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      09-20-2018, 09:43 AM   #1
spitpilot
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Anyone upgraded their rear sway bar?

Coming from a long string of FWD (Audi/VW) ownership, the first thing I've done to improve handling is beef up the rear sway bar. Never done that to an SUV however, so if anyone has installed an uprated rear bar on their F48 X1 I'd like to hear from them on the experience. Thanks!

NM Engineering makes a hollow tube 25mm rear bar for Mini Countryman...which according to Real OEM uses the same bar in the JCW version as the M Sport X1...so this should slide right in.

http://www.nm-eng.com/nm258847-nm-en...-bar-25mm.html


Didn't know till I read this info that BMW uses PLASTIC rear sway bar links...yikes....never, ever seen that B4!
Guess who's ordering a set of NM swaybar links!
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      09-20-2018, 12:06 PM   #2
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Nice keep us posted!!
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      09-20-2018, 06:57 PM   #3
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How about the front? Which one gives a better reduction in body roll?
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      09-20-2018, 07:48 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Douggie View Post
How about the front? Which one gives a better reduction in body roll?
It's not a matter if whether the front or the rear sway bar reduced body roll more. Increasing the size of the rear sway bar tends to reduce understeer. Most people who are concerned about how their car handles prefer less understeer. However, it's common for front and rear sway bars to be upgraded as a set. I have front and rear TMS sway bars on my M3.
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      09-21-2018, 06:01 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bimmerdriver2 View Post
It's not a matter if whether the front or the rear sway bar reduced body roll more. Increasing the size of the rear sway bar tends to reduce understeer. Most people who are concerned about how their car handles prefer less understeer. However, it's common for front and rear sway bars to be upgraded as a set. I have front and rear TMS sway bars on my M3.
Thanks for the explanation. I don't think I'm gonna drive any point near the limits where over/under-steer happens (definitely not gonna do it in an SUV anyway). But was wondering if there's a way to reduce body roll. Was thinking they call it sway bars because it reduces swaying (body roll).
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      09-21-2018, 09:46 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Douggie View Post
Thanks for the explanation. I don't think I'm gonna drive any point near the limits where over/under-steer happens (definitely not gonna do it in an SUV anyway). But was wondering if there's a way to reduce body roll. Was thinking they call it sway bars because it reduces swaying (body roll).
Stiffer sway bars will definitely reduce body roll...that's their job. Stiffening the rear bar a bit will improve "turn in" as well...I've done this to just about all my vehicles (Nuespeed has been offering uprated sway bars for Audi/Vw for decades and I've had those vehicles in my garage all that time)...Back in the day almost all cars only had a front sway bar...so as to prevent spin outs and subsequent lawsuits. Adding a rear sway bar was "the thing" to improve handling...came standard on all police cruiser models. Now the required "stability control" systems can subdue excessive oversteer and prevent spin outs...so almost all vehicles have rear sway bars..albeit much less stiff than their front bars, The option to stiffen the rear bar and improve handling is a good alternative to stiffening up the springs which degrade the ride and give up some ground clearance in the process.
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      09-21-2018, 02:34 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Douggie View Post
Thanks for the explanation. I don't think I'm gonna drive any point near the limits where over/under-steer happens (definitely not gonna do it in an SUV anyway). But was wondering if there's a way to reduce body roll. Was thinking they call it sway bars because it reduces swaying (body roll).
Sway bars are called sway bars, because they do reduce body roll. The more correct name is anti-sway bars. So do stiffer springs, stiffer shock absorbers and stiffer tires, not to mention lowering the car, because that lowers the center of gravity, which decreases body roll. None of these items have a singular affect on the dynamics of a vehicle. Sway bars also have a big effect on understeer / oversteer. If you increase the stiffness of the rear bar, the effect is to reduce understeer or increase oversteer. It's the other way around for the front bar. The reason for changing front and rear bars together is that they act as a pair for more balance. If the bars are both increased in size, they can be increased more, relative to the original bars. This is also the reason springs, performance shock absorbers and coil-overs are sold as a set. If you want to reduce body roll, the most direct way to do it is stiffer front and rear anti-sway bars.
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      10-06-2018, 01:15 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spitpilot View Post
Coming from a long string of FWD (Audi/VW) ownership, the first thing I've done to improve handling is beef up the rear sway bar. Never done that to an SUV however, so if anyone has installed an uprated rear bar on their F48 X1 I'd like to hear from them on the experience. Thanks!

NM Engineering makes a hollow tube 25mm rear bar for Mini Countryman...which according to Real OEM uses the same bar in the JCW version as the M Sport X1...so this should slide right in.

http://www.nm-eng.com/nm258847-nm-en...-bar-25mm.html


Didn't know till I read this info that BMW uses PLASTIC rear sway bar links...yikes....never, ever seen that B4!
Guess who's ordering a set of NM swaybar links!
Any updates?
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      07-17-2019, 11:30 AM   #9
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update, the rear sway bar from NM is too short. Just had my mechanic try to install it (he only works on BMWs, Audis, VW). It may fit on an X1 that is not Xdrive equipped.




Last edited by ventjock; 07-17-2019 at 12:29 PM..
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      07-17-2019, 02:07 PM   #10
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That sucks. Thanks for being the first to try!

What springs are those?
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      07-18-2019, 07:56 PM   #11
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H&R sport springs. Got those installed earlier this year along with Bilstein B8s.
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      07-19-2019, 11:58 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ventjock View Post
H&R sport springs. Got those installed earlier this year along with Bilstein B8s.
^ what's the review for this?


How's the progress for OP?
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      07-20-2019, 11:36 PM   #13
spitpilot
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ventjock View Post
update, the rear sway bar from NM is too short. Just had my mechanic try to install it (he only works on BMWs, Audis, VW). It may fit on an X1 that is not Xdrive equipped.



Is this the 23mm NM bar which they claim will fit the current Mini Countryman and Clubman...I looked at Real OEM and the bar that fits those is also the one for the M Sport X1 so it should fit just fine????
I opted out since I've been too busy to tackle the process...Doingr rear bars on my VW/Audi's was an hour or so...this looks like a PITA and requres wheel alignment too.
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      07-22-2019, 08:58 AM   #14
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It was the 25mm bar. Looks like the wrong one was sent. May try to fit the correct bar for the F60 onto my F48 in the future. It was 4 hours of labor down the drain.
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