Anti Roll Bars

[TurnpikeBoy]

<img src=images/icon_speech_ok.gif border=0 width=17 height=15 alt=Insert Speech Icon: OK>, who's got experience with the rear bar installed? Also - anybody find any advantage in a larger front bar?

Still working on suspension settings; have gone to Koni's on all corners but still finding too much roll on (faster) corners. I'm aware that rear bars commonly lend themselves to more understeer. I think I can get rid of most of the roll with more spring rate in front but this will pretty quickly get into teeth-loosening territory. And my navigator will express her displeasure quickly about this.

So. Who's got the story?

Yeehah

[eliminator]

I am in the middle of changing over to Billstein Shocks on both the front and rear.
Never have been happy with the Carerra stuff[V].
I have the 3/4" anti-sway bar, front and rear. A sway bar is part torsion bar and sway bar so the bigger in diameter the stiffer the ride. The adjustment is critical, it must be even at static ride height both front and back.
What are your shock spec's front and rear:
Extended and Compressed?
I went to 350# 10" springs on the front
on the rear I am using 325# 8" springs.
Billstein folks are doing R&D on my suspension so we can get an upgraded suspension for those who would like the change. Hope to have everything installed by Pigeon Forge.
You know you can't have a soft ride and performance too.
Looking for the happy medium;).


Rick
#4279405

[TurnpikeBoy]

Don't have the shock L's in front of me, but certain that I have 10" 450lb/inch springs in the front and 10" 250lb/inch in the rear. Shocks are Koni 8216's (sgl adjustable). Ride is fairly good as set up now...but, as referenced, still too much body roll.

Do the Weavers have different size bars? - you refer to 3/4" f & r, and I think my front is about the same, but haven't measured it today so can't speak with authority. Don't have the rear bar - yet, anyway.

Not concerned at all with smooth ride; but sure do want this thing flatter in corners, especially in the front end.

(and by the way...#4279404!)

Yeehah

[eliminator]

Don't know about those 250#'s in the rear, awful soft. The rear sway bar will help, you definetly need one. There are two different dia. I know of, the 3/4" and other one that is 1" or 1 1/8", not sure. Are the Koni's a Mono Tube or Twin Tube shock?

Rick
#4279405

[K.Wilson]

I have purchased several anti-rollbars in the last 10 years. They are relatively inexpensive through the MGB sites (MOCA is the one I used)in the UK. I have a 9/16, 5/8, 3/4, 7/8, and 1 inch.
I have tried several combinations and the one I like best is the 7/8 front and 3/4 rear. The 1 inch front and the 3/4 rear felt good but it made the car loose in the rear in a down hill sharp turn. All of my observations are subjective as to how it "feels", don't know what the skid pad would tell.........

Keith

[Poorboy]

Unique uses the same bar front and rear. They might be able to order a differant size but do not stock any others.

[Tony Radford]

Rick, what will the shock change do for you? I have the Carerras on mine and I too would like to get some of the roll out when I'm motoring around a curve. I had planned on adding the rear anti sway bar. Chill put one on his and really likes the difference. Like he, I'm going to take my car to Robinson Performance to get the suspension tweaked in.

427SC, Torch Red / white stripes
427 Windsor Stroker from Southern Automotive
Delicious example of Beauty + Power.

[gasman]

Tony, please post your results, this area of deficency is my next task.

Rick, Are the Billsteins adjustable for ride height like the coil overs or is that accomplished with spring rate?

Steve Foushee
Unique #4279389

[ralphscott]

Roger I am running a 7/8 front 3/4 rear, carrera 350# front 325# rear. I don't know the spring lengths but I would guess they are the same as Rick's. It handles like a go cart. You may want to check the thread on ride height as that adjustment also effected/improved my handling.

Ralph

[TurnpikeBoy]

Rick, the 250# springs in rear might be a bit light - but traction is unmatched and ride is pretty good. Probably adds to the roll issue some - will find out as I progress and use other springs. With about 580# sprung wt. per rear wheel (and 2 shocks/side) they're not as light as you might think. Also I'm small-block powered...don't have to support so much iron;):D. The Koni's are twin tube, alloy body. Will look into the rear bar add....prior experience with these generally established big-time push in the front end without much influence on the rest of the handling realm.

Keith Wilson - thank you much! Will go looking for that site today; good to know that MGB bars will work here.

Ralph, no doubt ride ht. affects handling. Height here isn't the problem - car is down but not rubbing tires, but roll is pronounced. I probably need more spring F&R, but gonna go to a bigger bar first in an effort to make the chassis pick up the load. Since this car is used mostly on the road I do still want some wheel movement - hence, my resistance to upping spring rates first.

Yeehah

[eliminator]

The Bilstein's are coil over shocks, they are going to valve them for my car and put them on a shock Dyno for set up and change them around if needed until they are what I want. These are Mono-Tube shocks instead of Twin-Tube.
The front are ASN series, and the rear are SN series, both are Racer Rebuildable shocks.
www.bilstein.com

Rick
#4279405

[rdorman]

Increasing roll stiffness at the rear should reduce understeer (increase oversteer). Of course one of the Cobra issues has always been the track difference front to rear. Even though increased roll stiffness on the front should make understeer worse, some times it makes it better! Either way bars are cheap and if Unique uses the same bar front and rear and they are the MG bars you should be able to pick up a bunch of them in varying sizes used if you shop around.
Rick

[JerryBP]

With rear wheel independent suspension some body roll in a corner is needed to get the most out of the suspension geomerty, somewhat different than a solid rear axle, where flatter is better.

If you can get understeer going into the corner throttle off then apply a small amount of throttle and get neutralsteer and then go to oversteer as you apply more throttle then you have it about as good as you can get it, but this usually doesn't happen without some body roll.
Most front engine cars like the cobra usually work well with about 1/2 the lbs pr inch of deflection bar on the rear as the front.

Work in Progress, Unique 427-9429 400+hp 351C Tremec 3550-2 5spd Coal Black
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