jfrc

I know many C4 owners seeks the solid sways bars. The C5's are hollow, as most of the aftermarket ones.
Which is better? The hollow would shed weight, but it would seem a good soild sway bar should be stiffer (w/ same OD).
I have done some searching on the internet for this topic, and have found different answers.

AU N EGL

What do you want your car to do??

http://www.jakelatham.com/c5/misc/faq.shtml#2-1

2000BSME

From an engineering standpoint, we are taught in school that no stiffness can be gained with a solid member, since the inside diameter would have a much lower stiffness/strength than the outside diameter, so weight is saved, no real downside whatsoever.

Apparently in practice there must be some difference, if it is even just ease of manufacturing, but what it may be, I don't have a clue.

jfrc

i have Z51 from factory
i get more autoX miles than street miles

Aardwolf

Vader's site has a nice write up on the different bars.

http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/vad...bardesign.html

jfrc

good read, alot of science, but pretty informing

Slalom4me

The attraction of the solid 30mm C4 bar is how its torsional stiffness
contributes to the fr/rr balance when combined with the other components
in the package.

The OEM 26mm and aftermarket 32mm fr bars are tubular but lie
on opposite sides of the balance offered by the 30mm (which
happens to be solid.) There is an aftermarket 28mm fr bar which is
solid, but again, it is the torsional stiffness of the bar that is the
principal consideration.

It would be icing on the cake to get the desired stiffness with a tubular
bar.

.