e36 5-lug sway bar options

[Quailane]

So are you saying that mounting the swap bar to the strut tube like on the E30 M cars decreases the effectiveness of the sway bar compared to mounting it to the control arm like on every other E30? Ive heard from many sources that the exact opposite is true. In fact i plan on making M3 style sway bar mounts with my stock vert bar in order to increase leverage.

Decreasing the leverage that suspension travel has on the swaybar means it increases the resistance that the swaybar provides. Think of it as moving the load outboard on a class 2 lever.

[Wishno87]

Mounting a sway to the strut tube decreases, by a lot, the leverage that suspension travel has on the sway bar. You can run any E30 front sway bar, you just need the long front end links. An E36 bar is not going to fit. Also, you have E36 M3 front suspension, because those have the mounting tab on the strut itself.

So are you saying that mounting the swap bar to the strut tube like on the E30 M cars decreases the effectiveness of the sway bar compared to mounting it to the control arm like on every other E30? Ive heard from many sources that the exact opposite is true. In fact i plan on making M3 style sway bar mounts with my stock vert bar in order to increase leverage.

[Quailane]

Mounting a sway to the strut tube decreases, by a lot, the leverage that suspension travel has on the sway bar. You can run any E30 front sway bar, you just need the long front end links. An E36 bar is not going to fit. Also, you have E36 M3 front suspension, because those have the mounting tab on the strut itself.

[daniel]

i have the e36 m3 5-lug setup in the front, with an e36 suspension. as i understand it, the strut tubes have sway bar mounting points, which the e30 m3 also had.

now, what type of sway bar is better? the normal e30 bars, or the strut tube mounted ones?

im not buying sway bars tomorrow or anything, but i would like to upgrade them eventually and start keeping an eye out for what is going to be better.

will an e36 sway bar fit on the e30 with the 5-lug?

thanks, looking forward to some kind of a helpful discussion.