STILLEN is proud to announce the launch of the Nissan Altima rear sway bar. This rear sway bar has gone through extensive R&D and testing to eliminate the common Nissan Altima rear sway bar defect. Due to many complaints from customers and vehicle owners, STILLEN decided to take a very close look into the design of the factory 2007 to 2013 Nissan Altima rear sway bar. In doing so, our engineers discovered that the cause of the failures is the design of the bar and the way the leverage is applied to the bar.
Finding the Nissan Altima Sway Bar Design flaw
The first thing the STILLEN engineers did was examine the entire suspension of the Altima rear end. To do so, we started by removing the driver side rear spring. This allows us to put a jack underneath the rear of that control arm and compress the rear suspension. By doing so, this simulates the cars suspension travel and shows the engineers what the rear suspension and most importantly the rear sway bar goes through during a full cycle.
Factory Nissan Altima Sway Bar Broken Due to Poor Design
Right away our engineers could see the problem. Due to the design of the sway bar, the suspension is not actually twisting the bar. Instead, as the suspension compresses up into the wheel well the sway bar actually bends at the middle rather than twist like it should. Illustrated in the pictures below, you can see what our engineers saw. To start with this is what the sway bar looks like when both corners are at “full droop.” This means there is no load applied to either corner and the sway bar is “at rest.” In these images we have included a straight edge to better illustrate exactly what we’re talking about.
Factory sway bar at rest:
Nissan Altima Stock Sway Bar – Normal
Here is an image of the factory sway bar with one corner compressed:
Altima Coupe Sway Bar with Driver Side Rear Suspension Raised
Not only was the sway bar not twisting properly but the factory rubber bushings were also deflecting in a manner they shouldn’t be.
Nissan Altima Stock Bushings
Fixing the Problem
To remedy the situation our engineers started by throwing out the factory design of the 2007 Nissan Altima sway bar altogether. After looking at the design of the bar, it was easy to see that the angle of the sway bar from the end link to the middle of the bar is simply insufficient and does not actually allow the bar to twist.
STILLEN Sway Bar vs. Factory Sway Bar
When looking at the factory sway bar compared to the STILLEN sway bar you can quickly see the entire design is different. By adding the additional bends in precise locations the sway bar now applies the torsional load from the suspension travel to the center of the sway bar in a twisting fashion as opposed to a leveraging angle. During the testing the STILLEN engineers performed the same test on the STILLEN sway bar as the factory sway bar. Here are the results:
STILLEN sway bar at rest:
STILLEN sway bar with one corner compressed:
STILLEN Nissan Altima Sway Bar with Driver Side Rear Suspension Raised
STILLEN sway bar with one corner compressed, stock bushing very little deflection:
Due to the new end link mounting angle of the sway bar our engineers were uncomfortable re-using the factory end links as the angles did not match in a satisfactory position. Because of this STILLEN’s engineers designed new end links for the Nissan Altima, utilizing high durometer urethane couplers with high tensile strength steel hardware finished with a black powdercoating to protect from road debris and corrosion.
STILLEN Nissan Altima Sway Bar and End Links
More Reasons Why You Should Upgrade To A STILLEN Altima Sway Bar
The STILLEN sway bar is more than a Nissan Altima replacement sway bar. By upgrading to STILLEN’s performance sway bar, you not only get a higher quality, better designed sway bar, but you also get to enjoy better handling it brings. Here are a few of the other benefits you can enjoy:
- Better Handling – This sway bar is designed to handle comfortably on the street, while also making your Altima more fun to drive.
- Warranty – Buy with confidence knowing that you are getting a genuine STILLEN sway bar that is made with the highest quality materials and comes with a manufacturer’s 1 year limited warranty.
- Made in the USA – know that you are supporting American workers when you purchase STILLEN parts. For each STILLEN part, we make every effort possible to ensure that it is designed and manufactured in the US.
STILLEN 304236 – 2007-2013 Nissan Altima Sway Bar (Fits 2007-2013 Coupe or 2007-2012 Sedan)
Next Steps
If you have any questions about the STILLEN replacement sway bar for Nissan Altima Coupe or Sedan, please contact us at 866-250-5542 and we will be happy to answer any questions or other Nissan Altima performance parts you may be considering like exhausts, air intakes, and more!
