Introduction
One of the first handling mods recommended by most people who know the Elantra is a sway
bar upgrade. I know the one aspect of my new Elantra that I was dissatisfied
with was the body roll in curves, which was caused in part by a soft rear sway bar.
This is a relatively simple mod to do, even for a first-time modder, and is also
reasonably affordable (less than $175 max, and in many cases less than half that).
Incidentally, I talked to Yozick at Kia-forums.com
who said he did the mod and it does, in fact, work on the 2004.5 and up Kia Spectra as well.
What is a sway bar?
A sway bar (also known as an anti-sway bar or stabilization bar) is, in its
simplest version, a torsion bar (torsional spring) that runs across the width of
the car between the front or rear wheels, with a 90 degree bend at each end.
(In most cars, the part of the sway bar that runs across the width of the car has
several bends in it to provide clearance to other parts of the car such as exhaust,
fuel lines, other parts of the suspension, etc.) The bar is anchored down with
bushings, usually rubber, held to the car by metal brackets, one at each end of
the bar near the wheels. The ends of bar are attached to the part of the strut
that moves up and down with the wheel, using end links.
The result is this: When one strut is compressed, the force applied to that end
of the bar is transmitted through to the other end of the bar. Body roll is lessened
because the roll is now being resisted by the springs at both sides of the car, and
both of the struts are being compressed. So the car rides flatter in curves. The
larger the diameter of the sway bar, the stiffer it is and the better it reduces the roll.
For another explanation of sway bars, see
HowStuffWorks.
How to improve the Elantra/Spectra rear sway bar
Aftermarket rear sway bars may be used on the Elantra and Spectra. In general, sway
bars made for the Tiburon are compatible. However, with some very stiff sway bars,
people have experienced a failure of the tab where the end link attaches to the strut.
The strut then either needs to be replaced or the tab welded back on. I have only
heard of this happening with sway bars of 22 mm diameter.
Sway bars that come on the Tiburon are, except for diameter, exactly the same as those
on the Elantra. This represents an easy upgrade using OEM parts. Depending on the
dealer, the sway bar will cost between $80 and $100 new, plus about $10 each for two
bushings. So for about $100 you can tighten up that loose rear end instantly.
Too bad diets don't work that well!
To make sure you use the bushings that go with the sway bar you are installing, check
the table below and use the bushings on the same line as the
sway bar you are installing. Everything else can be re-used.
Sway bars for various models of Hyundais & Kias
XD Elantras........Diameter...Sway Bar......Bushing.....End Link
4-Door GLS..........13 mm...
55511-2D000..55513-29020.
55530-29300
4-Door GT...........15 mm...
55511-2D100..55513-2D100.
55530-29300
5-Door GLS>.......15 mm...
55511-2D100..55513-2D100.
55530-29300
Spectras...........Diameter...Sway Bar......Bushing.....End Link
All 2004.5+.........13 mm...
55511-2F100..55513-2F100.
55530-17000
GK Tiburons........Diameter...Sway Bar......Bushing.....End Link
Sports (preferred)..19 mm...
55511-2C000..55513-2C110.
55530-29500
Normal (also good)..18 mm...
55511-2C100..55513-27050.
55530-29500
- Some early 2001 Elantras had 55530-29500 metal end links. The -29300 and
-17000 are made from plastic.
- Some early 2001 Elantra GLS 5-Doors had the 55511-2D000 13 mm sway bar.
- Only the 03 Tiburon GT had a "Sports" suspension (which is the designation
used in the Hyundai service manual). In the parts catalog, this suspension is
referred to as "SUSPENSION-HARD `B`TYPE".
- All XD Elantras, Spectras and GK Tiburons have 55514-29010 sway bar bushing brackets
held in by 54849-28000 bolts (54849-07000 on Spectras). The brackets and bolts can be
re-used for all OEM sway bar upgrades.
- All 2004.5+ Kia Spectras have a rear sway bar setup very similar to the Hyundai
Elantra GLS, with a 13 mm sway bar (even the Spectra5). (This backs up the impression
I had of the car when I took it for a test drive before buying my Elantra; both
cars had pronounced body roll.)
