Hi all,

Just been having fun with corners in my AWD Sports, does not lose traction but it sure does roll a lot! Any suggestions on decreasing the roll?

I don't mind stiffer suspension, but not so keen on lowering as I hate scraping bumpers! :rant:

you could lower it on Kings Low springs, not Superlow. that would stiffen a bit, but not have any scraping effects. or you could get full custom stiffer springs done up, but that's very $$$$$

Thicker swaybars front and rear maybe? Seems weird that you're getting so much body roll, the Sports are already much stiffer than Execs. My TH Sports handles great and has very little body roll.

biggest difference i found was going from stock 16" to 17" w/235/45 made a great difference to the amount of roll, thats before i lower. Stock tyres were pretty crap compared to goodyear f1's but spose it should be as to what theyre worth.

biggest difference i found was going from stock 16" to 17" w/235/45 made a great difference to the amount of roll, thats before i lower. Stock tyres were pretty crap compared to goodyear f1's but spose it should be as to what theyre worth.

Wheels and tyres won't make a difference to the body roll. The lower profile tyres will lessen the tyre flex and roll, though, which would feel like the same thing.

Thicker swaybars front and rear maybe? Seems weird that you're getting so much body roll, the Sports are already much stiffer than Execs. My TH Sports handles great and has very little body roll.

I agree and through in a strut brace whilst your at it. :D

i find with my TL wagon that the car has alot of grip, great turn in, but the whole game is let down by too much body role. I cant wait till i can replace the springs with something stiffer and lower, get some performance dampers aswell, im thinking koni's or whiteline, and a thicker rear sway bar will also be really helpfull considering the rear weight of the wagoness.

you could do all of these mods to an AWD without having the car actually lowered, their are plenty of performance springs around that are considerably stiffer for flatter cornering, but dont actually lower the ride height at all.

Also what do people think of replacing the suspension bushings with high performance items? i know that this fairly cheap mod will give you better turn in as their is less "flex" in the suspension joints, but is it a bit of overkill for a street car??

Thanks for your help!

Does putting the car on King Lows stress the CV joint? Lol - i guess going fast around the corner would anyway.

Are there any downsides to King Lows - other than emptying the wallet?

There isn't much body roll for a large car I guess - I was just used to driving a mid sized european built car before (Vectra) which actually had less body roll - that's why I asked ....

And perhaps it is tyre roll I am experiencing - it is on the rather skinny 16inch wheels after all - though I like their look!

I talked to Whiteline a couple of months ago.

Their recommendations in order are :-
1) Adjustable rear sway bay. Why so that the stiffness can be increased when the front bar is added.
I have had a good look underneath and this one is an easy job in the driveway.

2) Stiffer Front Bar. Real hard as a lot of the suspension has to be removed and then replaced to get the old bar out and the new one in!

3) Strut Brace.

4) Then the Camber and Castor bits. There is a lot to be said for doing these at the same time as the Front bar as so much undoing is required to fit the bar.

I have an AWD and can feel the back push the front.

BTW the latest Magnas ALL have Rear Sway bars as I understand the changes from the TJ to the TL and TW series.

Also the AWD has been changed with a stiffer rear sway bar on the TW series.

what do u want out of your car? if you dont mind a stiffer ride, then go for some lower springs, shortened shocks, sway bars etc for a total package. If you would like to reduce body roll, i suggest installing thicker front and rear sway bars. On a straight, bumpy road the car will ride exactly the same, but once in some tight bends the car will not body roll as much. Once u get the setup u want, you will probably start pushing the car that little bit harder, so consider going to a better tyre/wheel package like a 234/45 R17 tyre and wheel. This will put a much better foot print on the road

Also what do people think of replacing the suspension bushings with high performance items? i know that this fairly cheap mod will give you better turn in as their is less "flex" in the suspension joints, but is it a bit of overkill for a street car??

I've heard it increases the ride harshness & noise quiet considerably...

But on the other hand reducing body/chassis flex is good, so why not upgrade your engine mounts at the same time. :think:

hmm your probably right there.. it would increased ride harshness quite a bit..

I'd just get everything underneath checked as a first point of call.

I had a loose bolt in my suspension. Noticed the rear end was behaving badly. Tightened it up, but it has chewed the bush up a bit. Handles better now the bolt is tight, but not as good as it should.

My recommendation: get EVERYTHING checked. If it needs fixing or replacement bits (like bushes or shocks), do those first. Get all tyres checked for balance and a full wheel alignment done.

Then look at larger wheels and low profile tyres. Another member may be able to let you 'borrow' a set for a day to see how they go. You will be suprised how much difference it will make.

If after that it still has too much roll, go for a 22mm rear swaybar.

If that still doesn't get you handling the way you want, talk to whiteline about polyurethane bushes. Anti-lift kits also are rather good.

Then look at upgrading the front swaybar.

I wouldn't bother a with a strut bar unless your front end is struggling. But they are only $150-200 depending on where you go. They would be your last port of call before looking to other solutions.

And talk to a specialist suspension place that knows their stuff. Somewhere that stocks your favourite bits (my preference is for whiteline, KYB/Koni & Kings), and has all the equipment required (like corner weighing scales and Laser/ computer alignment) would also help. Ask if they have done work with Magnas. If you feel like you are up to doing it yourself, talk to Anthony at Philcom Rally. Support our sponsors, and his pricing is very keen.

As for bushes, yes the ride is somewhat more harsh, but if you have decent springs and shocks, this isn't such a big problem. Noise is more of a problem from my experience.

Sorry about my ignorance - but how do sway bars actually work? Anyone know a link I could read up on?

Sorry about my ignorance - but how do sway bars actually work? Anyone know a link I could read up on?


I have a link to really good page, but that bookmark resides on my dead computer, so I can't grab it out just yet.

whiteline, kings and ect are really only 25% harder at the most. not really designed to do much other than mild handling and looks. you'r looking at around 100 a spring for some good springs from kings but its well worth it. 310lb/in sorta stuff :D can keep std or mildly lower ride height that way

Thanks again for all your valuable inputs :D

Sorry about my ignorance - but how do sway bars actually work? Anyone know a link I could read up on?
Sway bars (aka anti-roll bars) are just a big lever that connect your left suspension
to your right suspension and makes L & R go up and down together.

When you go over a speedhump, both L & R go up/down together, so the bar does nothing.

If one side's suspension is moving differently to the other (body roll), the sway bar
will try and equalise them... by both making it stiffer on the 'up' side, and
trying to pull up the 'down' side. Instead of rolling, the car hunkers down.

Metals have elasticity, so a thicker bar is stiffer = stronger anti-roll action.

Thank you Magnette :)

reduce body roll = remove stock coat hanger wire rear swaybar and fit heavier whiteline swaybar :badgrin: .

When I looked into fitting neoprene bushings the guy at Fulcrum suspension said they will definately tighten up your suspension thus handling improvements, however they will increase the NVR? is it (noise vehicle ratio) meaning you will get heaps more road noise, and a bumpy ride as they aren't as flexible as rubber.

reduce body roll = remove stock coat hanger wire rear swaybar and fit heavier whiteline swaybar :badgrin: .

When I looked into fitting neoprene bushings the guy at Fulcrum suspension said they will definately tighten up your suspension thus handling improvements, however they will increase the NVR? is it (noise vehicle ratio) meaning you will get heaps more road noise, and a bumpy ride as they aren't as flexible as rubber.

I think you might mean NVH - meaning Noise, Vibration and Harshness, which is the term generally used to guage overall ride and comfort in cars.