rlm328

As far as pulling the torsion bars are concerned, if this is a track car and and you don't mind 1 to 1-1/2" holes in the bottom of your fender you can drill your fender in front of your wheel well and slide them out.

Unsprung is everything below the spring, the spring is considered sprung weight as it is attached above the pivot.

Chris White

BTW - we should be talking about unsprung MASS...not wieght....slightly different meaning

964-C2

Ok.

I am still wondering how much weight.. / MASS.. there is in a torsion bar.
Anybody who have one they can weigh?

anders44

I've driven without for 2 years on track

Van

I have a turbo S one in a pile of junk outside. I'll weigh it a little later.

Van

Turbo S torsion bar - 6 lbs 2 oz

1100 lb Hypercoil spring, 8"x2.25" - 4 lbs 10 oz

More weight savings than I thought (although shocks with spring perches weigh a little more, too).

vt951

You must be an engineer... mass and weight will be the same as long as he's planning to track the car on Earth. I know you're technically correct, weight is in units of force. But, I don't think we want to talk in slugs here.

MAGK944

+ take another 1.25# from each side if you remove the stabilizing arms from the torsion bar housing to the body as they are no longer required for coil-overs.

Or, use mass but remember that on Earth our cars are already traveling at an acceleration of 21.9 miles per hour every second. Take that into account and what do you know.... you get weight!

Van

Not sure what part you mean here, Mike.

rlm328

You are 100% right I stand corrected

-1

MAGK944

I call them banana arms, if you have torsion bars fitted they stop the torsion bar tube from simply rotating against the force of the bar. In theory they just resist the force of the inner mount of the torsion bar.

They are the 1/8in thick curved steel arms that are welded at either end of the torsion bar tube and attach to the body with rubber mounts. Don't need them with coilovers, they are redundant and save about 3#'s.

Here is a pic of mine with the "banana arms" removed, look at a stock one below and you can see the curved pieces.

Van

Ahh, I know what you mean now! It never occurred to me to remove those.

Chris White

only if its slugs of Beer...!

The Mass vs weight comment is actually more of an insight to the nonengineering folks - it makes you think of teh problem a little differently.

964-C2

Thanks!

ArthurPE

hugely different meaning...

weight is a force, as in W = mass x g (accell due to gravity)
mass is a physical quantity... in slugs for our system...
but since we are on Earth, and g applies, we should be talking about weight...