Hogvette

I have an 07 A6 with F55, and am slowly adding HP to the LS2, along with a new 3.42 rear end. I know a lot of people have posted about changing the base sway bars to Z51 sway bars for a "tighter feel" when cornering; however, most of these posts are 2-4 years old.

What is latest thoughts on this sway bar upgrade? I like the idea of eliminating the "roll" feeling while cornering, but am concerned that the HP and gear upgrades will make oversteer an issue with the beefier sway bars.... can someone with experience offer advice on this?

Thanks

timd38

Lots of people have done it are happy. Cheap upgrade.

Motorhead-47

My two cents worth....Reduces roll...tightens up the F55 suspension...slightly rougher ride. Simple afternoon upgrade and about $200.00.

DarthStimpy

i have a 2005 F55 w/ the z51 bars and heads and cam making 447whp. And I autocross the car 4 times a month in the good months.

the z51 sway bars are night and day better than the coat hangers that come with the car. the roll is reduced and the turn in feel is better. the tendency of the car is still to understeer in a corner when pushed too hard, but it does seem to be slightly more prone to snap over steer, though this is more driver error than swaybars.

timd38

If you like the Z51 bars, you will love the Pfadt bars.

HOXXOH

It worked well for me. ('08 F55 A6) Much better on corners without hurting the ride.

Neither sway can compensate for right foot induced oversteer.

JFKLS3

I just got my Z51 sways from Gene. Now all I need is some nice weather to put them on my 08 F55. Can't wait for spring, I haven't drivin it since before Thanksgiving.....

Larry R

[QUOTE=Motorhead-47;1573015298]My two cents worth....Reduces roll...tightens up the F55 suspension...slightly rougher ride. Simple afternoon upgrade and about $200.00.[/QUOTE

I have them on my '08 F55 equipped car.

Neumonic2002

I am wanting to sell my Z51 sways that are on my 06, I am trying to fix a wheel hop problem and am looking to get an aftermarket set with an adjustable rear bar.
PM me if your interested, I am in STL

lgm118icbm

I enjoy the z51 sways on my f55. Only thing is, I first installed the PFADT urethane bushings and it rode way stiff. It seemed like the urethane bushings were a few thousandths too small in diameter and added too much "sticktion" into the up and down movement in the suspension. The car would no longer float over speed bumps like it would when it was stock, like the shocks weren't allowed to do their thing due to the sways sticking in their bushings. I tried re-greasing them a few times but eventually gave up and installed the stock rubber bushings. I can feel a bit more deformation with the stock bushings during initial turn in compared to the urethane ones but the ride is much improved. It is just not worth the trade-off to me.

So to sum it up, I recommend the sways, just not the urethane bushings.
Now the ride in "Tour" feels like what it used to feel like in "sport" with the stock sways. And now "Sport" feels like Sport +.

seevi

I did it my '07 with the F55 and it tightened the car up significantly. I rode in a friend’s cars that made the same mod, however, he stayed with the OEM rubber bushings. The ride was definitely smoother.

tjl5709

Another satisfied convert. I went with stock bushings. Tightened up nicely with no harshness.

DHack

I ordered a set from PartsTaxi on Sunday. Can't wait to get them installed. I'm going with stock bushings as well. I was told that the poly bushings may start to squeak if not maintained properly. Anybody with the poly bushings experiencing this?

jxhunte

Installed Z51 Sways with PFADT Poly Bushings to my 06 F55 in March of 09. No adverse symptoms or squeeking of any kind. Only improved handling. I am happy with the performance and would do it again.

0PartsTaxi.com

Thanks for your business!!! These shipped today. I have heard the same thing about the poly bushings.
Kevin
www.PartsTaxi.com

LJD51

Love my Z51 sways...should have done it a long time ago...as much fun as the car was to drive on twisties, it is doubly mucho better now...

AFVETTE

Anyone wonder why Chevy chose the size sway bars for the F55 that they did?? Didn't they test it at the Ring or on the Bahn??

Tom

Hogvette

Will the stock bushings for my F55 sway bars fit the new Z51 sways, or are they different size?

seevi

No, they will not. Z51 diameters are larger than OEM F55. If you want to use rubber OEM bushings for Z51 bars , you'll have to get them at the dealer.

HOXXOH

I don't know how much truth there is in the story I read, but here's a synopsis.

In order to preserve the macho image and long-standing reputation that the Z51 had earned, there needed to be a significant difference from the base model. The most obvious was larger wheels/tires and stiffer springs that had traditionally indicated superior performance and that required larger sways. Including those larger sways on the F55 option would have closed the performance gap and diluted the Z51 image.

Marketing chose to not have two different shocks available for the Z51. Not only would it create confusion for the buyers and have price differences, but the additional option within an option created confusion for dealer purchases too. Marketing spends a lot of time and money researching what options buyers want and then tries to put them in the least possible number of packages to sell the most cars. Other than exterior/interior colors and wheels there just aren't many options to choose from.