body from twisting (rolling) during a turn. They have *NO* effect on the suspension when both wheels move in the same direction. Thus, rollbars have no effect during acceleration or braking (unless you’re accelerating around a turn, of course)

They do have an effect! Without the front sway bar attached the front suspension is not tied down so tight and allows for better weight transfer. Any serious drag racer knows this.
 
Thats a FACT jack.

By removing the front sway bar the front end lifts more and transfers the weight to the back tires for better hook up. The only downside is on the street it makes the car a little squirly especially when you have a hopped up motor and keep the rear bar on. Very conduceive to bump steer.