Thanks skip I am now enlightened! <img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" />

 

Skip..is the 968 mo30 sway bar option the best option for the money?
Im thinking of doing that plus yellow koni sports all around..I think this would come to roughly a grand...while Im under there what about springs? 200/250# sound to soft for my blood..400#? what to do with the rear? any thoughts?

TIA

 

Damian, You aren't, by any chance, getting ready for a bit of NNJR AutoX this season, are you?

BTW, my 26.8/18 bars have been on for about 3 weeks now and the novelty hasn't even started to wear off yet, can't wait to get the summer tires back on so I can really try it out. I shoul d have known something was up when I picked it up at the shop, and the mechanic said it felt "really tight". On my way home it dawned on me, his other car is a Formula Atlantic.

 

[quote]Originally posted by SamGrant951:
<strong>Skip..is the 968 mo30 sway bar option the best option for the money?</strong><hr></blockquote>

It's what I have Seriously, it depends on what you want. The 968 M030 set is the best OE set you can get... there's stuff more expensive, and also less. What's the intended purpose of the car?... for how long?

[quote]<strong>Im thinking of doing that plus yellow koni sports all around..I think this would come to roughly a grand...while Im under there what about springs? 200/250# sound to soft for my blood..400#? what to do with the rear? any thoughts?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Konis (or other favorite sport shock) are a must for performance. A couple options with the front springs... the ride-height adjustable coil-over kit (200-1000#), or the Weltmeister sport springs (200-250#). Anything over 250# on the front and you need to touch the rear... whether via T-bar upgrades or coil-helpers.. or both. Best thing to do is set your useage goal and budget... then you can get a real good idea of what the best route is. Keep in mind the rules if you plan on competing. 400# is max for the standard Koni Sports... from there you're looking at custom valving (like our custom M030 units). Also, 400# in the front requires a T-bar change to ~30mm, or appropriate helper spring setup. Doing the front springs with the strut upgrade is a time-saver... all other stuff is pretty much no-gain time wise.

Good Luck!

 

"Doing the front springs with the strut upgrade is a time-saver... "

Well that's an understatement! I got the GC coilover kit from Paragon and now I can change front springs and dampers in less than 10 minutes! Don't even have to remove the wheels or get an alignment afterwards.

 

That's not exactly the way I meant it, but you're certainly right. Spring *swaps* are easy as pie... but the actual act of replacing the spring with another, or upgrading to the coil-over sleeves is a time-saver if you are doing the strut already.

Skip

 

are sway bars affected by wear and tear?would used be a good way to go?or is it like a shock where after a lot of miles it dies out?

 

As long as the bars have not been damaged, there's no real measurable *wear*. Certainly metal is affected by stress, and is only good for X amount of duty cycles [no idea, you'd need math and physics to figure this out]. I think you're pretty safe with used sway bars... the larger problem is finding them, and at a reasonable cost.

Skip

 

i have an 86 944 na, how big are my sways?where would it be written on the car?

also is the rear one plainly visible, i dont know if i have one but will check tomorrow

 

I had no stock rear sway bar on my 944 n/a and the standard 24mm I think on the front.

I bought stock 86 951 bars for cheap and some used links for the back. HUGE improvement, It's still no 951. Anyone else who want a great upgrade for cheap on their n/a I would highly recomend this.

Justin 87 n/a

 

[quote]Originally posted by Andre:
<strong>i have an 86 944 na, how big are my sways?where would it be written on the car?</strong><hr></blockquote>

20mm was standard, unless you have option code 030 or 404, which would make it 23mm. Option codes are listed on a sticker in the trunk area, behind the carpet - next to the left tail light.

[quote]<strong>also is the rear one plainly visible, i dont know if i have one but will check tomorrow</strong><hr></blockquote>

It's quite visible - small bar, bent 90 degreed on the ends, attaches to the Torsion tube carrier and to the trailing arms via drop-links. Original color is black, but may be covered in road grime.

Good Luck!

 

"are sway bars affected by wear and tear?would used be a good way to go?"

Not the bars themselves, but the bushings can wear out. The extra play reduces the effectiveness of the bar.

Steel has a fatigue limit, and if you keep stress below this level, the part will last forever. If you go over this limit, the material undergoes work-hardening (gets stiffer and stiffer) and eventually cracks. I doubt sway bars ever even come close to this level of stress.

 

when buying used how would you know if the bar is the size that they tell you?just measure it?like it should be 25 or whatever mm in diameter? stupid question, i know

 

Yup, a set of vernier calipers is one of the most useful tools in the toolbox..

 

You check the part number stamped on the bar... or, measure the OD with a set of good calipers.

There are many part #'s, so when you know which you'd like, let us know and someone should have the reference.

Though, assuming you want the 26.8mm and 18mm set, the #'s are:

26.8 - 944.343.706.05
18 - 477.511.413

Usually located near one of the bends.

Good Luck!