Question to all of you????

Which anti-sway bar should I get because so many to otion out there.

#1. H-Sport have anti-sway bar set for front and rear @ $344.00

#2. MiniMania have a adjustable rear "only" anti-sway bar @ $250.00

#3. MiniMadness have rear adjustable sway-bar @ $189.00

#4. helis mini have a rear adjustable sway-bar @ $235.00

#5. HMS Motorsport have a sway-bar @ $471.50

#6. OutMotoring have 3way Rear Sway Bar @ 189.95

#7. MossMini have a Adjustable Sway Bar End Links @ $159.95
Rear Sway Bar @ $189.95


What are my best choice people?????
Any help is much greatly appreciated!

 

I have purchased a number of things from OutMotoring. Aaron is very easy to deal with and is on the side of the customer when Madness or EBC or whoever has problems shippipng when they promise.

He's willling to do what it takes to make his customers happy and has the knowledge about MINIs and cars in general to do just that for real enthusiasts.

I know this is true of Randy at MMS and others as well - the guys at Helix have an outstanding reputation.

My experiences with OutMotoring have been nothing but positive.

 

In the above list, isn't the OutMotoring sway bar actually the Madness sway bar?

If so, one less choice!

Bill

 

Don't mess with the front, I haven't heard that it makes much difference, the rear is the only one you should do unless you're building a strict race car.
Do some searching on this site, there are many good threads about sway bars. Basically I have never heard about much difference between the the brands. I know there is one thread where the madness bar is rubbing against the guys springs.<- = BAD. You should look into that before purchasing that one.
I've got the rear Moss bar on order (actually it's back ordered for another week).

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Einstein said E=MC2, I say S = MC2

 

>> I know there is one thread where the madness bar is rubbing against the guys springs.<- = BAD. You should look into that before purchasing that one.

That was due to improper installation, nothing more.

R

 

I thought there was an issue when using the most aggressive hole with some springs - there is enough unused section of the bar to cause rubbing. If this occurs and you want the aggressive setting, cutting off the bar at the outer hole solves the rubbing. This is from memory - maybe someone with first-hand experience can confirm it.

 

#1. H-Sport have anti-sway bar set for front and rear @ $344.00

#2. MiniMania have a adjustable rear "only" anti-sway bar @ $250.00

#3. MiniMadness have rear adjustable sway-bar @ $189.00

#4. helis mini have a rear adjustable sway-bar @ $235.00

#5. HMS Motorsport have a sway-bar @ $471.50

#6. OutMotoring have 3way Rear Sway Bar @ 189.95

#7. MossMini have a Adjustable Sway Bar End Links @ $159.95
Rear Sway Bar @ $189.95

#8. Turner Motorsports have a two way adjustable 18mm rear sway bar @ $166.60 and also have a 27mm front sway var @ $217.00

#9. Eibach has front and rear sway bars - front tubular at 25.5mm - rear is solid and 19mm thick @ unknown

Just some advice determine what your needs/wants are for your sway bar purchase. Are you going to autocross, track days, enthusiastic driving on the road, etc. ? This will determine how aggressive you want to go, what adjustability you want, and if you would want to change the front as well. Additionally be sure to take notice of the dimension of the sway as they will play a big part in how they change the chassis dynamics. If want to be really demanding find out the material that the sway bar are made of. Finally reseach how they are installed, as some will need to be occasionally lubricated to eliminate squeaking. Lastly don't be entirely concerned about the price, in most cases you get what you pay for.

I myself like Eibach and H&R - just my $0.02

Good luck CARVNIT

 

I've was told that the Rossier Dyno Research(RDR) bar is the biggest / thickest out there. (size DOES matter !)

I have one on my MINI S and had it powder-coated RED prior to install.


His, Chile RED all over / Hers, EB UJ on top.

 

I've got the RDR as well and love it.
Bought it from the boys at Helix.

 

According to the Helix site, they sell the RDR rear sway bar.

Interesting. So is it Helix's bar or RDR? Likely a joint collaboration. Is it the biggest out there?


His, Chile RED all over / Hers, EB UJ on top

 

Actually size is less important than what material the bar's made out of. Using the right materials you could have a smaller diameter bar outperform a larger one.

 

D: All of the Above.

