I have noticed a couple of posts here about people wanting better handling (so do I after having a GP GTP) one poster questioned the possibility of sway bars from the Malibu SS, (or G6 GTP) for the G6 sedan? I assume that they would work being they are basically the same platform and what about the SS tower-to-tower brace, (are they on the G6 GTP also?) that would definitely help IF it would be a bolt on. Any ideas e2helper? part #s if they would work? :)

I have noticed a couple of posts here about people wanting better handling (so do I after having a GP GTP) one poster questioned the possibility of sway bars from the Malibu SS, (or G6 GTP) for the G6 sedan? I assume that they would work being they are basically the same platform and what about the SS tower-to-tower brace, (are they on the G6 GTP also?) that would definitely help IF it would be a bolt on. Any ideas e2helper? part #s if they would work? :)Bob, I doubt you'll find the significant increase in performance by going from a 20mm bar to 21mm bar (front) or 19mm bar to 20mm bar (rear). You might find "some" but certainly not much at all. The G6 GTP certainly has plenty of body roll still, so the 21mm/20mm F/R combo isn't doing much over the lower level G6s...

If you are looking to significantly improve the handling of your G6 (any of them), a switch to performance tires is probably the first most noticeable change. Every G6, with the exception of the GTP's with the Bridgestones, can benefit with a switch to more performance-oriented tires.

However, that won't reduce the body lean or turn-in characteristics of the car. For that, a good, stiff coil spring that would drop the car about 1" would be in order. Stock American cars, with their high ride height, benefit more from struts/shocks/coil springs than sway bars for the most part. GM, Ford, Chrysler seem to put adequate (not saying not to change them at some point) sway bars on most cars, in order to compensate for the rather high ride height.

IMHO, get some better tires and put some coils on the car, and you'll notice significantly better handling. then when someone comes out with a true performance sway package, that would be an addition.

Very good post miscreant; I wholeheartedly agree

bump back to the top... still don't have an answer on this:
what about the SS tower-to-tower brace, (are they on the G6 GTP also?) that would definitely help IF it would be a bolt on. Any ideas e2helper? part #s if they would work? and to clarify-- by work I mean bolt on directly, I know they will reduce flexing.

You won't notice too much difference from a strut bar. It'll feel a little tighter in the turns at first, but the change is so subtle that after a few minutes of driving you won't feel it anymore. Springs are the way to go for this car for if you want better handling, it's way too high.

Mike

You won't notice too much difference from a strut bar. It'll feel a little tighter in the turns at first, but the change is so subtle that after a few minutes of driving you won't feel it anymore. Springs are the way to go for this car for if you want better handling, it's way too high.

Mike
Agreed. Strut bars only come into play with a chassis that's not very stiff(the epsilon is really stiff), or when you have upgrade the suspension past the point to which your chassis is now the weak element.

sorry - this topic is something I know nothing about :(

thanks for the info guys.. I was hoping to remove some of the twisting associated with hard cornering..thats why I asked about the sway bars.. the momentum from driving my G6 into a hard corner is extremely applified for the exact reasons posted above. Its too high..

I was not able to find a decent spring package when i searched. *sigh* I must admit I had given up shortly after I started.

these are the only springs im aware of for us http://www.drivewire.com/performanceparts/intrax/pontiacg6loweringsprings.html

I put Intrax springs on my old 88 Firebird and was very satisfied with them. The only thing stopping me from putting them on the G6 is a issue I ran into with the bird. More than 3 inches of snow would stop the vehicle. I'm thinking my wife would not be happy with me if I got her stuck...

haha.. i already got stuck in the snow last year..didnt have anything to do with clearence. :)

I drove a pretty low modded LT1 Z thru snow for 3 years... I think the G6 lowered will do well considering its heavier and would still sit higher. :)

H&R Sport Springs....| 1.5" / 1.3" | #50736
Eibach Pro Kit.......| N/A | #38103.140
Intrax Coils.........| N/A | #25.1.023

As far as I know, as of yet, none of the above are actually produced. I'll check with Scott at Intrax again on Monday, he owes me some stuff.

The only thing stopping me from putting them on the G6 is a issue I ran into with the bird. More than 3 inches of snow would stop the vehicle.The G6 sits pretty high, alot higher than a stock firebird. And the intrax springs for the firebird would drop almost 2.5" after settling. I don't think with how high the G6 sits, that you'd have as much of a problem if you only dropped about 1.5".

All,
Good information here, but no one addressed the vast handling improvement realized by proper alignment. I don't know what the alignment tolerances are for the G6, but certainly it is adjustable to provide good handling.
Also, I don't know what rear alignment settings are possible.

Later,

H&R Sport Springs....| 1.5" / 1.3" | #50736
Eibach Pro Kit.......| N/A | #38103.140
Intrax Coils.........| N/A | #25.1.023

As far as I know, as of yet, none of the above are actually produced. I'll check with Scott at Intrax again on Monday, he owes me some stuff.

The G6 sits pretty high, alot higher than a stock firebird. And the intrax springs for the firebird would drop almost 2.5" after settling. I don't think with how high the G6 sits, that you'd have as much of a problem if you only dropped about 1.5".Here is a 1.75" drop.
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e95/KeithGTP/P5310113LargeWebview.jpg