I have an '89 Carrera front end I'm ready to install. It has the stock undercar sway bar that partially mounts to the aluminum crossmember. This system provides for no adjustabiltiy, and the 911 undercar bars only come in 16mm, and 22mm (that I know of; I think mine is 16mm). I have seen other 914's with undercar sway bars. So my questions are: 1.) How limited am I going to be when trying to find the proper front/rear sway bar balance (is it reasonable to do so?)? 2.) Does anyone here have the undercar swaybar? 3.) Shall I just forget it, and go with the thru chassis type adjustable sway bar? I will add an adjustable rear sway bar either way. I know I'll have to play with the springs. This is for a street driven V8 car.

Thanks,

Andy

Hey Andy,

If yours is from an '89 Carrera, the swaybar should be 22mm

IIRC Sir Andy, used to run a underbody swaybar on his car before he changed to a 22mm adjustable one from Tarett.
I'm sure he can tell you how he liked it...

cheers,

Jeroen

I have one that's stamped 20mm off an SC

I'd go the thru body route. More options, adjustable (aftermarket) and better operating geometry (so I've read). Also, not sure how it hooks into the aluminum crossbar...

the underbody works fine for the quick-fix ...

a 22mm underbody SB that's not adjusteable is still MUCH better than NO sway bar.

it bolts right up with your fancy 911 suspension ...

i'm glad i went to the 22mm through bar tho, much more fun to play with
Andy

And leaves the bottom of the car nice and smooth so it skates over obstacles without tearing parts off the car when you have an off-road excursion.

-Ben M.

The geometry of the through-body setup also is better than that of the under-body setup.

--DD

There’s no argument that through the body is the optimum way to go for a track car, but if you already have the Carrera bar and it's not a serious track car, why not try it out and see how you like it. You can always upgrade later.

Ira

I respect that comment. Especially considering it's coming from a guy who sells sway bars.
He could easily have said "You really need a big, adjustable bar, oh, I know where you can get one"

nice move Ira!

I'm using an underbody swaybar for now. It's a 19mm unit. I did pick up a 22mm unit at Hershey for 20$.

I'm betting that i'll really like my 20$ swaybar... At least for now!


Marc-André

Ahhhh I hate those underbody units. Every 914 I've seen that had one at one time has really ugly holes in the front trunk floor (including mine). Many also end up with stress cracks around the holes if they aren't reinforced with some decent backing plates..

Huuuuuh? Could you explain?

I've had a couple of 914s that had underbody sway bars that use mounting holes that had to be drilled into the front trunk floor. The area isn't strong enough IMHO to support the stress. What would you like me to explain? Does that cover it? I don't have any pics (I don't think).

Gotcha. They are talking about the factory underbody swaybar that mounts to the rear facing braces mounted on the crossmember. No holes in the trunk floor.

dude, no need to drill new holes, it bolts right up there using the existing bolts!

it's all already there!, the bar goes towards the BACK of the car, not the front ...

Andy

That had me confused too. I thought they went forward like Gint was talking about... that's why I was thrown by the crossbar comment. Learn something useless every day!

Yeah, I was thinking about the wrong bars. The ones that go up front that you have to drill the front trunk floor to install, suck.

My apologies for the confusion. I was busy snipin hardware on ebay.

Thanks for all the replys.

Jeroen, you're right, the bar measures 22mm.

I may opt to give the undercar a try with the understanding that tuning the front sway bar will not be an option unless I upgrade to the through body type. Looking at the crossmember, the Carrera sway bar has a front to rear two mounting bolt setup per side. The front ones bolt to the crossmember. Where do the rears bolt to? Are there existing bolt holes in the 914 that match up with the rear ones, or will I have to make provision for them?

Andy

yes, it's all a direct bolt on.

once you get under the car, you'll see.
the only reason why the carrera tabs have two holes is because the tabs on the original crossmember are welded on on one end instead of bolted.

no sweat, it all fits perfectly, no cutting, drilling or welding needed ...
Andy