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Upgrade sway bar or just be content
- Thread starter abrahamfh
- Start date
AzPete
Well-Known Member
"abrahamfh" said:
yep....
Opentracker
Active Member
"AzPete" said:
+1 . . . you would notice it the first time you turned the steering wheel.
Grabber70Mach
Well-Known Member
:kneel +2"Opentracker" said:
Fast68back
Guest
Ask the new wife.....
Opentracker
Active Member
"abrahamfh" said:
( 1 ) -
I would get a 1" bar from M+ with poly end links and frame bushings
( 2 ) -
No . . . . the sway bar won't be in the way of the oil pan
OR
No . . . the oil pan won't be in the way of the sway bar
Shaun
Member
I would go with a 1-1/8" bar for an open track car. I noticed a lot less body roll when switching up to the 1-1/8".
1" bar:
1-1/8" bar:
Not exactly the same spot on the same corner but you get the idea.
1" bar:
1-1/8" bar:
Not exactly the same spot on the same corner but you get the idea.
Last edited by a moderator:
A
Anonymous
Guest
Before you start throwing parts at it, take some time to decide what you will using the car for and then axe lots of questions geared towards that end. John and Shaun can really help for those things.
Shaun types faster than me......
1 1/8" bar in the pic below.
Shaun types faster than me......
1 1/8" bar in the pic below.
monkeystash
Active Member
"Shaun" said:
What rate front springs are those Shaun?
Mark?
"silverblueBP" said:
Still have a little ways to go before I start doing that, but I figured I should start collecting some knowledge and doing research on what to start saving up for when the time comes.
My plan for Fred has been for a occasional fun street car with enough balls to have some fun on the track.
Jonk67
Well-Known Member
What's the difference (pro/con) on a street car for a 1" vs. a 1 1/8" bar running a sbf?
And as Ryan asked, what springs are Shaun & Marks car running?
Jon
And as Ryan asked, what springs are Shaun & Marks car running?
Jon
A
Anonymous
Guest
I'm running 620 front springs that actually pan out at around 560lbs. The rears are supposedly 175lbs.
daveSanborn
Active Member
The 1.125" sway bar IMO is too much for an "occasional fun street car". If I were you I'd go with the 1" bar.
mustangstofear
Active Member
If you are not upgrading the entire front end, the 1 in inch would be a better choice. Rich.
pprince
5F09C332634
The first thing I did to my Mustang 20 years ago was to put in a 1" sway bar. It made a night and day difference.
Shaun
Member
The size of the bar won't make the front end ride stiffer down the road, springs/shocks do that. A larger bar will reduce body roll and improve turn in feel/speed.
If memory serves me correct, the first pic with the 1" bar I was using 560lb springs on a conventional control arm setup (can't remember if it was during our tubular testing or with modified stock stuff), the second picture is during testing of our coil over with 450lb springs because of the better motion ratio. If you back calculate the 450lb to the old motion ration the result is pretty much the same.
If memory serves me correct, the first pic with the 1" bar I was using 560lb springs on a conventional control arm setup (can't remember if it was during our tubular testing or with modified stock stuff), the second picture is during testing of our coil over with 450lb springs because of the better motion ratio. If you back calculate the 450lb to the old motion ration the result is pretty much the same.
Shaun, how is it that a larger bar won't increase front end stiffness in street driving? A sway bar ties the front wheels together, so when you hit a bump/dip with one wheel, the sway bar adds to the spring/shock resistance because the other wheel is essentially trying to pull it back to a neutral location. The larger the bar, the more tightly the wheels are held together. Obviously this doesn't happen if the road is perfectly flat and both wheels are moving in the same direction, but city streets are almost never that flat, especially around here.
I noticed a mild increase in front end stiffness when I moved from a 5/8" bar to a 15/16" bar with stock springs and Gas-A-Justs.
I noticed a mild increase in front end stiffness when I moved from a 5/8" bar to a 15/16" bar with stock springs and Gas-A-Justs.
daveSanborn
Active Member
I'd like to see Shaun's answer, but my guess is.... the larger bar (1.25") would increase stiffness, but when compared to a 1" bar during "street" driving the difference wouldn't be noticable.
Your comparison of the 5/8ths bar (stock) to a 15/16ths bar is a "night and day" difference. Upgrading from the 1" to the 1.25" the difference would really only be noticable during agressive driving.
From my experience, the 1.25" bar is WAY TOO agressive for normal daily driven cars. It prevents the suspension from easy articulation and transmits too much "road feel" to the chassis resulting in a "harsh" ride.
Shaun
Member
"daveSanborn" said:
Dave,
You are probably right for a 100% street car. I was writing from the point of view of a street/open track car as I think that was the OP plan. A bigger bar will transmit more feed back on uneven street roads where the wheels are not hitting the same bump at the same time like a speed bump when both sides rotate up/down simultaneously, but the decrease in body roll and sharper turn in is welcomed on the track (and the street for me). As with all dual purpose cars there are compromises.
When I switched bars I can't say I noticed any increase in ride harshness but I sure noticed the sharper turn in on the street and track and less roll on the track.
Its all a tuning device anyway, a 1" or 1-1/8" bar is going to be a heck of a lot better than stock!