I am not a fan of oversized sway bars. They’re fine if you run on the track, but for street use, they really damage ride quality, and seem to also lessen front wheel traction, especially on bumpy turns. Below is a picture of a 3/4″ bar on a car we prepared recently (before we removed it, more on that in a minute).
The stock unit (from later Spridgets) is just right, and this is a wonderful upgrade for every Sprite with no downside. These bars are only 9/16″ and they seem like they can’t be sufficient to impact handling, but that they do. They reduce body roll and make these cars more fun. Every Spridget needs one. And there is no diminishment in ride quality.
Back to the car above… on this one, not only did we observe harsh handling and a twitchy front, but we heard a grinding noise on sharp turns, which, upon investigation, meant that that bar was digging into the inner lip of the rims. These mounts are just slightly out of alignment, or the bar is not quite bent enough or both, but here is one more reason to only use the stock bar for your street car. That’s what this car has now, problems solved!
