i just got a 9" housing, and i had a question aboutthe two, first off, how is the antiroll bar onstreet driving? i would think the handling would be terrible because it well, does what its supposed to and doesnt allow the rear to roll, secondly, who's running swaybars with airbags in the right rear? just wanting to get opinions on both of them so i can make my decision. thanks

Brandon

 

i am running the wolfe antirollbar in my car. not a good option for the street since the tabs welded to the frame will be breaking off all the time. not an issue at the track.

 

At least I can give you my opinion on the sway set up. I was running a rear sway bar with an airbag, and my best 60' was a 1.54. I had since removed the rear sway bar, and I now have a Comp Engineering anti roll bar, that unfortunately, I have not installed yet. This spring I will have it on, and would like to see some lower 60s. Overall it is a good set up for a driver.

As for the anti roll on street driving, TGO member 87_TA has one on his car, and IIRC, he does drive it to the track. If your car is a regular driver, you might want to stick with the rear sway bar instead. My car has never been on a trailer, but it is not a regular street car either. It can be driven pretty much everywhere, but I just dont. Basically, to/from the track, and weekend cruises. I dont plan on driving my car any differently when the anti roll is on. My goal is maximum traction, and I will be willing to give up a bit of street manners.

 

I run a stock sway bar and air bags, best 60ft 1.476 and very consistant around 1.50 - may not be the optimal setup for traction but it's a street car thats never seen a trailer.

Steve

 

i run air bags and a sway bar along with different length endlinks and I do alright, car leaves level enough that I don't think I need the anti-roll bar just yet, but it might be an addition in the future

 

I run the spohn rear drag sway bar with stock height springs and no air bags and have had no problems with the car wanting to twist or roll. leaves level with 1.40-1.41 60ft on the motor and a 1.36 60ft the one night I sprayed it.

 

i never seen a trailer.. till i shattered the posi.. and then blew the motor.. haha

i run a 1" rear sway bar with poly bushings.. never left hard enough to see if it's level.. still trying to get traction.. best 60ft: 1.810 HAHAHAHA

 

I’ve had great luck with air bags in the rear… I usually run them on both sides and end up with something like 5-9psi in the driver’s side and 15-25psi in the passenger side. What was nice was that not only could I adjust bias in the back, but I could add spring rate if it was appropriate for track conditions. Air bag pressures like that were enough to give you some twitchy, oversteering handling with big front tires on the car, but the drive home wasn’t an issue anyway, I would just keep a shrader valve tool with me, give both fill valves (mounted behind the gas filler door above the cap) a ¼ turn, they’d deflate and I was running on a normal, “handling” suspension setup again.

On some of the more serious racing forums I’ve seen arguments that a bar is safer then air bags, but I’ve never gotten a good explanation why, and I can’t seem to come up with one.

I’m going to swap a 9” into my 87 TA soon, and I’m still debating, I’m either going to use air bags (and possibly, if I can find some some V6 or some RS rear springs, something softer then the WS6 springs that I used last time to give more of an adjustment range), or I may try making some easily adjustable links for one of the heavier (24mm probably) rear sway bars.

 

i guess my next question is....how would i mount a stock style sway bar to this? its a moser housing, shortened 1" on both sides and have the welded brace on the back think i can get the sway bar brackets between the spring ounts and the bracing?......

 

I would make some brackets, weld them to the bottom of the axle tubes and then just bolt the sway bar bushing brackets to them.

 

Moser sells weld on brackets for sway bar mounts..(no U bolts) you would need to pick up a set of these and channel them to fit around the brace, it`s possible, I`ve seen it.

 

I started out running the rea sway bar-stock, and air bags. 5psi driver/50psi pass. it worked better than no bags at all and only relying on the sway bar to prevent body roll....but it still tweaked and pulled the driver front only, even when I was only running 1.7X at 12-13.00 passes. When I first dumped the 388 in the sig I still had this sway bar/bagges set up and the car would really twist up. Granted my 60's were still pretty consistant...enough to geet me into final rounds more often than not, but I wanted more consistency since you know how the cars in modified are built...purpose built, so I was bringing a knife to a gun fight and working my azz off to cut lights and drive the strip to do well.

Few months later I ordered and installed the Wolfe Craft anti roll bar, I only had time to go around the block a few times before loading up and heading out and immediately the ride was very stiff...if this car was a daily driver there is no way I would do this, I only average 5-6K street miles a year and luckily the 4th gen seats soak up some of the hit, but it is harsh...not unbearable compared to my F350SD ride, but still harsh. BUT, the results speak for themselves...you can see in the sig pic the car just flat leaves level, every pass depending on DA for the day and staging rpm I can be 1.48-1.49 60's all day or 1.50-1.55 in the summer heat. During the day pending no drastic lane oil down on the line, the car became very repeatable, slips looked almost zeroxed for the day and made my job easier, though tuning my R/T's became harder since I was now jerking the wheels on the hit, instead of leaving one (pass side) hanging and dragging through the beams..but the car still got the job done.

If your going to bracket race and want to win on less than ideal tracks where you need a consistant launch and 60'...I highly recommend this unit simply because it makes winning a little bit easier since you have enough stuff to worry about on a pass than if your car tweaked the same that pass, weather one rear tire planted a bit better that pass, weather your front tires popped the beams or drug through the beams.....getting rid of flex in all aspects of the chasis means getting rid of inconsistency's...just depends on hoiw serious you are about winning and how much your willing to sacrifice/invest to get there.

 

Ok i am wanting to put an anti roll bar on my car, it is a street car but not realy a daily driver. I am not woried about ride comfort, just will it take the beating of street use without having to fix it every once in a wile.

 

the bmr one will take it no problem, but i had a friend that kept ripping the mounts off the frame with his wolfe.
i have the wolfe on mine but its strictly drag.

 

Your car is about the same as mine as far as intended usage, I cant justify having this kind of money into a car and only being able to use it during the summer at the track only. I dont have as much free time as I did years ago as business keeps growing, but I still like to drive it around town, cruise with the guys, etc...so it does get driven. As long as you know the ride will be harsher, it is just the price you'll pay for a better working chasis. There is a big difference in car set-up for guys that just want to out and make some fast passes vs the other guys that race bracket programs and need the car to repeat within .01-.02 at most all day long every pass you make. This will anti roll bar will help in that persuit, you'll just have to figure out the car again since it changes things that much...it's like learning the car and how it reacts all over again...very hard for guys like me that had alot of seat time with a twisting car and knowing what it'd do, to a better overall intended suspension that is purpose driven.

I've yet to rip out the mounts, and when/if I do I will make some 1/8" plate that will be bent to cover over the rear sub frame and welded in to really beef up that area and I will also fab new car mount brackets as well that will be beefier than the individual tabs they send along in the kit from Wolfe craft...there stuff gets the job done, but there is also alot of room for improvement as well for a car that will get beat on other than 1/8mi -1/4mi at a time only...if it will hold out on the street, the track is a piece of cake.