- This chart shows how many times stiffer your new sway bar will be:
Old Bar..............New Sway Bar Diameter
Diameter...........18 mm...............19 mm
13 mm.......3.7 times stiffer...4.6 times stiffer
15 mm.......2.1 times stiffer...2.6 times stiffer
Making sure you get the right sway bar
The Hyundai warehouse does not readily distinguish between the 18 and 19 mm Tiburon
sway bars. If you ask for either part number, they seem to just grab one or the
other and slap the requested part number tag on it. The best way to know that you
are getting the right part is to look for the colored identifying mark about halfway
up the bar. The 19 mm bar has a green mark and the 18 mm bar has a yellow one.
If you buy from a dealer, make sure you get the one you've requested.
3 Sway bars, two of them mislabeled. From left to right, yellow-marked
bar sold to me as a 19 mm 55511-2C000 (really an 18 mm bar); green-marked bar incorrectly
labeled as 18 mm 55511-2C100 (really 19 mm bar); green-marked 19 mm bar correctly
labeled as 55511-2C000.
It is obvious that either the 18 or 19 mm sway bar will reduce the body roll on an
Elantra. If a car has a sway bar that is too stiff, however, the back end of the car
will have more of a tendency to slide out. On a 5-Door Elantra, it is very hard to
slide the back end, even with the 19 mm bar. Using an 18 mm bar does not produce as
dramatic an improvement with the 5-Door. The 4-Door is slightly lighter in the rear
and may break loose with the 19 mm bar.
Bottom line is this: The 19 mm bar is fine with the 5-Door. Either the 18 or 19 mm
is great for the 4-Door, but if you use the 19, be careful in the corners until you
get to know the handling characteristics with the new bar.
End links
This is almost a whole subject unto itself. The end links attach the sway bar ends
to the struts. On the 03 Tiburon GT, the end links were made of metal. All XD Elantras
except for the earliest 2001 models have plastic.
Metal end link (left); plastic end link (right)
There are arguments both for and
against replacing plastic end links with metal ones when doing a sway bar upgrade.
I will try to capture them here:
Plastic end links are fine.
On most XD Elantras, plastic end links were
used. On Elantra forums there are several people who have used plastic end links
with Tibby sway bars without problems, including at least one guy who has over 50,000
miles on his Tibby sway bar plus plastic end link setup. The only reason metal end
links were used with the 19 mm sway bar is that metal end links were used with all
Tiburons.
The only safe end links to use with the Tibby sway bar are metal ones.
Popular wisdom is that metal is better than plastic for ruggedness and strength.
Every 19 mm sway bar put on a Hyundai is connected with metal end links. There's
no reason to risk breaking a plastic end link when metal ones are available.
Which end links should you go with? It's a judgment call for the modder. Metal
end links are available under several part numbers:
- Hyundai OEM: 55530-29500
- TRW: 18343
- Moog: K90360
The TRW and Moog parts are available at auto parts stores and will likely cost
less (about $25-40 for the pair) than dealer parts (about $50-60 for the pair).
TRW Part No. 18343; same as Moog Part No. K90360. Note hex flats
for 14 mm hex on inset of end.
Where to buy
- The Dealer. The most reliable way to get a Tibby sway bar is to order it
from the dealer. It's also the most expensive. Make sure you get the bar you
ordered by checking the colored identifying mark. Order the bar, two of the appropriate
bushings, and (if desired) two end links.
- Online sources. Either the official Hyundai Parts Online or
HyundaiPartsOnline.com (see Links page). A
little less than the dealer, but will probably take a little longer and shipping
costs eat into the savings. Order the bar, two of the appropriate bushings, and
(if desired) two end links.
- A Tibby Owner. Look for one on boards where Tiburon owners hang out (see
Links page): the Tibby boards and Hyundai
Performance, or sometimes on the Elantra boards. If a Tibby owner upgrades his
sway bar he often puts his stock one up for sale. In this case, the bushings probably
come with the bar and maybe the end links (although the end links are not as likely
to be part of the package as the bushings).
