rear sway bar recommendations

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'Staggered Wheels' is totally different than 'Tire Stagger', so you need to use the Proper Terminology for what you are trying to say, which you've pointed out to others yourself, on other subjects!

And I already knew the difference!

Con of Staggered Wheels; spare doesn't fit both ends of car. Bad on long trips.
Not at all true. We had staggered wheels/tires on our old 2004 BMW 330ci convertible with the optional sport suspension. BUT, both front and rear tires were the SAME diameter and the car came with a donut spare, which we had to use one time when a pothole blew a hole in the inside sidewall on the right front. I forget the width of the wheels and the exact size of the tires, though. They were 18" wheels.
 
I have tons of road course laps so may I comment? :poke:
Firm feel bars are the best choice and will provide a good handling balance to the car. While i prefer adjustable shocks bilsteins are the next best choice. As every car is different the bars need to be tuned or set up for the car. If all is well this is easily accomplished by using a combination of soft and hard bushings and adjusting the tension settings on the rear bar. No staggered tires sizes either! Get out of the 60's. All street cars including land yachts do benefit from a front & rear sway bar. High hp cars handle spinning tires well having both ends tied down with sway bars. Street driving is much closer to the road course than it to the autocross course. Exit and entrance ramps are good places to test but make sure there is room to spin out just in case... Having spent so much time going really fast on the road course in both reinforced and unreinforced unbodies i find autocross boring and slow. The unreinforced car did not fold up even at 150 mph Banzaii!
 
Any mount thru the frame rails needs a piece of tubing( ID bolt sized)clear thru the frame rail & welded to frame rail. Heavier plate only might cause lighter rail sheet metal to crack next to weld. Doing both(with lighter plate) probably best to spread the load.
I'll believe it when I see it. I think with a smaller piece of plate, you're spot on. I went with overkill plates the same width as the frame rail and about 6" long.
 
Not at all true. We had staggered wheels/tires on our old 2004 BMW 330ci convertible with the optional sport suspension. BUT, both front and rear tires were the SAME diameter and the car came with a donut spare, which we had to use one time when a pothole blew a hole in the inside sidewall on the right front. I forget the width of the wheels and the exact size of the tires, though. They were 18" wheels.
That's why when I run staggered wheels and tires, or just staggered tires, I choose two sizes as close to the same diameter as possible. I've recommended here a lot, only to get scoffed at, run over and buried. So I just shut up now. lol
 
Not at all true. We had staggered wheels/tires on our old 2004 BMW 330ci convertible with the optional sport suspension. BUT, both front and rear tires were the SAME diameter and the car came with a donut spare, which we had to use one time when a pothole blew a hole in the inside sidewall on the right front. I forget the width of the wheels and the exact size of the tires, though. They were 18" wheels.
A thoughtful compromise for a production car, and I hadn't heard of it before, Thanks.
 
A thoughtful compromise for a production car, and I hadn't heard of it before, Thanks.
Because 14" wheels are drying up, (thanks Wheel Vintiques) I have a set of five 14x5.5" small bolt pattern wheels. I'm just gonna run 215 70 14s all around.
 
Because 14" wheels are drying up, (thanks Wheel Vintiques) I have a set of five 14x5.5" small bolt pattern wheels. I'm just gonna run 215 70 14s all around.
My 65 Barracuda still has old bias-ply on 13" rims on it, but years ago got 4 chrome reverse 14" SBP from the wheel guy when I still lived in Indy. And he brought them to me, no shipping, as he was was coming to town for some reason. I had them blasted & black powder coated & have Falken tires on them.
It's been sitting for years & tires are probably past date now, but around town they'll be fine.
I picked that particular Falken tire size because they're very close to 13" tires in height, so speedo will still be close.
 
I also have a pair of 14'' 5.5 I bought for a friends 68 Barracuda & he never picked them up & sold the car & bought a 928S!
He already had a parts car, so I kinda understand.
I'll used the 5.5 as a spare wheel. The chrome reverse are 6" wide IIRC.
 

