Guest LGT-NY Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Dammit!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatbastard Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 OK...so here is the update. Sunday my brother in law and I pulled the broken front Cobb bar and installed the stock bar. I forgot how much of a PITA it is, especially since all the bolts are so corroded from liberal use of salt here in the winter. Anyway, I have been in touch with Cobb and they have been super helpful. They have asked I return the bar to them so they can investigate the failure further with their supplier. But the good news is I think this was a complete fluke and was just a bar that had a defect, not a poorly designed bar. When we got the bar off and we took it outside for a closer look we immediately noticed corrosion on one part of the break. It appears as if the bar may have had a defect from day one and has been corroding for the last year and a half. On either side of the corroded area the break is very bright indicating it was a rapid crack propegation. Directly opposite the corrosion is a dull band, where teh bar was flexed over and over until it failed. So I think what happened was the initial defect allowed continued weakening of the bar; then when the bar was loaded it snapped causing the popping sound and the bright cracks. Then as I drove further through the day the remaining section of bar continued to flex until it finally cracked off. This is likely why it didn't fall off for 60 miles. As can be seen in the first thre pictures there is a fair amount of corrosion and some paint embedded. In next three pictures you can see the bright fractured area and you'll see the fracture lines are curved which is likely do to the torsion load on the bar. The next picture shows part of the dull area between the bright "quick" fail sections and these fracture lines are not present. The last photo is from the other side that indicated a quick failure, again the fracture lines are curved. Honestly this makes me feel much better about putting a Cobb bar back on the front. Any part can fail and I think this failure was a total fluke. Cobb has been very helpful thoughout this process. Because of their support I wouldn't hesitate to buy their products in the future...though I will likely wait to do an install until it gets warmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindspin311 Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Not to say I told you so... but Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatbastard Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 Sorry but no engineer or anyone who cares about their safety would blindly write off a failure like this and throw caution to the wind and install another one without some proof it is OK. If we were talking about a bar that was installed by the factory and was on literally thousands of cars I would agree with it being and outlier, but the fact is there aren't that many of these in the field and I would suspect the total # miles driven on them is very low. Since the sample is small even one failure should not be ignored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleeper8406 Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Im interested to see what cobbs findings on this will be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeeeeeYa Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Sorry but no engineer or anyone who cares about their safety would blindly write off a failure like this and throw caution to the wind and install another one without some proof it is OK. If we were talking about a bar that was installed by the factory and was on literally thousands of cars I would agree with it being and outlier, but the fact is there aren't that many of these in the field and I would suspect the total # miles driven on them is very low. Since the sample is small even one failure should not be ignored. ^^ ++++++++++++ Further: Honestly this makes me feel much better about putting a Cobb bar back on the front. Any part can fail and I think this failure was a total fluke. Cobb has been very helpful thoughout this process. Because of their support I wouldn't hesitate to buy their products in the future...though I will likely wait to do an install until it gets warmer. In a lifetime I have never heard of an anvil failing. Nor have I EVER heard of ANY factory swaybar breaking. However, I have read about the continuing failure of Cobb's heatshields since they came out. Someone doesn't understand a few things at Cobb. And no-cost replacement heatshields are one thing, nobody can get killed by that. But let a swaybar break at the wrong place and time.......... A responsible response, IMO, would have been for Cobb to bend over backwards here, providing prepaid shipping provisions for the return of the failed bar at the same time they had a new swaybar on the way at zero cost, and instructions for the customer to be cautious until they came forward with a fullly disclosed engineering analysis. I won't get into my own displeasure with Cobb and their response to a faulty product. OP, rationalizing a direct replacement just because it is "cheaper than" may not be the best choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j0ebert Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Sway bars do break. I'm not saying it's common or should be expected but it happens... http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/94-95-tech/23833-broken-sway-bar-help.html http://forums.stangnet.com/743209-rear-sway-bar-broke.html http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=215603 http://my.is/forums/f89/broken-rear-hotchkis-sways-271716/ http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1645989 