i have heard that on fc's with harder spring rates (mine are 7 and 5, front and rear respectively), it is best to remove the rear sway bar to allow the suspension more freedom and for better grip. is this true? thanks for the help.

 

It depends on a lot of things: tire size, front sway bar, intended use, alignment, weight distrobution, and so on. I've got those rates with an RB front and stock rear bar and it's just slightly understeery, but only slightly. An alignment change could make it neutral.