I still use the sway bars on the car, I honestly have not thought about them much since they went on the car. The do seem to help with body roll though, not a ton, but enough to help the car stay on the wheels a little better. Plus I assume they are working at least a little since the mount for the sway bar on the front A arm snapped off a little while back. :ror:
I would not call them a mandatory upgrade by any means, but if you are like me and like to tinker, tune and modify it is something to consider after all the more functional upgrades go on the car.
As for the other questions:
1. Personally I have not tried it yet... I heard rumor one of the local guys has it, but I have not seen anything yet. For me the biggest concern is how high the front end is going to be raised and considering my bodies all ride within an 1/8th inch of the front shock tower I can't see it looking too hot.
2. That sir is a rare body, I have seen them but never owned one. I imagine it would fit though... but having never fitted one to this platform I can't be 100% certain. The motor on the XV01 rides pretty low and I really don't see that as a concern, worst case scenario would be some heavy bumper trimming, but I doubt even that would be needed.
Hope that helps.
"thumbsup"