Looking for a used Eibach front sway bar
 

I already have the rear Eibach upgrade sway bar. Now I'm looking for the front. However, Eibach no longer markets them in the US, and none of the resellers have any left in stock (they all drop ship directly from Eibach US anyway).

Talked to a reseller yesterday, who also then talked with Eibach US; The Eibach rep was saying that the reason the front sway bar is no longer sold is because there were some fitment issues. This is the first I've heard of this. From what I was getting, the story didn't sound absolute. More like a "we heard this was happening".

So what I'm looking for at this point is to buy a used one, where the owner actually successfully installed it, and there were no rubbing issues, etc.. but then simply decided it was too stiff for their tastes and now wants to sell it to another Forum member. :D

But, then again.. if any of you can confirm that there are indeed fitment issues for the front Eibach sway bar, maybe its not doable after all ??

Thanks guys

:dunno: Had the same bar switched from my 3.0 to my current 4.8is. No troubles on either.

Guys, when you installed your rear bigger sway bar, did you feel a noticable improvement to reduce understeer in favor of a slight oversteer?

That's the way it worked on my E39. I did the rear first and drove it that way for ab a year. After I did the M5 front, I adjusted the rear Dinan bar from middle to most aggressive. It was VERY clear- even with slightly larger rear tires that oversteer was just a right foot press away.

Kind of hard to say in the E53 bc I did both front and rear at the same time. Also, the 315's on the rear pretty much take out the oversteer. XDrive plays a part as well. It's not as quick as physics, but it will catch a good oversteer.

On a top heavy car like the E53- *especially* the facelifts with those huge, heavy sunroofs- the thing I noticed is reduced body roll/sway. I had an early production '04 with a small sunroof and now have a late production with the larger one. BMW did performance no favors with the larger sunroofs.

I only have the stiffer rear bar at this time. IMO there is only slightly less understeer. Not a big difference. Turn in is a little better now (nice). And of course, body roll is reduced. Also a pleasant surprise is that the rear end does not give a harsher ride due to the bar. I can tell just a little increase in hits to bumps, but it is slight. THen again, I have those fairly squishy Pirelli tires on there.

So overall, the rear bar is mostly a win / win for both performance, and not ruining the ride qual.

You can buy the new ones (front or rear) in Europe, without problems. Let me know if you need help. Do you still have the old rear bar from your X5? If so, did you remove a 22 or 23.5 mm bar (the Eibach is 26 mm)?

I would think the order from Europe to Oregon, US would be pretty expensive shipping due to the weight and odd size of the package.

I can't remember the size removed. Its the stock bar.

Thanks

I have one. It's in use at the moment. How much you wanna pay?

Epdarks, are you offering an Eibach front bar for Turnaround or a factory 23.5 mm rear bar for Gregory891 (myself)?

I have both front and rear Eibach sway bars. If someone wanted to trade me for both factory bars + cash, I would consider it.

I'm just needing the front Eibach bar. Plus, I'll need to keep both of my old factory bars in case I switch up to 20" wheels some day, and can find some stiff tires. Would you want to sell just the front (with Eibach bushings)?

I'm upgrading the bars because I have non-sport springs & shocks, and my current Pirellis are quite squishy. Getting a bit of the 'mini van' body roll.

Also, I received a separate e-mail from someone who might want to sell me the front bar. They said 'kit'. Looking for just the front. Currently checking in with them as well.

Also, for everyone; Just checked today and suddenly ECS Tuning is now selling a new replacement front bar from Whiteline. Formerly, recently, their site had removed the Eibach front bar because of they can no longer get them from Eibach in Germany (pulled from the US market). Haven't heard anything about this Whiteline bar. Front sells for $254. Its also a 34mm just like the Eibach.

Epdarks, I guess you want to convert your X5 back to stock bars. I'm in Europe and would be interested in the rear Eibach bar. Would you have the bushings and the certification paper from Eibach (required for chassis parts in Europe)? I have the stock (I need to see if mine is the 22 or 23.5 mm) rear bar. I'd prefer not to down my car in the process but can find you one. What year & engine X5 do you have? Chassis number (last 7 digits is fine) is best.

Guys, my apologies. My project is 'off'. I should have checked this up front; I just called my indi mechanic today to get a price on installation. I knew the front was a little more complicated than the rear, but the quote was $295 in labor to replace the front bar. That's roughly $480 something to do this upgrade. But that's not good economics for me. I'm better off going to sport shocks and springs when these non-sports wear out. Or, investing in 20" rims and convert the 19" rims to snow wheels. If I go to 20" I can get step it up to real performance tires; Dunlop SP Sport Maxx.

I was hoping the front bar would be an economical way to cancel body roll and keep the non-sport springs / shocks. I think I'll save my coin.

But, on the better front, it sounds like this post might have allowed some of you to connect on a bar deal. Best wishes, and thanks for the replies.

- R

Reduce body roll
 

If you want to reduce body roll, sway bars are the first step. You should do the front bar and THEN only consider your shock / spring alternatives next. lowering the suspension will also reduce roll as you'll lower the center of gravity of the vehicle but with the associated needs for alignment and more negative camber (great for handling but will wear tires in a special way). 19" rims are already quite "mean" for an X5 and will stick nicely. 20" are cool, but you're going to enter another stage in tire pricing :(

Don't know if you car for your car yourself. Replacing the rear bar is easy (I know you've already done this), no major removals. Front involves removing the front pan for access, the rest depends on your engine (V-8 are more complicated than the I-6).

Depending on your shocks and mileage, I'd look at the B6 Bilstein (I am going down this path) and the front Eibach bar. In fact if you do the front Eibach bar at the same take as front shocks, you should be able to get a combo price from your mechanic. Rear shocks are something you can do in your driveway, no spring compressor needed.

Good luck, Greg