Smashed my oil pan again...torsion bar recommendation needed.

[Tex013]

Are the roads better down under than they are here? Up here, the road quality has suffered because politicians would rather give our tax money to fund 20 different languages in schools, free stuff for the lazy and entitled, sanctuary city legal defense funds, etc.

No they are not that great . I have driven all over the USA and our roads are no better and the highways are worse . Lots of potholes and speed humps .
Oh and they dont spend road taxes on useful stuff , they just blow it on crap

Tex

 

[Zeppelin264]

Just upgraded from 318 bars and KYB's to Hotchkis 1.1" bars and Bilsteins. HUGE difference! I love the way the car feels now. I also am running a 8qrt deep pan. No issues yet.

 

[66Satellite47]

Keep in mind that you can't just go by T bar diameter, stock Mopar is not the same as aftermarket. I suspect each aftermarket has it's own spring rate per diameter. I had a weird experience, took the aftermarket sway bar off the front and the ride quality on the street dramatically improved. I didn't think the sway bar would have any effect on ride quality, but it did on my car. I still don't corner very hard.

 

[Kern Dog]

A sway or "anti-sway" bar merely transmits spring rate from one side to the other. If one wheel is following a path of potholes and the other is on smooth pavement, a car with no sway bar will feel smoother. The bar transmits movement from one side of the suspension to the other in regular driving. In a turn where the weight transfers, the suspension to the outside wants to compress while the suspension to the inside wants to extend. The sway bar effectively takes spring energy from the unloaded side and adds it to the loaded side.

 

[66Satellite47]

I may have gotten us off track with my sway bar discussion. Key point with T bar purchase is to check the spring rate. If you go with the Mopar bars, the diameter is the reference. Aftermarket bars don't match the Mopar diameters. Look at the spring rates.

 

[Brewzer67]

I may have gotten us off track with my sway bar discussion. Key point with T bar purchase is to check the spring rate. If you go with the Mopar bars, the diameter is the reference. Aftermarket bars don't match the Mopar diameters. Look at the spring rates.

Well said, thanks. That's kind of where I was going with this post. Because the bars differ so much in spring rate I was looking for real life experience so I could gauge what bar seemed to be preferred by everyone and then I could figure out what spring rate I should be looking for based on my vehicles weight.

 

[451Mopar]

Been awhile since I looked at suspension rates, but won't going to a stiffer T-Bar make the car more likely to under steer unless you add a rear sway bar or increase the rear spring rates too?

 

[Jackpot50]

I have Just Suspension 1.0 pro touring bars with 440 aluminum heads in a 62 Polare, have it lowered in front, love the bars. I think just right

 

[ChargerM440]

KYBs are a "digressive" design. This means that they are firm at the first few inches of suspension travel, then as the suspension travels further, they loosen up and get softer. EXACTLY backwards of what a good shock should do. THe Bilsteins are softer during short suspension movement, allowing a better ride. As the suspension travels further, they tighten up. This is how springs work so they are a better match for the natural action of the suspension.

What do you mean by a "good shock"? Good at providing a comfy ride or good at keeping you planted to the road? Also, Bilstein makes digressive shocks for performance applications.

My understanding of the whole progressive vs digressive was that a progressive valved shock will produce a better ride quality, because the shock is softer at slower speeds and soak up bumps in the road better. A digressive shock has a harsher ride because it's stiffer at slow speeds. The plus side to a digressive shock is vehicle control. It offers more stability by taking the body roll out of the car, which enhances the corning stability.

I still have a lot to learn, but you make it sound like the digressive shocks are not a good thing.

 

[Kern Dog]

I don't like the theory behind digressives. The springs in a car get progressively firmer as they travel from full extension to full compression. The shock should match the spring. The Bilstein RCD shocks that I bought from Firm Feel were a great upgrade over the KYB Gas-A-Just shocks that I had. The ride on bumpy roads was softer (Even with the 1.15 torsion bars!) but they tightened up "on demand" when I hit the brakes, turned a corner or made rapid slalom type switchbacks.
Digressive shocks, in my opinion, are a crutch for soft springs or torsion bars.