steeda vs maximummotorsports rear sway bars

[kalvick]

I remember way back in 99-2001 era on Stangnet, everyone and their mother would say get the Steeda rear sway bar for a Mustang. After that I never really heard so much of a peep about it. The only thing you really hear about Steeda still is the Tri-ax shifter and the ultra lite wheels.

Maximum Motorsports also has a rear sway bar, and it looks drastically different from Steeda's yet serves the same purpose. I know everyone that is into suspension mods always recommends MM, over competitors. Especially when it comes to subframes. I have not really heard anything about their sway bars.

my question is why the 99-04 Steeda sway bar looks So much different than the 99-04 MM sway bar? what is the pro's and cons to each? if you had to choose one over the other which would it be and why?

 

[tonytaylor85]

VS

you have to ask?
what are your plans for the car?
unless you are seriously road racing (in which case you'd ask someone other than the internet) you won't see the benefit of the MM bar in my humble opinion. not for the money and installation costs anyway.

 

[CobraRed_96_GT]

To act and operate differently. There are similar sways that look like the MM in that it attaches to the body and axle - but it works in tandum with stock sway. The MM sway replaces all and adjusts properly. I'd be worried about ebing too stiff and causing oversteer and would likely choose a relatively thin thickness model.

 

[Stangpilot]

If you are comparing MM's adjustable bar to Steeda's adjustable version, yes they do work in different ways. The Steeda is a secondary bar that works along with the stock one for fine tuning.

Steeda has had a lot of success with that bar in racing. I would have thought they would have gotten rid of it after they came out with their 5-link suspension years ago, but they actually made spacers to still be able to run the adjustable bar with the 5-link. So they apparently still see some benefit to it in racing with the 5-link.

The MM piece looks like a good piece too but it looks like they are using it as a primary bar. Both pieces are more for racing than street use.

Found this really old video of Steeda's 20 car Daytona back in the late 90's. I know that car had an adjustable rear swaybar and the 5-link didnt even exist back then. Looks like it handled quite well.

IMSA Endurance Championship 1997 Boris Said - Car Videos on StreetFire

 

[rconaway]

I have the Steeda unit and have used it on the track and street for about 70,000 miles. It's nice in that it's adjustable to how much body roll you want. The trade off is that the less body roll you have, the more traction you lose in the tires not being able to plant when you accelerate off the corners. Basically you adjust and play when you get the balance you want. I will say that with a D&D front K-member and maximum Coil-Over setup, the car is extremely neutral when you get the Steeda bar adjusted. However, I would stick with one manufacturer and stay with their entire setup, front and back unless you want to look at a Watts link which I will discuss later.

Given that, here is my suggestion. You need to fix the diving and roll in the front first. A coil-over system with new CC plates to support is is the best way. Then decide how much you want to spend on the back. If you simply want to minimize body roll, the bar is a great compromise because it's easily adjustable, can be set loose for most street driving, and it's inexpensive. If you are doing some autocrossing, it's very good for the money.

However, if you want to get the best suspension in the back, look at the 5-link. I don't know how it holds up under most street driving conditions and how much maintenance it takes, but it fixes the problem of balancing body roll and rear-wheel traction. What I mean is that when you accelerate, you want the car to squat a little and push the tires into the ground. The tighter the bar, the less that happens. I also like it better than the Maximum Torque Arm/Panhard bar setup on the street because you lose ground clearance and it adds weight. I think it's heavier than the 5-link but I haven't really looked.

Your third option which is the other one I'm considering, is a 3-point Watts-Link. It's kind of between the roll-bar and the 5-link in terms of price. How well it works, I still have to talk to more people.

If you are a true wildman and don't drag race a lot, swap in the Cobra Independent.