Godspeed Front Sway Bar
Jan 14, 2011, 04:21 PM
#1
Godspeed Front Sway Bar
I purchased a Godspeed sway bar because I'm cheap and it is hollow so it was one way to drop some weight on the car and hopefully at least maintain factory roll bar stiffness.
I received the bar for $100 shipped and it included the bushings. The bar finish is junk, looks like some cheap paint that will wear off in no time. The welds are junk too. But hey, it was $100, so I wasn't expecting much.
I was expecting it to be 25.7mm in diameter though, since it was specifically advertised as such. I've heard this bar weighs 6-7 pounds, which with the advertised 25.7mm outer diameter, the numbers made sense on the bar being at least as stiff as the stock bar (23.6mm solid).
Actual specs:
24.9mm OD (uh oh, the chances of this bar being stiffer then stock just went down hill fast...)
5.4 lbs (well... it's light. It's not going to be stiffer then stock...)
I did some basic calcs to estimate the wall thickness to gauge stiffness. I have approximated the bar as having a wall thickness of 3.2mm. That's not good... Rounding off the numbers to 3mm and 3.5mm wall thickness it means the bar is either 97% or 88% as stiff as the stock bar...
***Edit: I messed up first time through my calcs and thought the bar was considerably softer then stock. I was incorrect. It is likely close to the same stiffness as stock while weighing almost 1/2 as much.
I received the bar for $100 shipped and it included the bushings. The bar finish is junk, looks like some cheap paint that will wear off in no time. The welds are junk too. But hey, it was $100, so I wasn't expecting much.
I was expecting it to be 25.7mm in diameter though, since it was specifically advertised as such. I've heard this bar weighs 6-7 pounds, which with the advertised 25.7mm outer diameter, the numbers made sense on the bar being at least as stiff as the stock bar (23.6mm solid).
Actual specs:
24.9mm OD (uh oh, the chances of this bar being stiffer then stock just went down hill fast...)
5.4 lbs (well... it's light. It's not going to be stiffer then stock...)
I did some basic calcs to estimate the wall thickness to gauge stiffness. I have approximated the bar as having a wall thickness of 3.2mm. That's not good... Rounding off the numbers to 3mm and 3.5mm wall thickness it means the bar is either 97% or 88% as stiff as the stock bar...
***Edit: I messed up first time through my calcs and thought the bar was considerably softer then stock. I was incorrect. It is likely close to the same stiffness as stock while weighing almost 1/2 as much.
Last edited by 03whitegsr; Jan 15, 2011 at 10:17 AM. Reason: Because I suck
Jan 14, 2011, 07:32 PM
#6
Installing that is going to be a LOT of work for is likely to be questionable performance gain. It's not even that much cheaper than the whiteline.
d
EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of big front bars. But they are considerably more work that the rear, so I think you should have a clear idea on which one you want and why before going through with it.
d
EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of big front bars. But they are considerably more work that the rear, so I think you should have a clear idea on which one you want and why before going through with it.
Jan 14, 2011, 08:01 PM
#7
I have a hotchiks rear and tanabe front sway bar. " hope there spelt right" there 7 lbs lighter then the stock bars. If there is install issues with the godspeed one then I would get something else. What is the god speed front or rear sway bar made out of?
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Jan 14, 2011, 08:46 PM
#8
Installing that is going to be a LOT of work for is likely to be questionable performance gain. It's not even that much cheaper than the whiteline.
d
EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of big front bars. But they are considerably more work that the rear, so I think you should have a clear idea on which one you want and why before going through with it.
d
EDIT: Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of big front bars. But they are considerably more work that the rear, so I think you should have a clear idea on which one you want and why before going through with it.
I think it is kind of odd more companies don't make hollow bars. You can make the bar half the weight and twice as stiff, if you are smart. Who ever designed the Godspeed bar wasn't very smart...
As for install, I'm not too worried about it. With the current state of my car, I bet I can change it out in under an hour. I'll probably toss it in and see what it does. I'm replacing my coil-springs with Swifts and will probably go a little stiffer in the front anyway.
The Godspeed is supposedly "chrommoly." Maybe I'll take it to work and check it with our x-ray gun. They also claim that chrommoly is stiffer then steel... YEAH...
Jan 15, 2011, 10:14 AM
#10
Haha, damn I suck.
I went back through my calcs and realized I overlooked a detail when calculating the torsional stiffness. Pretty typical for me when I'm in a hurry, yet I always seem to be in a hurry. As a correction...
The Godspeed bar is ~95% the stiffness of the stock bar. Probably just as stiff as stock, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
Me = Not smart...
At least I can admit it though.
I'll toss it in and check fitment. If I ever decide I need a stiffer front bar, I'll go to the Tanabe. Right now though, if it can match stock stiffness and is 2 pounds lighter then the Tanabe, I'll take it. Even if the finish and welds suck.
I went back through my calcs and realized I overlooked a detail when calculating the torsional stiffness. Pretty typical for me when I'm in a hurry, yet I always seem to be in a hurry. As a correction...
The Godspeed bar is ~95% the stiffness of the stock bar. Probably just as stiff as stock, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
Me = Not smart...
At least I can admit it though.
I'll toss it in and check fitment. If I ever decide I need a stiffer front bar, I'll go to the Tanabe. Right now though, if it can match stock stiffness and is 2 pounds lighter then the Tanabe, I'll take it. Even if the finish and welds suck.
Last edited by 03whitegsr; Jan 15, 2011 at 10:18 AM.
Jan 16, 2011, 12:17 PM
#13
This topic is going no where. Trust me, I've spent a good deal of time finding where I can pull weight from and what is the economically best choice to get it down in weight. This sway bar is a fairly inexpensive weight loss item. $20 a pound is about where my car is at. That or probably 5 hours of work per pound...
Just take it as a brief overview of the Godspeed sway bar. If you are looking for a lighter bar, it may be a good option for some. Other wise, get the Tanabe as it is likely stiffer then the stock bar while still dropping 3 pounds off the car.
Just take it as a brief overview of the Godspeed sway bar. If you are looking for a lighter bar, it may be a good option for some. Other wise, get the Tanabe as it is likely stiffer then the stock bar while still dropping 3 pounds off the car.
