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Hotchkis Sway Bars


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I just purchased a set of Hotchkis anti roll bars from this shop:

http://www.titanmotorsports.com/hoswbaforis.html

I was also going to buy the Yellow TRD arb's that were on eBay a few days ago, but finally I decided to go for this since I found them in a good price and I have read a lot of good reviews.

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  • 4 weeks later...


the hotchkis bars are very good, but are designed for the is300.

however, as i said there very good, as are the TRD yellows

From what I know IS200 and IS300 have the same arb's so there shouldn't be a problem. I know one member of the club that has fitted them and he did not have any problem with the installation and also he is very happy with his new arbs.

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depends on the years, the very later is200s did indeed use the same diameter bars, the difference in bar diameter was about 1mm, the saloon/sportcross bars are different, for sure.

im not knocking them, im thinking of swapping my TRD yellows for some because they are a higher torsional bar

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Today the Hotchkis sway bars arrived finally in Athens. Now speaking they are at the customs waiting for clearance. Tomorrow I have to pay 166euro to the customs!!! :megaangry: . So the total cost for the arb's is 477euro or in local currency 410.6 pounds. I hope it is worth all that money. I will see and tell you my impressions once i have fitted them on the Lex. I will also post photos soon.

Monster-Mat thanks for the credits. I hope you will not have to pay so much tax, or even better not at all.

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Here is a review I found for the Hotchkis Anti Roll Bars:

Review: Hotchkis Sway Bars

The Hotchkis sways are, in the words of the immortal sauce-faced Chef Boyardee commercial kid, Beefy! As soon as you open the box, there is no doubt that these are some heavy duty bars. The quality and finish are exceptional, a shame really, as sways are rarely ever seen. In this first picture to the right, you can see the difference between the Hotchkis (red), TRD Race (yellow) and Stock (black) bars. The difference in size between the Stock and TRD/Hotchkis bars is obvious. Less obvious is the difference between the Hotckis and TRD. The TRD Yellows are smaller, but not by much. You can also see the end tab on the Hotchkis bar is more substantial.

68d1094092839-review-hotchkis-sway-bars-three_fronts.jpg

The differences are even more pronounced in the rear bars, where the stock bar is pathetically anemic. In general terms, the stiffer the rear suspension is over the front, the more tendency a car will have to oversteer. (As a quick experiment, pump up the air pressure in your rear tires high, like 45psi, and drop you front tire pressures to around 30psi, turn off the traction control and take a drive...careful!) Since automobile manufacturers like to avoid oversteer at all costs, you can understand why the stock rear sway bar is so small. But an upgrade here is a very welcome one for enthusiast drivers as the most body roll, especially in a heavy sedan, occurs near the back of the vehicle (that would be the rear end wobble).

67d1094092839-review-hotchkis-sway-bars-three_rears.jpg

One thing the Hotchkis bars are that the TRD bars are not is adjustable. In most cases, the more adjustable something on your suspension is the more rope you have to hang yourself with trying to find the best setup. That's just not fun. But you'll notice in the picture to the right that the softest (outermost) setting (the hole, dummy) on the Hotchkis bars is the same as the default setting on the TRD and stock bars. This kind of adjustment is clear and obvious, so it shouldn't hang too many people. I set my bars to the stiffest (innermost) initially.

66d1094092839-review-hotchkis-sway-bars-h_vs_trd_rear.jpg

Now, on the rear, the stiffest (innermost) setting for the Hotchkis sway is the same position as the default TRD and stock setting. This allows you to dial OUT some of that tendency to oversteer if you find the bar is too stiff for your setup. Again, I have mine set to the stiffest setting initially.

The Hotchkis bars come with replacement bushings, new brackets for the bushings, mounting plates for the rear brackets (to help hold the larger bushings) and enough lubricant for all the bushings. The brackets included are designed so that the bushings can be re-lubed with the bars still installed (See the red cap?). This is a nice feature, though you'll need enough pressure when applying the lube to get it in there. The installation instructions are straightforward, well written and nicely illustrated. We will cover the installation of the bars in another article, but we did have one minor issue worth mentioning here. With the larger bushings and the backing plate, re-installing the stock bolts on the rear brackets can be difficult. Including longer bolts in the kit for the rear would be VERY helpful.

64d1094092839-review-hotchkis-sway-bars-rear_installed.jpg

By now you're probably thinking "Enough already, how do they feel?!". Well, that's easy to answer. They feel great. The most telling statement I can make is that I could immediately feel the difference these bars made on my car OVER the TRD race sways installed previously. The difference between the stock sways and the TRD sways is so obvious and positive that the IS should have come from the factory that way. I can't IMAGINE putting my car back on stock sways. It would feel like a boat caught in ocean waves.

So, if the TRD sways are a vast improvement over stock and I can notice the improvement these bars make over the TRD bars - What does that tell you? It tells me that these are some damn good sways. I can feel less wobble in the rear end. The recovery of the car during transitions of turning from one side to the other is much quicker. The car seems to plant itself better going into turns and returns with a much flatter attitude coming out. I have no problem recommending these sway bars to anyone who wants to improve the handling capabilities of their IS.

65d1094092839-review-hotchkis-sway-bars-front_installed.jpg

Understand, there is no steady-state ride penalty involved when upgrading your sway bars. You won't get a stiffer or harsher ride like when changing your shocks or springs. Sway bars affect only the cars behavior during turns. If you hate the roll you feel when taking the twisties, it's time to invest in a new set of sway bars. And you can't go wrong choosing the Hotchkis bars. Highly recommended.

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Ouch! 166 Euros is quite a lot. Oh well theyare no more expensive than the C-Ones Prolex are selling so at least your not paying over the odds in the end. Good luck with your drop links.

Thanks mate, I hope I will not have any problems with the fitment. Unfortunately this time I paid a lot of money for the custom clearance.

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Hey guy - thanks for the feedback !

Where would the best place be to get them ? I'm in the UK - but shipping from the states is a bit steep !

Chris

Hi mate, I am not sure if they are available in UK or in Europe. I had a search before I bought mine but I could not find a shop in europe so i ended up buying them from USA. I suppose your only chance to buy them from Europe is to get them second hand from someone who had them on his har.

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Today I received the Hotchkis Sway Bars. They weight 9kg and everything is included in the package. They look much more stiffer and muschle in compare with the OEM. Also they have a very good quality and finishment. The good part was that I got a refund of 27euro, because they did a mistake. So the total cost was 445euro.

hothckis.jpg

hothckis2.jpg

hothckis3.jpg

hothckis4.jpg

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  • 3 months later...

The car has improved a lot with the sway bars. There is more responce from the steering wheel and you can go with greater speeds around corners. I suggest to anyone who wants better handling to fit aftermarket sway bars. Hotchkis are top for me.

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