What's the difference between a 19mm and 22mm? I assume that's tube diameter? Why would someone choose one over the other?

 

Larger diameter is typically more resistant to twist, so stiffer.

 

What's the trade-off with going to a larger bar? The ride won't be as comfortable as with a 19mm bar?

 

Sway bars don't affect normal ride quality. Where they come into play is when you are turning. Suspension stiffness (degree of sway) must be balanced between front and rear sufficiently to avoid severe under or oversteer (inability to turn-in vs tendency for rear end to break loose) or otherwise upsetting the balance of the car. Cars are normally designed with some understeer (safer), but front-drive cars with the higher percentage of weight in the front tend towards too much understeer. The first stage in correcting this is to increase stiffness in the rear. Up to a point no front stiffness increase is necessary. Up to 22mm rear bars, even on the stiffest setting, are about right without any change to the front. Larger bars in the rear will require larger bars in the front as well. The overall effect is to maintain balance, but also maintain the car in a flat, nearly parallel relationship to the ground, while turning.

 

Thanks for the explanation Erik, very helpful. The only question I'm still uncertain about is why would I opt for 19mm over 22mm if the 22mm is stiffer and still maintains balance. I see you have the 19mm. Why didn't you choose 22mm? Thanks for putting up with all my ?'s.

 

One more thing to remember that I just learned. There's a difference between effective and actual diameter. The H-Sport Comp is around 25 mm but it's hollow so it's really equivalent to a 22 mm bar.

 

I've been told the MCS cabrio has a larger sway bar oem.... does anyone know the actual oem size? I can't find it listed anywhere on the MINIUSA site or via NAM searches...

 

That sounds right. The chasis, A-pillars, etc are all beefed up on the cabrio, and I wouldn't doubt that the swaybars are bigger as well. Therefore is it necessary to get an upgraded swaybar? Would it make that big of a difference?

 

I installed a 19mm bar on an 05 MCSC and the factory bar was 16mm same as a MCS.Made a big difference on the way the car handled,but after he drove my MCS with an Alta 22mm bar,he was wishing he had gone with the bigger bar.Also people install the MCS bar on the MC as an upgrade as the standard MC bar is only 15mm.


Allen

 

Still love my H-Sport 19mm bar on my cabrio - remember - it's not just stiffer, it's also adjustable - by effectively shortening the bar you make a huge difference.

 

I have the 19mm Alta in the middle position on my Cooper Cabrio. I had it installed by a pro. I had heard that the OEM S sway bar was 18mm and the Cooper was 16mm. So some Cooper owners have been known to use the OEM bar from an S for a cheap (or sometimes free) upgrade. If those numbers are right, you probably wouldn't notice much of a difference on an S, going from 18mm to 19mm. But there was a big difference with my Cooper and I loved having that bar installed when I was at the Dragon.

 

Again, I experienced a BIG NOTICEABLE difference with the 19mm H-Sport on my MCSC. Not subtle AT ALL. The thickness is only part of the equation. Otherwise why would there by three adjustment holes???

 

Maybe you guys are driving the cars differently. Blimey might be approaching the point of retinal detatchment!!

 

Guess I should have read through the whole thread before posting. Sorry about that Paul. Glad to hear the 19mm sway bar makes a big difference on the S too. M7 USS is next for me and I hear that's huge.

 

No apology required, Jack.

The USS plus H-Sport 19mm equals cabrio bliss. At least for me.

And watching Bee's Dragon videos - he was enjoying those twisties as much as I was - he was probably just a little less planted and/or more terrified.

But, yeah, I did superglue my retinas before a couple of those runs...

When you install your USS - make your you loctite ALL the hardware and re-tighten it after a couple hundred miles. Word from the wise...

 

Last year, I installed the WMS Extreme Sway Bar. The advantage of this install, if you're doing it yourself, is that I didn't have to drop the struts. Just cut the curve off the old sway bar, and the WMS bar slides right across to the other side.

The difference in handling is amazing, highly recommended.

 

Me too!! Well, I didn't install it myself, my husband did it and I helped. I also have the ProMINI strut brace on the front.

 

Hahaha, just came across this thread. You wouldn't happen to be talking about this swaybar install on a cabrio, would you? I can still hear Randy cursing under his breath about that install. What a difference it made though.

 

Along the same line of questioning...Anyone JUST have a USS and NO sway bar? I know there is a huge difference before it, I am on the fence about ordering the USS, the STB and a RSB... Cashish isn't quite ready to bloom on that tree yet.


Is getting a RSB added with the USS a 'must have'?

 

^ I'll be getting a USS and STB in the next few days -- no rear sway yet -- so I'll be able to answer the first part of your question.
There has been a lot of discussion on this -- I think most appear to agree that, at least on the cabrio, the USS makes more of a difference than the RSB . . . so if you're only getting one get the USS. BUT the car does get even better if you do get both.
I'm not sure the STB is going to do much for me (especially with a USS on there), but I'm mostly getting it (the M7) for the anti-mushrooming protection.

 

I have both the Alta 19mm rear anti-sway bar set on the second hole and the USS from M7 on my MC Cabrio. For my money both were well worth the money. I put them on about 6 months apart and noticed a nice improvement with both.

 

Got the USS only no sway and for most street driving won't get the sway. USS helps at smooth out the handling. In other words stops the chatter. Tested this at VIR's Patriot course during parade laps. (yea right}

In normal street driving none of this stuff is needed except non-runflats and maybe Koni FSD's.

 

I have the M7 USS and STB on my cabrio. No rear sway bar (yet - maybe in a couple of months).

USS is great - reduces understeer, makes whole care feel tighter - especially over bumps.

STB makes no diff in handling - only gives peace of mind re: mushrooming.

 

I don't mean to hijack this thread or anything, but I have a question about the USS. I have an aftermarket exhaust (Blueflame that had to be modified to fit the cabrio). If I went with the USS, would there be any fitting issues? This is definitely something I'm interested in doing, but scared it just won't work with my setup.

 

Some aftermarket exhausts have had fitting issues, such as Milltek. Does Blueflame hang lower than stock, and what modification was made to it?