Hotchkis or neuspeed sway bar

[danny]

i wanted to ask you guys about sway bars, i read somewhere that if i go with a regular sway bar my subframe can rip apart so i decided to either get the hotchkis front and rear kit or just the neuspeed rear sway with the reinforcement bracket kit, i just dont want my subframe ripping apart and i dont plan on tracking it ever, but i am looking for great handling, and high speed cornering. any help would be great!! thanks guys.

[andream88]

hotchkis kit

[Allaidback]

Can you really tell that much of a difference in normal day driving?

[tike0rz]

I had the H&R for about 6 months. It ripped my rear subframe in 3-4 pieces. I had it welded back together, and bought the Neuspeed with reinforcement bracket. It feels great now.

[Kruat]

i don't know how you would tell the difference, but I have a neuspeed one, no problems at all.

[BITRBO]

^the amount of body roll maybe?

[vladbe]

Nuespeed with reinforcement bracket.

[Rated S]

I have Neuspeed 19mm RSB, but I've heard really good things about H-sport.

[ToMMyRsK04]

Neuspeed

[danny]

wow mostly ppl here are leaning towards the neuspeed one. has anyone tried both? also anyone here in the NYC area i want to get the awe boost gauge installed but dont know who to bring it to......... thanks

[SurferD]

wow mostly ppl here are leaning towards the neuspeed one. has anyone tried both? also anyone here in the NYC area i want to get the awe boost gauge installed but dont know who to bring it to......... thanks

Try to DIY. How hard can it be? Famous last words.
I like the H-Sports. The kit is very good and I definitely noticed a difference in roll. Also it''s easy to install except for the 5mm allen which always strips. If you can come to southern CT near New Haven I can help you put it in.

[Europowerhaus]

H-sport, awesome feel, takes soooo much roll out of the front end, plus its easy to hang out the rear with the agressive setting

[danny]

Try to DIY. How hard can it be? Famous last words.
I like the H-Sports. The kit is very good and I definitely noticed a difference in roll. Also it''s easy to install except for the 5mm allen which always strips. If you can come to southern CT near New Haven I can help you put it in.

thanks SurferD i really appreciate it!!, u guys on here are awesome, very helpful. now im more torn than ever.... half of u guys say neuspeed and half say h sport, hmmmmm h sport does have front and rear while neuspeed is only rear im leaning towards the hotchkis unless someone on here tells me otherwise.......

[AudiSportB5S4]

when i buy them, im going with H Sport... just waiting on some monayyy

[SilverSurferS4]

If you want help installing the boost gauge... hit me up
neuspeed ftw also..

[audiwop]

If you plan on doing both front and rear then the H-sport is the clear winner of the two. But if you only plan on street driving then the Neuspeed rear would be more than fine. I have the neuspeed rear with a Eibach front and it made the car handle much more nuetral. However, if I had to do it all over again I would have just bought the H-sport front and rear as a package, as oppose to the way I went. Good luck..

[onemoremile]

I've had the Hotchkis set for a few years and they are excellent. The difference in daily driving is very noticeable. The car feels more stable and goes where you point it. At various points over the last few years I've run the car without the front or rear and the change is instantaneous. After about 30 seconds of driving I say "wow, that's different".

I have run the bars with stock A4 sport suspension and with corner balanced KW coilovers. Also ran it on the S4 Avant with vogtland club spec springs over konis and it is just excellent. The A4 now runs Shine Racing suspension and just the rear bar and it is great.

[The_Jerbel]

I personally love the handling characteristics of the 19mm Neuspeed rear sway bar set on the stiffest setting. On the softer setting, it's so perfectly neutral, that it almost takes all the fun out of it. On the stiff setting, it's wonderfully neutral still, but just rear-end biased enough that if I really get on it in the hard corners, I can get the rear end to kick out just slightly.

[BITRBO]

To me, I'm just looking to reduce body roll (esp. up front) since I get rubbage any time I attempt a high speed turn (L or R). It's almost embarrasing, but I just hate to raise my stance any. Of course the improved handling characteristics and reduced understeer are welcome, but that is more of a concern to me later when the car goes from DD to track (insert: "garage") queen...

And Jerbel, you don't need a RSB to stick the end out any... I've done it pleanty of times even with the stock suspension

[audispeed]

i would recomend the h-sports just for the convenience of the zerks fittings. you have to detach the nuespeed bar in order to lube the bushings. not that much work, but still a pain. that said, i have a nuespeed bar and like it (would go with h-sports if i had the choice to do it again).

[The_Jerbel]

To me, I'm just looking to reduce body roll (esp. up front) since I get rubbage any time I attempt a high speed turn (L or R). It's almost embarrasing, but I just hate to raise my stance any. Of course the improved handling characteristics and reduced understeer are welcome, but that is more of a concern to me later when the car goes from DD to track (insert: "garage") queen...

And Jerbel, you don't need a RSB to stick the end out any... I've done it pleanty of times even with the stock suspension

True, but it's a lot easier and more predictable with a RSB and stiffer-than-stock suspension setup.

