Bending A Sway Bar

[benmarks]

How do people here feel about bending a new sway bar if it doesn't fit?

I have way more detail in this UK-MKIVS forum, but a few months ago in preparation for my 4Motion project, and bought two H&R sway bars, front and rear. However, we didn't ry to install them until this week, and that is when we learned the rear one didn't fit. It barely doesn't clear the spare wheel well. This is apparently a known issue with this model, and some UK-MKIVS users provided some background. They proposed two solutions. One, return it, which I can't do since I bought it in November (I asked.) Two, bend it. A 3rd solution, buy a different brand, seems almost impossible because it doesn't look like anyone makes 4Motion sway bars anymore other than H&R.

MK4 4Motion Rear Sway Bar Issue

www.uk-mkivs.net

However, I am wondering if these are made in a way that heating and bending will ruin them in some way. I asked my TDI guru if he thought bending it would be a good idea, and he said no.

 

[eli]

Guru appears very correct. however if there is really no alternative to bent sway bar other than no sway bar, I would bend that sway bah faster than Bend can get to Oregon. sincerely, anti-guru

 

[ToxicDoc]

Since you considered returning it, is that because you think another one from them would fit? If so I'd order a new one and see if it fits.

 

[benmarks]

Since you considered returning it, is that because you think another one from them would fit? If so I'd order a new one and see if it fits.

This is one of the things mentioned by the uk-mkivs users, i.e. a 2nd one might come perfectly fine. I'm just not sure I want to go down this road if I have to ship it back. Also, they come is a kit with the front one, and I haven't been able to find the rear one sold on its own. A lot of this 4Motion stuff is pretty hard to find.

I guess I could be mischievous and order a 2nd one, and then say it doesn't fit even if it does, and then return my original one. That seems a little fishy though.

 

[KrashDH]

What type of material is it? Mild steel? Is it solid or hollow?
I wouldn't try to make a super tight radius with the bend, but if it's just a mild steel, heat it up a bit and give it a bend. I doubt it's going to cause the bar any harm other than you might have to re-paint it.

People make tube bumpers all day long, this isn't too far from that concept at all.

 

[benmarks]

The photos are generic, but this is what I bought:

H&R Sway Bar 33431-1 for VW BORA GOLF IV

H&R Sway Bar for VW BORA GOLF IV H&R Sport Sway Bars H&R Sport Sway Bars are designed for drivers who desire improved handling without lowering or affectin

www.tunershop.com

Here is some of the info re steel type, etc:

H&R Sport Sway Bars are crafted from a special (hf) 50CrV4 steel alloy—the highest tensile strength available. The quality of the material and design guarantees smooth transitional sway bar function—decreasing the feedback response time—and increases stiffness over stock. H&R Sport Sway Bars improve a vehicle’s lateral stability and cornerning grip, while reducing body roll.

H&R Sport Sway Bars are precision engineered—designed and manufactured to be strong, resilient, and durable. Adhering to the same manufacturing philosophy as H&R’s world-renowned springs, H&R Sport Sway Bar design and production receives significant attention to detail and commitment. Each sway bar is cold-formed and heat-treated, with forged seamless bar ends. H&R shot-peens the sway bars to increase durability and check for dimensional correctness. At H&R’s ISO9001 certified manufacturing facility in Germany, production is completed in-house and each sway bar must pass a series of rigorous quality control tests to earn H&R’s approval and yours.

 

[jmodge]

Did you ever consider fabricating/welding mounts that it would fit to, if possible?

 

[Mongler98]

Sway bars are tensile steel that has been though a hardening process to turn it into a spring.
Bending it will destroy it and ot will fail.
You are basically asking if it's ok to deform a spring... no it's not.

 

[benmarks]

Sway bars are tensile steel that has been though a hardening process to turn it into a spring.
Bending it will destroy it and ot will fail.
You are basically asking if it's ok to deform a spring... no it's not.

I guess this is what I was getting at, thanks.

 

[KrashDH]

Yeah seeing the material now you posted, you wouldnt want to try and bend that, likely wouldn't get anywhere. You physically COULD with enough heat, but then you'd lose the strength properties of that material. It would also be more susceptible to fatigue/stress cracks in the area you altered.

 

[Mongler98]

let me put it this way... if you could bend it... the car would bend it the first time you took a turn...

 

[ToxicDoc]

This is one of the things mentioned by the uk-mkivs users, i.e. a 2nd one might come perfectly fine. I'm just not sure I want to go down this road if I have to ship it back. Also, they come is a kit with the front one, and I haven't been able to find the rear one sold on its own. A lot of this 4Motion stuff is pretty hard to find.

I guess I could be mischievous and order a 2nd one, and then say it doesn't fit even if it does, and then return my original one. That seems a little fishy though.

That is EXACTLY what I would do. They need to stand by their product and not put out one that doesn't fit right.

 

[burn_your_money]

If it says it fits and it doesn’t, and the company won’t return it, I’d be doing a chargeback through my credit card.

 

[benmarks]

If it says it fits and it doesn’t, and the company won’t return it, I’d be doing a chargeback through my credit card.

I bought everything in November, but we didn't get this far into the 4Motion project until this week. I wasn't confident a charge back would work since TunerShop's return window is only two weeks (even though that isn't listed on their web site, and I had to email them to get that info.)

Do you think a charge back would work this much later?

 

[burn_your_money]

I bought everything in November, but we didn't get this far into the 4Motion project until this week. I wasn't confident a charge back would work since TunerShop's return window is only two weeks (even though that isn't listed on their web site, and I had to email them to get that info.)

Do you think a charge back would work this much later?

My cards are typically 6 months from the date of the statement it posts to, which would be some time in April most likely.

You can either read the legal document they sent with the card, try to file a claim online or call customer service and see what happens.

 

[Zak99b5]

Have you contacted H&R?

I would get the necessary clearance by manipulating the spare well, not bending the bar. Honda kidz heat up springs to fatigue them and get moar lowers. Not a good idea.