Hey, DML!
<snip> Woah...back the truck up. You're telling me the sway bars on my '03
QC
Sport+ are *hollow*?<snip>
I really hate to make a statement, then hafta duck & run for cover, but I
disagree with the Status Quo...
Tubing (hollow rod, if you will) is actually stronger than solid bar. I know
it sounds absurd, but think
about it....A solid bar has one surface - the outside diameter (OD). With
enough strain, this surface will bend
or torque, & if it's pushed past its elastic limit, it will deform and may
or may not be able to be cold-press
straightened. If it can be straightened, it will not be as strong as the
original material.
Tubing, on the other hand, has TWO surfaces to strengthen it..An OD AND an
Inside Diameter (ID). It is
inherently stronger than a solid bar OF THE SAME MATERIAL...Granted, with
enough strain, it WILL deform,
but it'll take more to do it than the to deform the solid bar, & small
deformations CAN be cold-pressed back, as long
as the deformation doesn't cause the tubing to "kink."
So... if you're talking about a good alloy steel (Cold-forged or Hot Drawn
4340, 4140, 4130, 8620 etc,) go for the tubing.
Now if the tubing used on the Gen III DAKs is really thin-walled, say under
1/8" wall, it IS doo-doo, but if I hadda replace it, I would not hesitate to
use tubing...
I'm done...
Bob Smith (DAKSY2K on AIM)
(Hah! ya missed me!)
Averill Park, NY
2K DAK SY CC Sport + V6 4X4 5 Speed
WebPage URL: http://home.nycap.rr.com/daksy/
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