Front Sway bar DIY?

there is a thread about the front bar. you don't need a touring bar, you need a corolla bar. the corolla bar is 24mm; you got to remove the rear bolts from your subframe to squeeze it in. a few of us have done it and it works fantastic. get a '03-'07 corolla bar from the junk yard, make sure its got the frame mounts with it.
actually the thread is titled "rear sway bar" but the front bar info is in there too.

 

i think the touring front bar is the same as the base bar. and trust me when i say the corolla bar is perfect. if you want to see how it feels, you can stop by my house and i'll let you check it out. it corners almost like a sports car, but it doesn't make the ride harsh at all. my worn out struts make the ride harsh, but i'm trying to convince my wallet to open up and pay for some new ones. also wondering who makes the very best struts for street driving.

 

Everything that I've read indicates that the front sway-bars are the same on the base and the touring.

 

In your experience, what is a reasonable life span of a car strut? I understand that this is very dependent on the driven life of the car (usual road surface quality etc). However, I'd like to hear your thoughts.

 

aftermarket shops are taught 50k, but it does really depend on how and where its driven. and you can bet they're weak after 100k. i usually recommend replacement if i see leakage or the ride is obviously rough. but i got 189k on the fronts, so i know they're done even if the LF didn't make noise over speed bumps (it does). my rear were leaking at 40k and i got them replaced under CPO warranty. i'm sure they could use replacing again too.

 

your touring rear bar might only be 1mm larger diameter, but is it hollow or solid? and how thick is it if it is hollow? so you can't simply go by diameter. and a 3mm difference isn't really that much, but man did it flatten out the ride. if you don't corner hard and don't mind a little body roll, the touring is probably fine if it really is thicker, but you can get a used corolla bar for $50-60 from a junk yard w/ frame bushings. i bet the touring costs more and won't work as good. either way i'm sure you'll love the improvement.

 

OK, thanks.

 

Here is my thread about swapping out my 20mm hallow rear OEM Touring for a 24mm Solid Progess bar.
Modding My 2008 Touring...."JustDidIt" | Page 7 | PriusChat

Here is my other thread about swapping out the 22mm front OEM Touring for a 24mm Toyota Matrix front sway bar.
Modding My 2008 Touring...."JustDidIt" | Page 7 | PriusChat

I am fully satisfied with the upgrade over OEM. However, if someone didn't want to pay retail $ for the 24mm front or Progess rear bar but wanted an upgrade over the base model - I'd be willing to sell my 2008 OEM Touring sway bar setup cheap.

 

If i'm not too tired maybe tomorrow night, but looks like sunday is gonna be the best day for me. i got to work this saturday or that would be ok.

 

you can check out and compare the product numbers here:
(taken from one of my posts regarding front sway bars)

NHW20R ToyoDIY.com
ZZE122L ToyoDIY.com
ZZE123R ToyoDIY.com
ZZE130L ToyoDIY.com

Read more: http://priuschat.com/threads/modding-my-2008-touring-justdidit.111997/page-8#ixzz2XwLBQpJm
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All-in-all, a FSB upgrade to complement a RSB upgrade is good if you want to have everyday, responsive and flatter turn-ins (less roll). It should bring back the understeery tendency of stock form, but with more cornering speed. That is, until the understeer bites in a less-forgiving way. So you have to be prepared and be careful in that regard that you don't overcorrect (especially in the wet). To match a FSB upgrade, it's a good idea to upgrade to better tires at the front to lessen understeer (in extreme cases). If you want faster cornering speeds with more forgiving understeer or neutral handling, I think just a RSB upgrade is needed.

Many FWD race cars even disconnect the FSB links and just rely on the coilovers to do their job at keeping the front end in check.

 

on these cars, just doing the rear bar will not give you neutral handling. if you turn too quick it will want to fish tail, not terrible but if you aren't careful it feels like it will spin out. the front bar cured that completely. i suppose w/ coil overs or performace front struts, this would not be a problem but i don't want a stiff ride any more than i want excessive body roll.

 

I finally installed a the same swaybar and used your post as a guide with a slight change. It took about 2hrs total.

In order:
- Removed front wheels
- Removed 2 19mm outer rear subframe bolts. The rear inner 19mm bolts are suspension mounts and do not need to be touched.
- Loosened 2 front subframe almost all the way out. I removed them 1 at a time and just rethreaded them 3 turns in. This allows the subframe to droop but not fall / come off.
- Removed the swaybar clamps and end-link attachment nut.
- Removed the steering rack mounts.
- Easily removed the swaybar by moving it towards the rear of the car. It damn near fell out on its own. Seriously. Snaking it out to the left or right is a PITA.

I did not touch the tie-rod at all.

 

the reason behind attempting to snake it out the side is that sometimes, subframe bolts are seized and if you break one off, it'll ruin you day. if you can weasel it out the side, and your new bar is the same shape as stock, you don't need to remove the subframe bolts at all. was your new bar the same shape as the base bar?
also, the subframe on most cars will shift if you loosen the bolts and will affect your alignment. you may want to get your alignment checked, or at least keep an eye on your tires for uneven wear, if you weren't very careful about positioning the subframe.

 

Do you guys know if the prius bolts work with the corolla front sway bar bracket?

 

Yes