Since I'm doing springs and adj. rear camber/toe, and I,ve had enough practice with putting cars up on jack stands, I figure now is the time to do a rear sway bar. Which one and why? Keeping in mind that;
I will only drive the car on the street (04 MCS JCW)
I've raced quite a bit in the past but won't track this car now
I want the rear to be a bit loose when driven agressively
It is my wife's daily driver but she loves a car that handles. Thanks for your help . Joe D.
Has anybody seen this bar

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...e=STRK:MEWA:IT

 

I would go with an RSpeed bar, Alta bar, HSport bar or a name brand bar from any MINI site, such as:


www.webbmotorsports.com
www.helix13.com
www.mini-madness.com
www.minimania.com

there are many more sites, too, so it would probably be best to just search google when you find a bar you like.

Good luck!

-Steve

 

A lot of us (including me) have installed the H-Sport comp bar. The two main advantages of this bar are the grease nipples for easy re-greasing of the bushings and the fact that it is hollow which makes it lighter than the stock bar. The RSpeed bar is a slightly cheaper alternative to the H-Sport as it's solid and doesn't have grease nipples. They are both 3 hole bars.

I've been running it on the softest setting which gives near neutral characteristics but leaning more to understeer. The middle setting would give a neutral to slight oversteer tendency.

 

its a piece of metal - cant go wrong. go for whatever suits you

 

Our whole car is really just a piece of metal that, somehow, seems to work.

 

get one that is adjustable and has collars already welded on. :smile:

preferrably 22mm and larger bar.

 

Either rear sway bar from H-sport will do. But there are alot of good bars out there.

 

Thank good*hic*ness. Thank good*hic*ness. Aw, forget it. I'm glad.

 

Get the R*Speed from ebay.com. Their starting price is so much lower than the one on their website. $109.95!

 

Coming from a vendor who is obviously biased... any bar listed above is a good buy. Don't buy a bar that no one has ever heard of before. All of the vendors here on NAM sell a good rear sway bar, so feel free to browse through the vendor section and see who tickles your fancy.

Just stay away from all of our competitors! (Kidding of course )

 

I have the RDR 19MM (middle setting) for street and find it perfect for romps . Most go with the theory bigger is better but the 19MM does the job = to a 22MM on the street.

Most importantly - the bar "FITS" perfectly - clearance from the springs, ect..... (some are a real tight fit). additionally kit came complete collars, grease, ect.......

I have about 10,000 miles on it - NO squeaks, NO rubbing noises, ect.... which you will find posts from others complaining about little irratting problems.

Its a combo of good equipment and good installation.

bahamabart

 

Joe D.
Good question. OK, you've got your wife's 04 JCW MCS with springs and rear control arms. Adding an adjustable rear sway bar would be done with the goal of reducing understeer and make handling as neutral as possible. For you street use only, no track.

I had not seen that ebay item before. Not sure if it would have 2 or 3 holes for adjustment. From the picture it might have only 2, if that were true I'd skip it and get a bar with 3 holes since that is standard for a rear bar for the MINI.

Size-
I agree with mmMatt, all of the vendors on NAM sell decently good rear swaybars that vary in price, construction, appearance. Careful for any rear bar that is infinitely adjustable (not one long bar), it's not really for street use and you have to check it for getting loose.

So 19mm bars (good choice for the MC) and 22mm solid bars both will work fine for the MCS in your situation. You might be using the stiffest hole for the 19mm and the softest or middle hole for the 22mm but it depends on your suspension upgrades, tires, driving style, etc.

The H-sport comp bar is a hollow 25mm bar that saves weight (about 5 pounds) and used to cost a bit more but it's a little less now. It functions like a 22mm solid bar and has 3 holes for adjustment.

The Rspeed bar is relatively recent and is noted to be stiff. If you can find it on email for less then great.

If you have a local MINI club you can check out the various bars and talk to owners to see how they work for them.

 

im in the market of one too. it will mainly be for street, but with a autox every so offten, ie maybe every three months. i have been looking at the alta one. i like the build quailty of the alta. i dont know wheather to use a 19 or 22. by the way its an 05 mcs
also. where can i find an alta one for a good price, and im looking for a red one. if anyone knows of a place.
thanks, tim