which front sway bar for a 128?

[nato-main-man-5am]

I see at least three options for adding a front sway bar to a base model 128i:

1) The 135i stock sway bar
2) The 128i sport package sway bar
3) The M3 sway bar

There are probably some non OEM options as well.

Here's my question: How to choose/differentiate between them?

[chrisN]

m3 gets the most votes in the forum usually

[fboutlaw]

Originally Posted by ianf2002

M3 E93 28mm

Too stiff without doing the rear.

I'll sell you my Dinan one. (Same as M3 26.5mm, but painted blue)

[nato-main-man-5am]

Is the Dinan one not "too stiff," so I don't need to do the rear as well? My goal is a little less roll around hard corners, but I'm not really looking at the other elements of a sports suspension, since this is a DD, and I have to drive over a lot of speed bumps every day...

[SkinnyVT]

Originally Posted by Nathan_h

Is the Dinan one not "too stiff," so I don't need to do the rear as well? My goal is a little less roll around hard corners, but I'm not really looking at the other elements of a sports suspension, since this is a DD, and I have to drive over a lot of speed bumps every day...

sway bar doesn't effect how the car feels over speed bumps or any bump that both wheels hit at the same time

[jaf89f]

Originally Posted by fboutlaw

Too stiff without doing the rear.

I'll sell you my Dinan one. (Same as M3 26.5mm, but painted blue)

What are the negative effects of putting the e93 m3 bar on? (aka why is it too stiff for not doing the rear?)

[bozola]

e92 M3 is what I have and I love it.

Others have said that if that is all you want to do, it's the best choice.

[Abcd]

How hard is it to install? Easier to just take it to a mechanic?

[jaf89f]

Originally Posted by bozola

e92 M3 is what I have and I love it.

Others have said that if that is all you want to do, it's the best choice.

you have the sport suspension tho. I have a non-sport and i've seen around this forum that that means I do not have the rear sway installed. Correct me if I'm wrong tho.

So all in all, I wonder if putting a thicker front sway without a rear would mess up something in the driving characteristics.

[szcyxzh]

Search. It's been discussed extensively. One of the best Mod options is E93 M3 Front Swaybar Kit.

[fboutlaw]

Originally Posted by jaf89f

What are the negative effects of putting the e93 m3 bar on? (aka why is it too stiff for not doing the rear?)

One of the guys I autox with used the 28mm and had aweful handling issues causing his car to enter oversteer far too often. He swapped it out for the 26 and had better handling, but then also decided to add the rear 22mm bar to balance everything out. Both he and myself now run 26mm front 22mm rear and are very happy with the handling and over/understeer response (balance).

The front is very easy to install yourself. The rear is far more difficult. If you want a front sway, you shouldn't go overkill unless you balance with e93 rear, which will result in a super stiff car and you should be changing out the rest of the suspension to match.

[xerox445]

Originally Posted by fboutlaw

One of the guys I autox with used the 28mm and had aweful handling issues causing his car to enter oversteer far too often. He swapped it out for the 26 and had better handling, but then also decided to add the rear 22mm bar to balance everything out. Both he and myself now run 26mm front 22mm rear and are very happy with the handling and over/understeer response (balance).

The front is very easy to install yourself. The rear is far more difficult. If you want a front sway, you shouldn't go overkill unless you balance with e93 rear, which will result in a super stiff car and you should be changing out the rest of the suspension to match.

If you add a aftermarket and or larger bar in the rear with stock spring rates your going to lift your inside wheel like crazy. Tru fax.

[ulrichd]

Originally Posted by Abcd

How hard is it to install? Easier to just take it to a mechanic?

Here's a good DIY to follow. I went with the M3 Coupe swaybar, the M3 convertible bar is 2mm thicker.

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217262

[xerox445]

The front bar is cake, the rear is a pain because you have to drop the subframe.

[nato-main-man-5am]

Good info. I just want an incremental improvement in handling and sway in cornering in my DD. It's a non sport 128, and won't ever see a track. And at this point I am not interested in something complicated like the rear bar, or replacing the whole suspension.

So it sounds like I should get the most light weight front sway bar available.

Would that be an oem 135i sport front sway bar?

Both the 135 and 128 "stabilizer" appears to be 26.5mm if I am reading realoem correctly.

[1-2MANY]

I'll sell you my stock 135i one if you decide to go that route.

[nato-main-man-5am]

I don't have the M-Sport pack, and it sounds like the M3 bars would be overkill unless I want to do something on the rear... which I don't.

[bozola]

e92M3. You won't regret it.

it's a minor tweak.

[debadgedbmw1]

I went with the oem bmw performance strut(non-carbon fiber), im pretty sure its aluminum... luv it, great results!

[nato-main-man-5am]

A little more poking around realoem and it seems like even the non sport 128 has a sway bar of the same diameter as the sport model and the 135. Maybe they are made of different materials?

[icabod7]

There might be a "kink" in the 128i / non-sport 135i bar that reduces the "real" circumference of the bar to something less than 26.5mm.

I know that's the case with the M3 (e92) bar and the 135i sport one. The latter has a kink which reduces its circumference, even though it "measures" the same as the M3 e92 one (i.e. 26.5mm).

[nato-main-man-5am]

Ah, and such variations of course impact how the bar performs.

I wonder how to characterize the differences in performance and handling between the stock 128 (non sport) sway bar with the 135 sway bar -- especially if one leaves the stock base model sway bar in back and only puts the 135 sway bar in front.