fstrnyou

I drive an 88 TII with everything stock but the motor and wider tires.

I have 225/40 in front and 245/40 in rear on stock rims. there were several times today that i had comments about the amount of body roll my car was experiencing. It didn't feel that bad and i know my suspension is pretty tight, but the never ending comments started bugging me. All i can figure is that with the wider tires yielding more traction, the suspension is forced to do more work than it was designed to do. I don't want to lower my car any because these cars already come pretty low and i scrape my muffler at times. So, maybe i need bigger sway bars. I know of a few companies that sell sway bars for my car but I don't want to half-*** it. I want the best money can buy. Maybe even adjustable ones. Can anyone shed some light on a solution?

zmarko

I'm no FC pro, but how wide are the rims? It's possible your tire size might be a tad bit too wide (rears at least) for the rim. Thus creating a "bubble" effect and actual less rigidity in the sidewall.

adam c

iTrader: (2)

Stiffer sway bars will help eliminate body roll, which should help your handling.

fstrnyou

well, i'm really interested in getting new sway bars but the companies are very vague in the description. they give you the OD of their bars but i'm curious if all the companies use the same material in making sway bars. cause if different companies use different materials, then telling me the OD is pointless.

-------------Front------Rear
RB----------1.125-----.625
MazdaSpd1.063-----.622
Sus.Techni1.062-----.750

anyhow, i'm sure there's more. look at how suspension techniques rear sway bar is way larger than the rest.

BDoty311

I'm guessing that your shocks/springs are in good shape? You might want to check that out. Bushings aswell.

More traction will add more roll, because your tires won't lose grip as much, like you already said.

fstrnyou

every part of the suspension is probably original. but the springs and shocks are fine, or seem to be fine. it rides great. i've been wanting to get the bushings replaced for some time now.

OC_

if you have OE shocks, they are worn.
All a roll bar does it transfer the cornering load to the inside wheels. The problem with this is that it also transfers road irregularities too, so its easier to upset the car. There was a artical in grass roots motorsport a while back that talked about setting up an FC for race duty, and they recomended not even running a rear roll bar. But thats for hard core racing, and they run really high spring rates to counter the lack of a roll bar. Just some food for thought.

I think the best route for you since it sounds like you drive your car on the street is to get some nice after market springs and shocks. since the oe FC shocks just suck, and the spring rates really low. Roll bars are just a part of the system; and if you get them now, you would be building upon a weak foundation.

turboand

^^^^^^^^^

sounds about right, roll bars only account for about 15% of the handling package, O.E. shocks/springs are for everday roads and cruising, the difference to a tailored coilover package is incredible

fstrnyou

yeah, i remember with my last car (85 camaro) i went from the largest originally available sway bar set to the next level down which was only a 2mm diff in front and 2mm(i think) diff in rear the the car seemed to corner about the same but the ride quality was way better as far as hitting bumps. but i had eibach sportlines and AGX shocks on it too.

i can't imagine the front springs needing to be any stiffer. i can hardly budge it when i push on the front fender and i'm 210lbs.

and i was advised by an SE-R driver not to get coilovers and go with pro-kit springs and a good shock (he suggested koni's). i've had my eye on Tien coilovers for quite some time, but just don't have the money for it.

OC_

pushing on a car is no way to determine if the spring rates need to be raised or lowered. Trust me, just have someone film you going around your auto-x, upon review, you will see you car rolling everywhere and your outside tires going into horrid traction losing negative camber.

I think any of the coilover packages are going to be too stiff for you, specially if you think the car is firm now. Getting ibach's or H&R's along with camber plates and some good shocks like the konis (which btw, is much better then the AGX shocks) would probably be best for you.

Juan

iTrader: (28)

Depending on the springs you get, your car may actually raise a little or stay the same height since the stock springs are old. Im sure your suspension is tired and cant keep up anymore. I had Eibach springs with KYB AGX shocks on my turboII and the ride was comfortable even on the stiffest setting. My brother has RE-Amemiya shocks/springs combo on his turboII and always has them on the stiffest setting. The car handles very nicely and doesnt have much body roll.

Like OC_ said, coilovers may be too stiff for you if you think your stock suspension is stiff. Just to give you an example, I had Tokico Illuminas and H&R springs on my FD. The ride was smooth on the softest setting. I upgraded to coilovers and on the softest setting, they feel like setting number 4 (5 being stiffest) on the Illuminas. The handling was greatly improved but the ride was a bit stiffer around town.