- Junkyard. There are online junkyards (see Links page)
with good databases. In my experience, local junkyards generally don't have many
Hyundais, but it doesn't hurt to look and you might score one really cheap.
In this case, the bushings probably come with the bar and maybe the end links.
- Auto parts store. The only part of the package you are likely to find are
the metal end links. Ask for either the TRW or Moog part number; both are made
by the same company (Moog).
Mod Directions
So now that you know everything about the Tibby rear sway bar upgrade for the Elantra
and you've gotten your parts, it's time to gather the parts and tools and get started.
Parts:
- 1 Sway bar
- 2 Sway bar bushings
Optional Parts:
Tools:
- Socket set with 12 mm, 14 mm and 15 mm sockets
- 14 mm open end wrench
- Eye protection (goggles or safety glasses)
Optional Tools:
- Torque wrench
- Socket wrench exensions (about 12 inches or so, can be one piece or several
to give desired length)
- Grease gun
- Jack
- Jack stands
Option A: Sway bar only (keep existing end links)
If your car is still stock in terms of ground clearance, there is no need to jack
it up to change out just the sway bar. If your car is more than a year old, you
probably need to shimmy under the car and spray the end link nuts and the bushing
bracket nuts with penetrant oil (Liquid Wrench). Using the the 14 mm wrench on
the sway bar stud (between the sway bar and the end link), and the 14 mm socket
wrench on the nut, loosen the end link nut on each end of the sway bar. Once the
nut is off you can swing the end link away from the sway bar to fully disconnect
the end link.
Next, using the 12 mm socket with the extensions, loosen the bolts that hold the
sway bar bushing brackets to the body. There are two brackets, and two bolts
holding each bracket. As the last bolt is loosened, the sway bar will drop; make
sure you are ready to catch it.
Let the sway bar ends swing down, and guide the sway bar down so that the left
(drivers side) end drops clear of the suspension arms. Then swing the ends back
up and rearward slightly (so that the end is about 45 degrees to the ground) and
guide the right side forward slightly. Slide the bar to the left while you move
the left end rearward to let the right side clear the exhaust. It's hard to
describe, but it seemed pretty obvious to me under the car; the key is that you
have to get the bar out from over the exhaust. As soon as the sway bar is free
of the rest of the car, let it drop straight to the ground.
Now, position the new sway bar alongside the old one. Make sure the bushings are
on the new bar and that they are oriented the same as as the bushings on the old
one. Move the bar up into the car the same way the old one came out.
Put the bushing brackets back into place and put all for bolts in finger tight.
Then attach the end links to the ends of the bar and start the nuts on the end
link studs. Inspect everything to make sure that when the sway bar moves it won't
contact anything under the car, especially the wheels & tires. Once you're
satisfied, torque the bolts. The 12 mm hex bolts for the bushing brackets should
be torqued to 13-19 ft-lb and the 14 mm hex end link nuts should be torqued to
26-33 ft-lb. You will likely need to use the 14 mm open wrench on the end link
studs like you did when removing the nuts.
Option B: Sway bar and end links
This is similar to Option A except that to provide clearance for the torque
wrench where the end link attaches to the strut, the car should be jacked up and placed
on jack stands and the rear wheels removed. Prior to jacking up the car, you may want
to loosen the bolts on the bushing brackets and the lower end link nuts.
Take due care in jacking up the car; make sure it is on level
ground, the front wheels are blocked, the jack and jack stands you are using are
appropriate for the job, and that the car is firmly seated on the the jack stands
before you crawl under it!
Follow the procedure for Option A, but once the new bar is on, do not connect the end
links. Instead, loosen the nut at the top of each end link where it attaches to the strut
and replace it with the new end link. When putting the new end links on, use the
appropriate socket and wrench: The nut may be either 14 or 15 mm hex; the stud on
the end link should be 14 mm hex. The OEM metal end links do not have grease fittings,
but aftermarket end links do. If your end links came with grease fittings, be sure
to install them and and grease the end links with a grease gun.
19 mm sway bar and metal end links installed
That's pretty much it. Make sure all nuts and bolts are properly torqued and enjoy
your new sway bar.
