Scott Evil

Thanks to Justin, I have been thinking about this all weekend. What does everyone have? Will the 22mm bar be a pain to drive in wet/snow/dry?

TIA

NewYorkS4

i'd go with the bigger one m'man. when I had the choice with my VR6, I got the bigger bar. you have to ask yourself why you're putting it in.

if the answer is reduced body roll, and stability in corners, go with the big bar. in this case, more is better.

Andy Hedin

I'd say 19mm based on people who have tried both (Steve S. comes to mind)

veryfastS4

bigger is always better
Why put a smaller bar like the 19mm when you could get something that has better capability. Now you'll notice a difference between a stock and 22mm like what I have.
My philosophy is that if you're going to get something to reduce body roll and increase some performance, why get something small. Our cars are pretty big and heavy so, a larger bar may be better if you're a more experienced driver.
I know many people on this forum would prefer the 19mm because it is "softer", but personally, I perfer the 22mm due the slight advantage it has over the 19mm in all categories.
Those have said that the 22mm is an overkill, please let me know why it is an over kill.

veryfastS4

If you were to get the 22mm, you could always install it on the softer setting.

Andy Hedin

Basing a purchasing decision on other people's opinion (especially someone like Steve S.) carries more weight for me than guessing which would be an appropriate decision for me. Yes, obviously driving two S4's each equipped with a 19mm and a 22mm bar would be ideal, but the chances of arranging that are slim.

s4wood

But have YOU actually used the 19mm bar on the soft and hard setting? Everybody should listen to what others say and then make their decision based on what they want. My experience is just one more data point. That being said..I have had the 11mm, 19mm, and 22mm bars on my A4...and have had the 16mm and 19mm bars on my S4. For a total of about 75-80,000 miles in non-stock form? And you? The 22mm bar, IMHO, is a setting for those individuals that really like to make their car corner flat. Is this the fastest way around a corner...most of the time...probably not. In autox events...you want all four tires on the ground for traction...with the 22mm bar you will get that fourth wheel lifting all the time...if you don't believe me...ask Corey or Sharon about this. The 22mm bar may be better suited to track use where it might help slightly in quick transition turns...in the esses.

For those like Warren ****, Sharon, Jim Simone, RonA that got considerable damage by using the 22mm bar in the old days...I would much rather suggest the 19mm bar in the stiff setting.

Anyway...that is my 2 cents worth...caveat emptor.

veryfastS4

The 22mm is not suited for the AutoX. But in my opinion, the S4 was not meant to be an AutoX car due to the weight etc. I know you, Corey and Sharon and some other people like to AutoX your cars and do well in those events, but it isn't my cup of tea. Since I don't have any suspension modifications, my car always loses in the A stock class to those boxters and S2000, no matter how well I drive. So this is why I don't autoX very often.
Oh and regarding subframe cracking, well, I think Neuspeed has corrected this by adding the metal braces.
I would much rather participate in track events.
Question, do you think it the 22mm bar make a difference on a sedan vs. avant?

Boogie777

If you are going to track your car a lot or if this is just to reduce some body roll on daily driving and some spirited turns.

From what I have read on this topic it seems that the 19mm is like the "cross trainer". That is it is good for the track and on daily driving. While the 22mm is the "sport" solution. Maybe a little better for track, but may not notice too much difference for daily driving.

I have been looking at this decision also. I am hoping to get a ride with someone with one installed so I can at least feel the differences. Personally I am leaning towards the 19mm, because I don't plan on tracking my car that much, so I think that the 22mm might be overkill.

I have also heard of problems with the 22mm being a little too much for the car to handle. Not sure, but I think it caused some frame/body damage, but you might have to search for that.

VonK :: Retired

I have not yet tried my 22 mm rear bar with the stiff setting, because I'm worried that the plastic down links may fail under hard cornering. Also, since the car with stock springs/shocks is now dead neutral with the 22 mm soft setting, going stiff may induce some undesirable oversteer.

I have read on this forum that the 19 mm bar stiff setting falls in between the 22 mm bar soft and stiff settings. I don't have the hole dimensions for the 19 mm bar readily available to confirm that mathematically. But, if it's true, those who have 19 mm bars should try their stiff settings first before migrating to the 22 mm bar whose stiff setting may be too stiff.

In general, with stock springs, I look at sway bars from an under/over steer perspective, accepting reduced lean as a bonus, and remembering that lean is compensated by camber changes to keep the tires straight on the road.