Custom Diameter Torsion Bars (Sway-A-Way) (2 Viewers)
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Uncertain if things have changed a ton, but I just got off the phone with Sway-a-way and his off-the-cuff estimate was 7-800 per pair for a new custom bar in the 27.1mm range.
I want to stress that he doesn't have final numbers - he needs to actually go do some research on what the material cost is and it's a long bar and they're cutting it down a lot. Once he gets back to me either later today or Monday he'll have a final quote and I'll share once I see that.
Honestly - I'd be willing to pay even that to get my AHC ride back in the front end, plus get my wheel travel back where it should be. But it hurts a lot more than the above numbers did!
hoser
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@krispykritter The person at Sway-Away I spoke with was Brian Skipper <brian@swayaway> and the pricing was from February 2023.
I read Sway Away can also turn down existing torsion bars to a smaller diameter. They offer them in 32mm, off the shelf for $329/pr.
swayaway.com
I read Sway Away can also turn down existing torsion bars to a smaller diameter. They offer them in 32mm, off the shelf for $329/pr.
Torsion Bar Set – Toyota F100, Land Cruiser (Late Model) & LX470 Gas – Sway-A-Way
Sway-A-Way's high-performance replacement torsion bar set for Toyota F100, Land Cruiser & LX470 Gas.
swayaway.com
Hey wait a minute. Can’t any machine shop turn the bars to a thinner diameter? I’ve got some used non-AHC bars. Is it as simple as shrinking the diameter or is it some fancy metal composition thing??@krispykritter The person at Sway-Away I spoke with was Brian Skipper <brian@swayaway> and the pricing was from February 2023.
I read Sway Away can also turn down existing torsion bars to a smaller diameter. They offer them in 32mm, off the shelf for $329/pr.
Torsion Bar Set – Toyota F100, Land Cruiser (Late Model) & LX470 Gas – Sway-A-Way
Sway-A-Way's high-performance replacement torsion bar set for Toyota F100, Land Cruiser & LX470 Gas.
@krispykritter The person at Sway-Away I spoke with was Brian Skipper <brian@swayaway> and the pricing was from February 2023.
I read Sway Away can also turn down existing torsion bars to a smaller diameter. They offer them in 32mm, off the shelf for $329/pr.
Torsion Bar Set – Toyota F100, Land Cruiser (Late Model) & LX470 Gas – Sway-A-Way
Sway-A-Way's high-performance replacement torsion bar set for Toyota F100, Land Cruiser & LX470 Gas.
Hey hoser, thank you for the response. I think that was who I spoke to as well - he suggested new bars given that their 32mm bars would have to be turned quite a bit and that would remove most of the hardened layer. He was going to quote completely new bars for me which is probably the large increase in cost.
He suggested that with my extended wheel travel and the thinner bars that a new set would be superior to a re-ground set due to the heat treating being done after it's been cut to size.
cruiserpatch
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I called Sway-A-Way and spoke with one of their engineers explaining why the current offering (32mm) they sell are too large/too much spring rate for many of our needs.
I asked if they could make a set of bars in a smaller diamater (the answer, of course, is 'yes for the right price').
I would be interested in stocking these or in helping to bring a bar of similar spring rate to OEM Land Cruiser bars (can make 27mm and 29mm) for a much more reasonable price point (~$700 MSRP ea. from dealers)
Would anyone be interested in signing up for a pre-order so that I can bring the cost per set down?
//
I run OEM Cruiser bars on my 99 'LX (AHC deleted) with winch, bumpers, roof rack, drawers, etc. Vehicle weighs around 7200 lbs. but aftermarket bars are way too stiff. People are beginning to realize this and there is no option besides indexing used OE bars with uncertain history etc.
Would be awesome to bring some new options to market that are better for our trucks.
I asked if they could make a set of bars in a smaller diamater (the answer, of course, is 'yes for the right price').
I would be interested in stocking these or in helping to bring a bar of similar spring rate to OEM Land Cruiser bars (can make 27mm and 29mm) for a much more reasonable price point (~$700 MSRP ea. from dealers)
Would anyone be interested in signing up for a pre-order so that I can bring the cost per set down?
//
I run OEM Cruiser bars on my 99 'LX (AHC deleted) with winch, bumpers, roof rack, drawers, etc. Vehicle weighs around 7200 lbs. but aftermarket bars are way too stiff. People are beginning to realize this and there is no option besides indexing used OE bars with uncertain history etc.
Would be awesome to bring some new options to market that are better for our trucks.
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I would sign up for a 27mm ish bar tomorrow for the right price - I believe he told me $700 for a one-off set quite a while back.
