What Swaybar for 3rd gen upgrade?
 

I have tried on the suspension site to ask this question but no help so thought i would try here.
I have rubbing (inside fender liner & fender lip on hard turn ins) issues on hard cornering on the track. (I only track 1-3 times a year) Anyway I am currently running Koni yellows, Eibach pro kit with SSR Comps 17/9.5 & 17/ 8.5. 265/40 . No problems on the street unless I go over a medium size bump will I get rubbing with fender liner. My problem I feel is the stock sway bars and mounts??

What sway bar is the best bang for the buck? Not the cheepest but I think the Tripoint is alittle over priced for what I will be doing. So I want to here from you 3rd gen owners! Also should I try a stiffer spring? Which one's? Thanks, Mike J

It seems like everybody running Eibach's has rubbing issues.....

I would just get a Racing Beat, Eibach, Addco, or Suspension Techniques bar if you want to keep it reasonably priced.

BTW, are you sure the Koni's are mounted using the highest spring perch setting? If the springs are sitting on one of the lowering perches, that could be the problem.

yeh, I have checked several times.. Before with stock wheels never had any problems but then I never was on the track.

I think the wider wheels help show the rubbing on the track. Heard of the RB breaking?? Addco or Suspension Tech Maybe better?? Also can you still get Eibach? Tire rack said NO!

Come on! What are you guys using and were did you purchase?

The problem with your rubbing is your ride height. With the 265/40 tires, you're 0.4 inches taller than stock diameter. That can vary a bit between tire manufacturers, so that might be contributing a little bit. But, usually, 0.4 inches shouldn't be a problem. But, you've got Eibach springs which lower the car .... I read a lot of complaints about Eibachs lowering the car more than advertised. Make absolutely sure that your Konis have the perch mount set on the highest notch (there are 3, each dropping ~ 1/2").

The swaybar is not going to solve your rubbing problem. It will help minimize it in steady state corners; but, under a full load, it will probably still rub. You could still try it to see if it helps enough. IMO, you get what you pay for with most suspension parts. The Tri-Point swaybar is worth the expense, in my experiences. You might try a closer to stock diameter tire as well ... 255/40 17's will buy you an extra 0.3" of clearance. Might seem like small peanuts, but it might be the difference between rubbing and not. Ultimately, stiffer springs will probably be the most effective way of eliminating the rubbing.

WE carry all those bars. Let me know if you're interested.

Rishie

RedrotorR1, The back is 265/40, No rubbing.. The fronts are 245/40. Only rubs in the front?!! That (I think) is even smaller than stock height??

Is there a stiffer spring offered for my set up? I guess I can check Steve C. sight.

Rishie (ARD T2), Can you PM me some prices on these?

Yup. That's actually 0.2" smaller than stock diameter. It's gotta be those Eibachs then.

Non-lowering springs would probably do the trick. Check for other springs, like H&R or Racing Beat, and see if they offer springs that do not lower the ride height ... or don't lower the ride height as much as the Eibachs. Otherwise, the only route I know of for stiffer springs is through coilovers. Hope this helps.

Lowering isn't your problem, its the spring rates. Go with either stiffer lowering springs, or a GC/M2 coilover kit.

I had your same setup and problems, and coilovers w/ 500/400 springs set everything straight.

Eibach's will rub because they are pretty soft...but comfortable. It's a trade off. I went to M2 Coil overs that have a linear 550/450 spring rates. These fuckers are stiff! I miss my Eibachs. The M2's make the car feel so much more "connected", but are a lot to get used to.

Thanks guys! I feel a change in springs is coming! I really hate to raise my ride height up.. Are the H&R's stiffer? I understand they are lower then the Eibach's?? Or maybe I will just have to go with the M2 coil over kit..

i have the RB springs, swaybars, and tokico illumina's. i get minor rubbing on BIG bumps with 225/45/17 and 275/40/17 *had to roll rear fenders* . i just purchased a used gab coilover setup with 700LB front springs and ~600lb rear springs. it should be fun :)

As for the Racing Beat swaybars breaking, that is old news. They don't make that swaybar any more. The one they make now is a one piece and I have not heard of any problems with it.

As for the springs, I have H&R's. I like them alot. It only rubs if I push it pretty hard. But... I have the Koni yellows set on the lowest spring perch and 235/35/18 (I think) on 18x8.5's in the front. So my setup is obviously very low with large wheels/tires. As I said, I don't get any rubbing unless I'm really pushing it.

If I were to do it over, I think I would go with the M2 coil overs with dual spring rates that the guys are talking about here. That way you can raise it up a bit on track day, and then lower it for normal city driving.

And lastly: I ended up rubbing through the inner fender liner and in to the wires there (what a stupid place to run a harness :confused: ) but I think instead of trying to correct the suspension so there is zero rubbing, the better solution might be to accept a slight amount of rubbing and rivet a piece of sheetmetal plate there. You could rub on that all day and it would last a long time. If it ever rubs through (or gets too thin), then you could just remove it and rivet a new piece in.

-Tom :)

I like my dad's racing beat. Only one i've had experience with except my stock ones.

Oh yeah, I bought the solid Pettit front sway bar for $200. and a used tri-point rear sway bar. I love how the car "flat-turns" now.

Your cheap solution is the proper bumpstop. The bumpstop will limit suspension travel, you can buy different sizes from folks selling urethane bushings. The downside of this is the fact that you may be riding on the bumpstop and not the suspension ...

Best solution is to provide adequate suspension travel given chosen spring rate to allow the car to ride on the suspension instead of the bumpstop or wheel liner. The bumpstop should ultimately stop wheel travel prior to hitting liner but only in case of a sudden load such as hitting a bump at high speeds.

I agree. The best solution is to not have the car so low that it rubs, so that the suspension is working in the middle of it's operating range. But... for those of us that want to have that low look (as stated earlier, I've got Koni's set at the lowest spring-perch level), we will have at least some rubbing.
Ofcourse (it's common sense) I could raise the spring perch to the med or high level and eliminate the chance of any rubbing, but then my car wouldn't look as cool. I guess sometimes we do dumb things. :)

Therefore, I still like the idea of riveting in a sheetmetal piece for that rare or occasional rub. As for installing a bump stop of the correct thickness, I think that would be pretty hard to get it exact: too thin and you'll still rub, too thick and you will be losing some suspension travel when you really still had more travel to go (cutting the travel short). An eighth of an inch can mean the difference between rubbing or not. And, as far as travel distance goes, an eighth of an inch at the wheel is probably a hundreth of an inch at the bumpstop, due to the arch/angle relationship.

Anyway, just my ridiculous $.02... I'll stop blabbing on.


-Tom :)

Skate, I have H&R springs, stock Showa R1 shocks, Eibach sway bars (fr/rr), Tri-Point front sway bar mount reinforcers, 45-mm 9 x 17 SSR Integral A2s (fr/rr), 255/40-17 tires (fr/rr), 1.5 degrees negative camber (fr/rr)--no rubbing.

sleepr1, I was unaware there were race and sport springs offered by H&R. What are you running? One is black and one red (I think). Mike

I have the H&R Sport Springs. They are dark blue.