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duckstu -> RE: Sway Bar (12/13/2007 7:01:00 AM)
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The H3 understeers a ton. I.e. the front tires squeal and slide WAY before the rears do.
To correct that you'd want to install a larger REAR bar. That would decrease lean a bit and improve the handling a chunk.
Here is a link to a company that makes a larger rear bar, and includes stiffer front bushings. $264.00
http://www.teakatoys.com/Hummer_H3_Sway_Bar_by_Hellwig_p/hw-7682.htm
To save a few bucks (and because I have a welder) I did this instead. I modified the stock bar, so as to make it adjustable. Then installed the endlinks into the new inner hole.
The stock bar is solid and pinched at the end. I added some weld to the top and bottom of each end an inch or two from the ends,..and then ground that part of the round bar flat. All this to extend the flat and wide area where the endlinks attach to further in on the bar. Then I drilled a new set of holes an inch inboard of the origionals,..and hit the bar with some black spray paint. The endlinks are actually closer to vertical than before.
[image]http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w230/duckstu/Swaymodafter.jpg[/image]
Another thing you can do is add some negative camber to the front. With the stock adjusters you can easilly get over 2 degrees negative. I've tried that and it goes around freeway cloverleafs like it's on rails (believe it or not). But it looks odd. I'd suggest -1 degree (zero is stock).
My recomendation is an alignment with -1 degree of camber in front and the Helwig kit. I'm confident it will make a night & day improvement in your H3.
I also lowered my car a good bit. If you'd like to flatten out the rake of yours a bit, there are 2 ways to go about it. The more common one on this forum is to jack up the front. Simple to do,..but it should make the car handle a tiny bit worse than it does stock (raises ceter of gravity, raises the roll axis and changes it's angle, and messes with the suspension geometry).
A different approach would be to drop the rear a bit. It's just a solid axle on leaf springs,..so lowering it does nothing to the suspension geometry except add an almost unmeasurable amount of caster from the front. I have had mine at -2" for a long time and lately at -3". Starts to look odd there though. Most people on this forum wouldn't like it. You might find that a 1" or 1'5" drop makes the car look really good and even improves the handling a touch. You'll need a set of spring blocks (1" might be best if you want it to still look tall and manly,..but just a bit flatter). and you'll need some new and longer "U" bolts. Stock "U" bolts are 3 5/8" ID and 7.25" long. So you'd add your desired drop to the 7.25" length. (So with 1" lowering bnlocks you'd need 8.25" or longer "U" bolts).
Here is a link to 1" lowering blocks ($12.95 a pair) http://www.gcustoms.com/product_info/category_id/5/subcategory_id/139/subcategory2_id/4009/products_id/263/
And to "U" bpolts. You can trim off the excess if you don't want anything sticking down. $12.50
http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/u-bolt-58-x-3-58-x-10-p-215.html
So bottom line (bottom line #2) The helwig kit,...1" rear drop,...and alignment with -1 degree front camber. Helwig kit, lowering parts and alignment should run you a grand total of $355.00
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