http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3744400 The list goes on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBad Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Looks like most of the failures involve hollow core bar designs. I have cusco bars which are solid and rather unlikely they would break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeeeeeYa Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I started going through those and found what I found when I Googled it before my post.... they're almost all aftermarket bars or end link gripes. And what I said about Cobb goes for those manufacturers as well. One of the links wasn't even about a broken bar..... Find me a long list of STOCK swaybars broken in normal use. Actually, find a short list. Note that I said "factory" as in STOCK, not swaybar in general. Obviously they break, that's what this thread is about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeFromPA Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I chose the hollow design for it's lower weight and the nice Cobb setup. All the complaints (outside of this thread) about the Cobb sway set has been due to broken endlinks, improper installation (including my own), or worn out bushings. Pretty much everyone I has read about has been happy with the reduction in body roll and associated benefits. I say this because after reading this whole thread and realizing that, hey, maybe I didn't know about the slightly greater risk of sway bar breaking when I picked the hollow design, I reassure myself that the failure rate is still extremely low If 5-6 more of these pop-up within the next 12-18 months, I'll begin worrying. OP - Yet again, thanks for a great write-up and associated pictures. This is a serious topic and you really were beneficial to the forum as a whole. Joe P.s. http://luxton.blogware.com/0706/whitekitten.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeeeeeYa Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Some contextual, and seriose , reading: http://www.turnfast.com/tech_handling/handling_antiroll http://books.google.com/books?id=kyCWHRmf3OQC&pg=PA172&lpg=PA172&dq=balancing+anti+roll+bars+and+independent+suspension&source=web&ots=bluCNsUq98&sig=Eatzvn7fvNiV72B3f6ImyE3b5-A&hl=en&ei=Dj2MSZHSAuHAtgf8m8GkCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result#PPA172,M1 http://en.lfsmanual.net/wiki/Advanced_Setup_Guide http://eaglewoman.rscsites.org/gpl/grehelp/dynamics.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsme Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 who else makes sway bars for our car that are good? This is the 2nd time I've seen disturbing things about the cobb sways. No problem with my whiteline f&r adj. sway for over 2 years. Racer X FMIC for '05-'09 LGTs, '08+ WRX and '10+ LGT,'14+ FXT, and '15+ WRX TMIC Racerxengineering.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grmorrow04 Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Find me a long list of STOCK swaybars broken in normal use. Actually, find a short list. I don't want to stir any pots, but 99% of GM's W-bodys from 1997-2003 (possibly longer years) have issues with the front swaybar breaking. I know this pertains to the Grand Prix's, but it more than likely stems out to the Buick Regals and Chevy Impalas since they use the same suspension setup. The factory bars are hollow, and have a tendancy to break at the endlink attachment points. I caught the one on my wife's car before anything happened, but it was still broken... not as bad as this image shows, but essentially the top portion of the swaybar's outer edge separated from the rest of the bar. The lower section was still attached. http://www.jbarbieri.net/crap/crap4.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightmareH4 Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I have to say i love my cobb sway bars... but i have noticed a pretty good amount of rust springing up around the same area yours broke. ill have to keep my eye on it. its not as bad as yours but there is rust. Q:Are the stock sway bars hollow or solid? anyone know, im just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatbastard Posted February 8, 2009 Author Share Posted February 8, 2009 Stock bars are solid and just to clarify the pics I posted were rust on the break....while there was some rust on the bar where it twists in the bushing there was minimal rust on the outside of the bar where it broke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightmareH4 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Bamn i just cheaked mine and its ******* broken in half! son of a bitch! **** so did they cover yours mine is a year old maybe a bit more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightmareH4 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 oh wow i guess you cant say the f word Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KartRacerBoy Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Yes you can. You just need to know how. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatbastard Posted February 11, 2009 Author Share Posted February 11, 2009 Bamn i just cheaked mine and its ******* broken in half! son of a bitch! **** so did they cover yours mine is a year old maybe a bit more. Front or rear? When you get it off see if you have uneven corrosion on the broken parts. Wow...I hope this is just a bad batch or something. Sending you a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BajanGT Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 And then there were three: I've had the complete Cobb setup on my 2005.5 car since early 2007. The front antiroll bar snapped a couple of weekends ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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