I did all the math on this a while back and came up with 27.1mm as something like 60% of the way between stock AHC and stock non-AHC. I picked that stiffness as a total guess on my end based on how the 100 felt with the two torsion bars I've fitted so far. Once I had an idea of the spring rate I wanted, I used online calculators to come up with a diameter to match. Not perfect, but the Sway-a-way guy said my math matched what he came up with when I called. I, of course, have misplaced the spreadsheet where the math was, so this is all from memory =(
I can tell you that with AHC + OEM torsion bars vs OME 2860s, the front end is STILL noticeably stiffer than the rear. I would love to get some articulation back in the front end.
trdcorolla
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Ditto, I'd sign up for a 27mm set if the price was right. I was expecting a little over 500 after inflation using @hoser original number.
I tried to add some percentage comparisons as that's a bit easier than calculating apparent spring rate. Take all these numbers with a grain of salt!
Stock AHC bars: 25.5mm or 26.2mm (I find both values - the bigger one is 11% stiffer)
First proposed Sway-a-way: 27mm (as an AHC equipped upgrade)
Stock non-ahc bars: 28mm or 28.87mm (I find both values - the bigger one is 12% stiffer)
Second proposed Sway-a-way: 29mm (deleted vehicles? Slight weight increase over stock?)
Analysis:
Comparing AHC to non-AHC bars (25.5mm vs 28.8mm) results in the larger bar being 63% stiffer
Comparing the 25.5mm to 27mm results in the larger bar being 26% stiffer (This is the one I would buy or the example below)
Comparing the 28.8 to the 29 results in the larger bar being 3% stiffer. I'd greatly suggest nailing down the stock diameter before considering this one.
When I did this originally I figured I wanted a bar midway between AHC and non-AHC. The math is somewhat straightforward:
Desired relative stiffness: 32% over AHC stiffness (IE half of the 62% stiffer the non-AHC bars are)
Starting point: 25.5mm
4th root of ((25.5^4) * 1.32) = 27.33mm
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cruiserpatch
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Update: Sway-A-Way has been undergoing some changes (sold to a new owner, though the original owner, Brian, still works there part time).
We've contracted them to begin production on some 29.5mm torsion bars for those who want closer to OE spec bars that are not nearly as stiff as OME, Ironman, Dobinsons, etc.
Sway-A-Way is now called 'X-Sway' under new management and they are behind in production by several months. I estimate this first batch will be ready in April-May of 2025.
Depending how this goes, I will see about having some AHC+ (27mm bars) manufactured for the guys who really want them.
Product link: Cruiser Patch 100 Series Land Cruiser Torsion Bar set (US OE spec. 2UZ - https://www.cruiserpatch.com/products/100-series-cruiser-patch-o-e-spec-torsion-bar-set-us-spec-2uz-fe?_pos=2&_sid=bbf0a328a&_ss=r
We've contracted them to begin production on some 29.5mm torsion bars for those who want closer to OE spec bars that are not nearly as stiff as OME, Ironman, Dobinsons, etc.
Sway-A-Way is now called 'X-Sway' under new management and they are behind in production by several months. I estimate this first batch will be ready in April-May of 2025.
Depending how this goes, I will see about having some AHC+ (27mm bars) manufactured for the guys who really want them.
Product link: Cruiser Patch 100 Series Land Cruiser Torsion Bar set (US OE spec. 2UZ - https://www.cruiserpatch.com/products/100-series-cruiser-patch-o-e-spec-torsion-bar-set-us-spec-2uz-fe?_pos=2&_sid=bbf0a328a&_ss=r
trdcorolla
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Interested in an AHC set
cruiserpatch
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My best guess would be an ETA of later 2025 (probably fall) when they’re on my shelves. Obviously ordering in larger quantities will bring down the price but I can’t shell out $30,000 for bulk sets of torsion bars right now
Maybe in a few years though!
Do you expect the AHC upgrade bars to be similar in price to the non-AHC upgraded sets?
cruiserpatch
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Yes. Most likely identical or very close in price. The AHC variants will be milled down further than the stock bars which would require more machining time (which may increase costs). Will need to get a quote from X-Sway
GTV
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Aluminum skids, 12k winch, winch plate, steel sliders. I haven't done corner weights on it, but last time I was on a truck scale, it weighed in around 6300 lbs, but that was before I added a bunch of weight in the rear a la drawers n stuff.
Sensor lifted to 21 and 7/8" hub to fender - so slightly more than 2 inches. I've also welded on the Japan4x4 spacers to my control arms, which is where the extra down travel comes from (wasn't super happy with the fit on the spacers themselves to start with, so I chopped them up and welded them on).
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GTV
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What is your front pressure? I wonder if backing the bars off some and adjusting your front pressure to the higher end of the range would take some stiffness out of the bars...
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