I have tons of road course laps so may I comment? :poke:
Firm feel bars are the best choice and will provide a good handling balance to the car. While i prefer adjustable shocks bilsteins are the next best choice. As every car is different the bars need to be tuned or set up for the car. If all is well this is easily accomplished by using a combination of soft and hard bushings and adjusting the tension settings on the rear bar. No staggered tires sizes either! Get out of the 60's. All street cars including land yachts do benefit from a front & rear sway bar. High hp cars handle spinning tires well having both ends tied down with sway bars. Street driving is much closer to the road course than it to the autocross course. Exit and entrance ramps are good places to test but make sure there is room to spin out just in case... Having spent so much time going really fast on the road course in both reinforced and unreinforced unbodies i find autocross boring and slow. The unreinforced car did not fold up even at 150 mph Banzaii!

Firm feel makes good stuff for sure, but I’d still have to say “best” depends on the application. Their rear bar being frame hung can certain be an advantage, but obviously it’s not the only consideration.

Honestly having done track days and AutoX I’ve always found that despite the slower speeds AutoX requires far more concentration just because there’s never any downtime if you’re doing it right. You’re always in a corner or coming out of one and preparing for the next. On long courses your speed is usually limited by your car, not the track, so on straight aways or even long corners you’re not necessarily doing all that much. Hell even F1 drivers change their set ups, talk to their team etc when they’re on long straights, even at 200+ mph they’ve got time for other things. On an AutoX course you’re always steering, accelerating, braking etc.
And on top of that, the Midgets lifting a wheel comment, was made as half joke half infomative for those that have never seen it. Sprint cars do it too!

Sure lots of cars do it. Old Porche’s are notorious for wheel jacking.

But lifting a wheel off the ground reduces your total traction. So it’s an undesirable effect, it just can’t always be tuned out. Especially in racing situations because your ability to get rid of it runs into class rules. Ideally you’d stiffen the chassis and try to control the lateral load shift better and keep that wheel on the ground.

Regardless if you’re not on a dirt oval and/or limited by a rulebook you have to follow to stay in a class it’s not the fastest way around a corner.

And again, since when is a dirt oval set up relevant for the street? Or AutoX? Gotta turn both ways.
 
Midgets indoors on pavement also lift LF, it can help them turn & transfers weight to help with forward bite.
Frame mounted sway bar is sprung weight & axle mounted is unsprung weight, which although seems a small amount, may be why they did it.
Referenced it because some with no racing experience want/like to know these things. And RR setups obviously work with weight transfer, so it's all knowledge.
 
I only comment when you guys keep stirring.
i didn't stir a damn thing, i've been going out of my way to avoid engaging with you and your nonsense. you're the one who's bringing people up in unprovoked attacks trying to goad them into a fight. frankly, it's not a good look and it never ends well.

i'm not gonna take strays from some know-nothing nobody that's hardly been here a year. keep my name out of your mouth unless it's lay praise to my awesome mechanical ability, unsurpassed intellect, cutting wit or dashing good looks.
 
i didn't stir a damn thing, i've been going out of my way to avoid engaging with you and your nonsense. you're the one who's bringing people up in unprovoked attacks trying to goad them into a fight. frankly, it's not a good look and it never ends well.

i'm not gonna take strays from some know-nothing nobody that's hardly been here a year. keep my name out of your mouth unless it's lay praise to my awesome mechanical ability, unsurpassed intellect, cutting wit or dashing good looks.
There you go again, just like I said.
And you're a last word guy I'll bet. Surprised it almost took you 6 hrs to continue.
 
I also have a pair of 14'' 5.5 I bought for a friends 68 Barracuda & he never picked them up & sold the car & bought a 928S!
He already had a parts car, so I kinda understand.
I'll used the 5.5 as a spare wheel. The chrome reverse are 6" wide IIRC.
Keep um cause they're goin for stupid money now.
 
There you go again, just like I said.
And you're a last word guy I'll bet. Surprised it almost took you 6 hrs to continue.
about what i expected in a response. uninspired, lazy and full of wrong assumptions.

stay gold, pony boy.
 