[BITRBO]

I know, I know. When its happened, it was purely accidental and surprised the shit out of me... Made me want to do it again though

[revhards4]

no experience with either but will be purchasing the hotchkis sways soon tho...If I was running 800/1000 springs I guess a rear bar would be all I need. I have 700/850 now and the front has a little roll which effects the rear, I think I can get rid of with the front and rear bars from h-sport

[BITRBO]

^^my thoughts exactly. I'm very content with the drivability/civility of my street-sports, and don't wish to stiffen things up any just to save on the cost of a FSB. IIRC, my s/s's are about the same spring rates, so I also think a F&R kit would work nicely...

[Clay @ Kinetic]

I had neuspeed, sold it and got H sport the NS was a nice piece too

[S4evr]

i understand the rear sway is to remove understeer, and even add oversteer if wanted, but what is the advantage of running a front sway bar as well? I was planning on buying just the rear (neuspeed) but if its worth it maybe go with a full front/rear kit?

[onemoremile]

The front bar really tightens up the front end. The ride isn't as good but turn-in is improved and the steering response feels tighter. I may put the front bar back on this weekend to see how things change. Even with 400 and 500 pound springs Dick Shine said the H-Sport bar is too burly and the stock front bar is the way to go. This is for an all purpose street and track car.

[revhards4]

I guess it would really depend on the driver and the track wheather a front bar is needed...but I do hear that the front bar adds in a "more snappy" turn in or a more aggressive turn in. Which I guess can help the rear rotate at times.

[onemoremile]

Around town the front bar is good and bad. Great on smooth roads but not so much over bumps and manhole covers. Running stiff springs without a front bar is actually more comfortable than stock everything.

On track the front bar seems to help with turn in and I can trail brake much better with it. Oversteer is usually on corner exit and depends on weight transfer and aggressiveness as much as anything else. That, of course, is personal driving style. The bars aren't magic, if you don't know what you're doing and enter too hot you'll still understeer into the grass. On the flip side, a feign drift or Scandinavian flick will put it sideways in a controllable drift. Onlookers said I had smoke coming off the rears at Gingerman turn 3. That is with only 240 hp on a K04 1.8t so power on oversteer wasn't an option.

[*Blue-Angel*]

Can you guys post up pics of your neuspeed sway

Im curious how and if the brackets differ from the Hotchkis brackets.

Just trying to compare and contrast the 3 different bars out there.

[attilio]

So another ? concerning sway bars. If you are running kw v3 coilovers and plan on tracking once a month should you do just the rear sway from neuspeed or the full h- sport sway kit.

[alexverve]

wow mostly ppl here are leaning towards the neuspeed one. has anyone tried both? also anyone here in the NYC area i want to get the awe boost gauge installed but dont know who to bring it to......... thanks

Tyrolsport.com

[VonPooper]

hotchkiss..neuspeeds break.

[MattyJ]

From my experience if you already have a stiff suspension, such as coilovers, the rear bar is more than enough. IF you add the front to the mix as well, depending on the setup you have it can be more detrimental. Add the front to a stiff suspension and you go back to just as much understeer as you started with. So in short go with the Hotchkis rear bar, no matter what setup you have,and you should be more than happy.

[TheDarkness]

just put in my H-sport kit. I am very impressed. The back end will swing out on hard corners and correct itself immediately (like a corvette), and the body roll is a thing of the past. I have Stasis Street Sports, and it tightened up the feel so much and is exactly what i was looking to accomplish. The rear subframe brackets are beautiful and beefy. Highly recommend getting the H-sport kit for the B5!! Worth the extra money for sure.

[*Blue-Angel*]

Can you guys post up pics of your neuspeed sway

Im curious how and if the brackets differ from the Hotchkis brackets.

Just trying to compare and contrast the 3 different bars out there.

Still Looking for some pics guys :)

[Calif_Kid]

i would recomend the h-sports just for the convenience of the zerks fittings. you have to detach the nuespeed bar in order to lube the bushings. not that much work, but still a pain. that said, i have a nuespeed bar and like it (would go with h-sports if i had the choice to do it again).

I have the Neuspeed 19mm rear bar with their reinforcement brackets, and with it set to full stiff, it has been fine on street and track - my car is a 2001 S4 with 700/800 springs along with Ohlins coilovers plus the 4:1 center diff. On the track, the rear really hasn't gotten loose, except maybe if I ease off the throttle too quickly in a turn which I shouldn't be doing anyway.

I also have a Honda Civic full track car, and recently went to Energy Suspension greaseable sway bar bushings - they're sold by Amazon like these 3/4" ones (which are for the 19mm sway bar per Energy Suspensions' website). Anyway, here's the amazon ad: http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Suspens...9232501&sr=8-2. On the Civic, it now takes say 1-2 minutes to give each bushing 3 squirts of Moly grease before a track event. I haven't installed these on my S4 yet, but there is limited room (muffler on left and cannister shaped thing on the right), but maybe 90 degree grease fittings could be installed and pointed downward. Main thing, is that the Energy Suspension bushings seem like they might work nicely on the Neuspeed sway bar. Note - the Amazon ad shows end links, but they are not included. - Jim

[Mott Power]

just installed my H-kit the other day. went out driving in the mountains today and clipped some gravel on the outside of an apex doing about 60 mph. i slide completely side ways but the rear was so planted that i just needed a little opposite flick and it swapped back straight. i nearly sent it into a spin but there is absolutely no body roll; had i done that on the stock setup i most likely would have careened into a tree and it would have been a halarious youtube moment.

that's just my experience with the H-kit and i absolutely love it; completely changes the control of the car.