Question on SWAY BARS!

#4
There is only one sway bar. The top picture looks like it is for a different car. The bottom picture is the one that the TRD Website has. Watch out for cheap ones. They may be stock sway bars that are painted red and have a TRD badge slapped on them.

Right now, TRD only has the rear sway bar, the oil filter, and the air filter available for the 2014. They may come out with more parts like clutches and brakes and strut braces in the near future.
 
#5
The rear sway bar reduces understeer. I prefer slight oversteer myself, but I have also raced cars. If you have never driven a RWD vehicle, you may panic when the car oversteers and over-correct.

Oversteer is usually preferred in racing because it is easier to regain control than understeer, but it takes skill.
 
#11
Most cars built in the last two decades have front and rear anti-sway bars. The TRD is an upgrade to the OEM rear. It is slightly stiffer, which causes the rear of the car to not lean as much, which allows the front to grip in a corner because of weight being shifted to the front outside tire. However, the consequence is less weight shifted to the outside rear tire, which can cause it to slip, and thus oversteer.

The TRD was made to slightly reduce understeer while still being safe as a daily driver (sorry Scott, but TRD engineers know what they are doing more-so than a generic suspension engineer).

However, where Scott is correct, is that oversteer takes skill to manage properly.

I hate understeer, in a daily driver and on the track. Once you understeer, you lose braking and steering, which is very bad, but it takes a lot to make a car understeer, so unskilled drivers usually prefer this (a good example would be to shift hard around a corner and chirp the tires. When the tires slip, the car stops turning, that is understeer).

With oversteer, the problem is that unskilled drivers tend to slam the brakes and over-correct when they oversteer (drifting is an example of controlled oversteer), which is about the worst thing you can do.

Personally, if you have never driven a RWD car, I wouldn't do it. Learning the hard way on a brand new car is never fun. If you have experience on a RWD car and know how to handle it, then you'll enjoy it.
 
#12
With matched anti-sway bars front and rear for best, safest handling, there is nowhere I am not correct. That is the advice of professional suspension engineers.
 

XEON

New Member
#15
Thank you for that info!

Question IF anyone dose this I would like to see the OEM vs TRD side by side to see
how different it really is..
 
#17
Another factor to consider is if the anti-sway bar is constructed from hardened steel or not. An anti-sway bar not made from hardened steel is not as effective as one that is, as the softer steel bends, detracting from the performance of the anti-sway bar.
 

XEON

New Member
#18
Very good point!

I wish they made a front strut I would buy that in a heart beat!..

I think they will not have one do to the master cylinder is in the way! MAYBE

I'm hope I'm wrong!
 
#20
Hard to tell. TRD paints their sway bars, but they are known for quality race parts that are backed by Toyota (and if a dealer installs them, any TRD parts will NOT void the warranty, which is nice).

Chances are, they use hardened steel if it is a stiffer-than-stock sway bar.

TRD is usually unkind to Corollas though. If you wanted a car with oodles of TRD gear to throw on it, you'd be better off with a Scion Tc, Scion FR-S, or a Toyota Tundra.

Which kinda sucks, because I'm not a fan of 2-doors nor trucks, and the Camry isn't available in a stickshift, which is a crying shame.
 
#21
No warranty can be voided based on aftermarket parts or who installs them. That would be against the federal law known as the Magnuson Moss Act.

http://www.sema.org/sema-enews/2011/01/ftc-validates-right-to-install-aftermarket-parts

FTC Validates Right to Install Aftermarket Parts

In a Consumer Alert issued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the agency confirmed that “The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act makes it illegal for companies to void your warranty or deny coverage under the warranty simply because you used an aftermarket part.” The alert outlines key provisions in the law that provides protections to car owners. As defined by the FTC, an “aftermarket' part is a part made by a company other than the vehicle manufacturer or the original equipment manufacturer.”

“The FTC’s reference to aftermarket parts is equally applicable to specialty parts,” said Russ Deane, SEMA’s General Counsel. “Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the warranty cannot be conditioned to a specific brand of parts, services or vehicle modifications unless those parts or services are provided free of charge.”

The alert notes that a consumer has the right to patronize independent retail stores and repair shops for parts and service without fear of voiding the new car warranty. The dealer/vehicle manufacturer has the right to deny a warranty repair but they must demonstrate that the aftermarket part caused the problem. The warranty remains in effect for all other covered parts.

The FTC alert may be downloaded using this link: www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt192.shtm.
The alert was issued in response to an FTC complaint filed last August by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), Automotive Oil Change Association (AOCA) and the Tire Industry Association (TIA)".

 
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XEON

New Member
#22
Still the dealer will give you bull for it and they won't do anything for you. You must fight for them to do any work! And if it's serious you would have to take then to court.

Dealers always want the easy way out of everything!
 
#23
No dealer who wants to stay in business will fight consumer protection laws. The extremely bad word of mouth advertising that would result from that would be far, far more costly than simply honoring the warranty from the vehicle manufacturer that they are legally obliged to. The vehicle manufacturer itself will stand behind a factory warranty. It has nothing to do with the independent franchised dealer at all.

The consumer has a lot of laws and agencies on their side regarding this. The Federal Trade Commission, the Office of Consumer Affairs, the Better Business Bureau, state business licensing offices and even the Attorney General's Office. Any car dealer that would try to pull this stunt wouldn't have a leg to stand on and they know it.
 
#24
With aftermarket they have to prove that part specifically caused the issue, so an aftermarket alternator can't void a warranty for a wheel bearing. With TRD you are 100% worry free, so there is no question in the event the issue and aftermarket part are related.
 
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