Have a 72 duster with 8 3/4 rear , what's the best sway bar recommendations for this car ?
1. Note that “sway bar” is kind of a slang term for an anti-roll bar, which is more descriptive of its function. I don’t really know what the term “sway” actually means, so pedantry aside:
2. Front sway bars transfer weight from the inside front tire to the outside front tire. Trying to lift the inside front tire also adds weight to the inside rear tire, this adds traction to a rear drive car that allows you to get on the power earlier when exiting a turn. Especially important when you do not have a limited slip.
3. Rear sway bars transfer weight from the inside rear tire to the outside rear tire. Trying to lift the inside rear tire also adds weight to the inside front tire, this adds traction to a front drive car that allows you to get on the power earlier when exiting a turn. (and reduces accelerative traction on a rear drive) Front drive cars can use huge rear bars that actually lift the inside rear tire off the ground.
4. Recommendations: Hellwig front bar because it is hollow. If cost is important, a solid Addco front bar can be used, but it is heavier. Addco rear bar is the best bang for the buck in the rear, but it does mount to the axle, increasing unsprung weight. If unsprung weight is important, then Firm Feel makes a rear bar that mounts to the chassis (double the $ though). It is best to have a limited slip in the rear before adding a rear bar to a Duster, but not strictly necessary.
 
about what i expected in a response. uninspired, lazy and full of wrong assumptions.

stay gold, pony
You must be one of the ones someone else was talking about about, that causes new members or visitors to tune out.
Well I'm not one of them. I'm here for the duration.
Now you're down to calling me names?
Get over yourself.
And it seems I've probably learned a few things from you , too. Nothing comes to mind, but it seems you know what you're talking about, but I've had to wade thru tons of blather just to pick out what you're referring to. It's gotten to where I just skip over if it's a bash fest, so I miss out on your knowledge then.
Find another whipping boy.
 
1. Note that “sway bar” is kind of a slang term for an anti-roll bar, which is more descriptive of its function. I don’t really know what the term “sway” actually means, so pedantry aside:
2. Front sway bars transfer weight from the inside front tire to the outside front tire. Trying to lift the inside front tire also adds weight to the inside rear tire, this adds traction to a rear drive car that allows you to get on the power earlier when exiting a turn. Especially important when you do not have a limited slip.
3. Rear sway bars transfer weight from the inside rear tire to the outside rear tire. Trying to lift the inside rear tire also adds weight to the inside front tire, this adds traction to a front drive car that allows you to get on the power earlier when exiting a turn. (and reduces accelerative traction on a rear drive) Front drive cars can use huge rear bars that actually lift the inside rear tire off the ground.
4. Recommendations: Hellwig front bar because it is hollow. If cost is important, a solid Addco front bar can be used, but it is heavier. Addco rear bar is the best bang for the buck in the rear, but it does mount to the axle, increasing unsprung weight. If unsprung weight is important, then Firm Feel makes a rear bar that mounts to the chassis (double the $ though). It is best to have a limited slip in the rear before adding a rear bar to a Duster, but not strictly necessary.
Yeah its got a sure-grip , and the Hellwig is out of stock right now on national back order
 
You must be one of the ones someone else was talking about about, that causes new members or visitors to tune out.
Well I'm not one of them. I'm here for the duration.
Now you're down to calling me names?
Get over yourself.
And it seems I've probably learned a few things from you , too. Nothing comes to mind, but it seems you know what you're talking about, but I've had to wade thru tons of blather just to pick out what you're referring to. It's gotten to where I just skip over if it's a bash fest, so I miss out on your knowledge then.
Find another whipping boy.
[redacted]
 
Because 14" wheels are drying up, (thanks Wheel Vintiques) I have a set of five 14x5.5" small bolt pattern wheels. I'm just gonna run 215 70 14s all around.

Ever since the first time we bought tires for Donna's GTS convertible we have run 215-70-14s and will again when I get it done. It's a good size, but good tires in that size are getting harder to find (I won't pay the price for T/As as they really are a poor quality tire for way too much money).
 
Ever since the first time we bought tires for Donna's GTS convertible we have run 215-70-14s and will again when I get it done. It's a good size, but good tires in that size are getting harder to find (I won't pay the price for T/As as they really are a poor quality tire for way too much money).
Yes they are. It would be so much different if they were the quality you pay for. They're not.
 
Ever since the first time we bought tires for Donna's GTS convertible we have run 215-70-14s and will again when I get it done. It's a good size, but good tires in that size are getting harder to find (I won't pay the price for T/As as they really are a poor quality tire for way too much money).
Have you seen these?
 
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