.92 to 1.03 bars

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spl440

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Have a 67 Dart with .92 torsion bars. looking to upgrade to the PST 1.03 bars. Has anyone done this?
 
I used the 1.03's in my 70 Duster and just love them. So much so that I just ordered a pair for my 69 Road Runner.
 
Where you running .92 before installing the 1.03? if so how much difference was there?
 
I went from 0.87" to 1".
IMO A-bodies should've come stock from the factory with 1" bars. Definite improvement.
 
I went from the factory 340 892/3 to the 103 on my 63 with 360, rides like a brick but the corners are better.

Jake
 
The .92’s have a wheel rate of 150 lb/in, the 1.03’s have a rate of 230 lb/in. So that’s about a 53% increase in rate.

The key to using larger torsion bars is using shocks that are designed to be used with larger bars. Bilstein RCD’s, Hotchkis Fox’s, Vikings etc. Otherwise the ride quality will suffer, you have to match your bars and your shocks.

I agree with BigBlockMopar, I wouldn’t bother running anything less than 1” for a torsion bar. Heck I ran 1” bars in my Duster for awhile, they had a rate of about 200 lb/in and were still to soft for my liking. I have 1.12’s now, which have a rate of 300 lb/in. I run Hotchkis shocks with those. Not everyone’s cup of tea for sure, but I use my car as my daily too, so it sees plenty of time on the street with that combination.

The 1.03’s are used by tons of people, they’re a good balance of upgrading to more modern handling without compromising too much ride comfort. But you still need to match the shocks.
 
Have Bilstein's already, got rid of the KYB. Was looking for a little stiffer spring rate, sounds like the 1.03's are the way to go. A spirited daily driver , and I love to corner. I uess after the torsion bars, will be looking into the Bullitt 17 inch rims for the tires to match the new capabilities.
 
Bare with me on this.........Sky Jackers in the rear and stock KYB in front :/

Jake

And that’s why your ride quality sucks, not the torsion bars.

Have Bilstein's already, got rid of the KYB. Was looking for a little stiffer spring rate, sounds like the 1.03's are the way to go. A spirited daily driver , and I love to corner. I uess after the torsion bars, will be looking into the Bullitt 17 inch rims for the tires to match the new capabilities.

Sounds like the next logical step!
 
And that’s why your ride quality sucks, not the torsion bars.



Sounds like the next logical step!
Obviously. Thanks for the heads up. I said that knowing exactly why it’s a brick. :)
 
Obviously. Thanks for the heads up. I said that knowing exactly why it’s a brick. :)

Right, but by not explaining that in your other post you gave the impression that the torsion bars are the problem, when in fact the reason your car rides like a brick is your shocks.
 
I recently put the PST 1.03 bars in my 68 smallblock Dart and it’s one of the best things I’ve done to my car. Just gives a firmer feel all around, but not harsh.

Not sure what size the old bars were, but the were from a 71 A-body with V8 and a/c. They were probably the .87 bars
 
Right, but by not explaining that in your other post you gave the impression that the torsion bars are the problem, when in fact the reason your car rides like a brick is your shocks.
I expected that to be a given for most people reading but I was a bit misleading to the guy asking for opinions.

Jake
 
Have a 67 Dart with .92 torsion bars. looking to upgrade to the PST 1.03 bars. Has anyone done this?

I have a set of the 1.03's but I havent installed them yet, and after thinking about it, I may not because they wont give as good weight transfer on launch. I have actually been thinking of stepping down in size to the /6 torsion bars.
 
I have a set of the 1.03's but I havent installed them yet, and after thinking about it, I may not because they wont give as good weight transfer on launch. I have actually been thinking of stepping down in size to the /6 torsion bars.

Too bad you weren't closer. I have a set of .890 coming out of the car looking to put in 1.03's We could have possibly made something work.
 
Have Bilstein's already, got rid of the KYB. Was looking for a little stiffer spring rate, sounds like the 1.03's are the way to go. A spirited daily driver , and I love to corner. I uess after the torsion bars, will be looking into the Bullitt 17 inch rims for the tires to match the new capabilities.

I would step right up to 1.06 for real spirited streetdriving.
My driving style can be called 'spirited' but for everyday 'easy' driving, the 1" bars I have are very suitable. But for spirited cornering I'm sure I would def. like a step or 2 better bars.
It definitly helps I can tune the shocks to be firmer which helps keeping the car more level in the corners. But that does only 'so much'.
 
I went from 0.92 to 1.06 and also went to the Fox/Hotchkis non-adjustable shocks. Rides about like a 2011 Mustang GT and handles quite well.
 
What's the diff between a KYB and a Bilstein? I always see the KYB diss but dont know what the difference is.
 
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