R36 Wagon HR Rear Sway Bar, any experience?

[Passat R36]

I am thinking about the HR Rear Sway Bar (26mm) for my R36 Wagon. Not interested in the Front Sway Bar at the moment as it's too much hassle to install by myself.

Anyone has experience with HR Rear Sway Bar on R36? Much flatter at cornering? Thanks!

[3C4M Guy]

I installed the H&R 26mm rear sway bar on my 2007 sedan and drove the car for a week before fitting the 24mm front bar which was a BIG job. Obviously the front and rear bars are designed to be fitted together, however I quite liked the car with just the rear bar fitted. The rear bar upgrade alone was quite effective in dialling out some understeer and I could feel the rear pushing the car into corners a bit better. Not sure if it was much flatter - I just liked the way it felt.

The car didn't feel unsafe and dangerous in any way with just the rear bar. Fitting the front bar the following weekend (massive job for someone like me unfamiliar with dropping a VW sub-frame) made the front sit flatter and made the front feel more responsive to steering input but probably reintroduced some understeer.

If you go ahead with this, I'm happy to answer PMs and send photos to assist. I found the rear bar when fitted cleared the diff by a mere 1mm and knocked against the diff on anything but smooth roads. I ended up having to remove the saddle clamps and slot the holes to mount the bar 2mm lower to achieve a 3mm clearance. No problem after that!

Oh and I paid half the Australian price by ordering direct from Germany. It took ages to arrive because the shipping company first sent it to Austria instead of Australia!!!

[Passat R36]

Thanks!
I didn't know there is clearance issue, the front and rear kit I am looking at on eBay has part number 33220-1, it costs around AUD640 landed. What's the part number of your kit?

[3C4M Guy]

That part number is the same kit that I fitted and the price is about what I paid. At the time, the Australian distributor in Sydney wanted around $1,200. See photo for rear bar clearance.

[eurobahn5]

I have a Whiteline 24mm rear swar bar, the 'D' rubbers are noisy, creaky, I did take them out and grease them but the noise comes back after a while, especially on hot days, any thoughts or fixes would be appreciated....

[tigger73]

What are the specs on the stock R36 rear sway bar? Personally I wouldn't be putting on a significantly stiffer rear sway bar without also doing the front.

Sway bar stiffness comparison chart for your reference:

[Umai Naa!!]

I have a Whiteline 24mm rear swar bar, the 'D' rubbers are noisy, creaky, I did take them out and grease them but the noise comes back after a while, especially on hot days, any thoughts or fixes would be appreciated....

Talcum powder, I'm told.

[Passat R36]

What are the specs on the stock R36 rear sway bar? Personally I wouldn't be putting on a significantly stiffer rear sway bar without also doing the front.

Sway bar stiffness comparison chart for your reference:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27350[/ATTACH]

Hi tigger, R36 rear stock is 24mm.

[tigger73]

Hi tigger, R36 rear stock is 24mm.

Do you know whether that is solid or hollow?

That's already a decent sized sway bar. The upgrade to 26mm will do a bit (38% stiffer) so not going to be a massive change.

Main concern was if you went from an 16-18mm noodle up to a 26mm bar you'd make a massive change to the handling in the rear and you really ought to balance it with a larger bar up front too.

If you're just going 24mm -> 26mm on the rear I think this is safe enough to leave the front as-is given the headache of fitting it.

[eurobahn5]

Hi, just to clarify the ETKA EPC states 23MM front sedan, 23.6MM front wagon and 21.7MM rear for both sedan and wagon. I also just measured them with verniers as I have a set sitting in my shed....and yes the EPC is correct, the sizes match up.

[eurobahn5]

I put the slightly larger wagon version (23.6MM) onto my sedan and I have a 24mm whiteline rear, seems to ride and handle really well.

[3C4M Guy]

I have a Whiteline 24mm rear swar bar, the 'D' rubbers are noisy, creaky, I did take them out and grease them but the noise comes back after a while, especially on hot days, any thoughts or fixes would be appreciated....

I chose H&R sway bars because I wanted the largest diameter bars available on the market. I'm very happy with my choice. The H&R bars are totally silent and the bushes don't squeak. The inside of each bush has a cross-hatch pattern which I think indicates they are self-lubricating.

The same can't be said for the Whiteline urethane bushes I fitted to front of the front lower control arms with Whiteline anti-lift kit at the rear of the front LCA. They constantly creak and groan. I plan to remove the urethane bushes and ALK and go back to rubber. I've bought some Audi TT solid rubber bushes without voids that should be firmer than standard yet not transmit road noise plus creak and groan.

[eurobahn5]

I agree 3C4M, I would rather H&R, I think whiteline are a bit rubbishy compared to other brands, can you suggest a 24mm 'D' rubber bush that would replace my whiteline ones and not squeak ?

[3C4M Guy]

Some people don't like urethane bushes because they believe they always need lubricating whereas rubber does not. I'm not sure that's completely true because I ran urethane in a previous car for 20+ years with no noise at all. Also, the OEM rubber bushes on the Passat's front bar groaned before I fitted the H&R bar. Fitting the H&R bar actually fixed a noise problem!

If you look at this snapshot from the H&R web site, they boast their bushes need no lubrication.



Products | H&R Special Springs, LP.

You ask a good question. I don't know the answer. Maybe someone else does?
Getting replacement D bushes from another manufacturer would require not only the ID to be 24mm, but the OD would have to perfectly match VW.

[Passat R36]

Goodies have arrived from Germany!
Still waiting for the Spline Tripe Square kit coming from UK.(Have M10 but also needs M6), then I can put the rear sway bar on and give a review!