The Anti-sway bar is used to transfer chassis torque from one side of the car to the other during lateral acceleration and asymmetrical suspension movements. The stiffer the Anti-sway bar is the more torque it transfers, therefore transferring more weight, and adjusting traction capabilities and allowing another aspect of chassis dynamics tuning. A stiffer sway-bar will make the chassis corner "flatter"; allow quicker weight transfer and more predictable handling. Theoretically, a stiffer sway-bar reduces available traction to the wheels with the most weight on them. However, since cars are so heavy and have so much traction, using a stiffer sway-bar will allow the car to skate or slide around corners, keeping corner speeds up. There is of course a practical limit to how stiff a sway-bar you can install before relinquishing any resolution the suspension has at absorbing independent bumps, or you've transferred so much torque to the inside wheels that you end up with very little mechanical grip on the outside wheels!

The "stiffness" of the anti-sway bar is a function of several aspects:
Material Modulus (stiffness)
Construction (tubular (if so, how thick the walls are) or solid
Mechanical advantage; how far the mounting holes are away from the twisting axis

The "performance" of the bar relates to all of these aspects, plus:
Parallel-ness of the bar to the suspension pivots (which determines its' mechanical advantage-to-suspension travel curve)
Pre-load on the bar (this is relative from one side to the other)

I hope this helps,
Cheers,
Ryan

 

So do we have any independent comparisons of different sway bars from people who have used or installed multiple sway bars?

 

You need to consider the H&R sway bars. They are the product of a pretty solid development team at H&R in Germany. With H&R you get the experience of several decades of professional racing experience. From a company whos only goal is to build the highest quality, best engineered products. The bars are 27mm front, and 18mm rears. We recieved our first sample sets a months ago. Our cars suspension mods are H&R coil overs, the above sway bars. and eurathane suspension bushings. We just finished a magazine project, at Willow Springs California. And our little car "Blue Thunder" handled like it was on rails. You need to check out the photos, and see the list of products. These were all , "off the shelf" products that we offer (with the exception of some of the engine mods).
One of the few adjustments we did was lower the rear of the vehicle. See Bue Thunder in Action

 

Here are some thoughts on what it could mean for one bar to be better than another...
1) Stiffness - Is stiffer better? Most have several settings so any that is close to the level of stiffness you want is as good as any other in this regard.
2) weight - lower weight for same stiffness is always good but the differences in sway bars are likely to be limited to a few pounds.
3) bushings - quality of bushings could affect handling.
Anything else worth considering?

My guess is the variation is very limited unless you are aiming for the maximum stiffness possible.

 

LaBoy-
We need some criteria.
If cost is a factor then the simplest solution for $190 plus installation which allows you three positions of adjustment is the madness rear sway bar. Set it to the center setting and try it out- adjust depending on your impressions. You can keep everything else stock if you like and it will be OK. More suspension upgrades will add to performance as you go, but at least the first set will be sound. I have the madness and it works fine.
If cost is not a factor then the H-sport front and rear tubular bars look good. I don't have them and they are new but you can have two settings for each bar. Set the front to softest and adjust the rears from soft to firm as needed.

Stiffness-most of these bars are reasonably stiff. You have to look at your other suspension parts. If the other parts allow lots of flex then the swaybar is not the limiting factor.
Weights- they are pretty close-not enough difference to really make much difference. 1-2 pounds?
Bushings-? some do come with some bushings-check the H-sports
Warranty?
Racing experience?
From a MINI only tuner or shop?

 

>>D: All of the Above.
>>
>>The Anti-sway bar is used to transfer chassis torque from one side of the car to the other during lateral acceleration and asymmetrical suspension movements. The stiffer the Anti-sway bar is the more torque it transfers, therefore transferring more weight, and adjusting traction capabilities and allowing another aspect of chassis dynamics tuning. A stiffer sway-bar will make the chassis corner "flatter"; allow quicker weight transfer and more predictable handling. Theoretically, a stiffer sway-bar reduces available traction to the wheels with the most weight on them. However, since cars are so heavy and have so much traction, using a stiffer sway-bar will allow the car to skate or slide around corners, keeping corner speeds up. There is of course a practical limit to how stiff a sway-bar you can install before relinquishing any resolution the suspension has at absorbing independent bumps, or you've transferred so much torque to the inside wheels that you end up with very little mechanical grip on the outside wheels!
>>
>>The "stiffness" of the anti-sway bar is a function of several aspects:
>>Material Modulus (stiffness)
>>Construction (tubular (if so, how thick the walls are) or solid
>>Mechanical advantage; how far the mounting holes are away from the twisting axis
>>
>>The "performance" of the bar relates to all of these aspects, plus:
>>Parallel-ness of the bar to the suspension pivots (which determines its' mechanical advantage-to-suspension travel curve)
>>Pre-load on the bar (this is relative from one side to the other)
>>
>>I hope this helps,
>>Cheers,
>>Ryan

Thank you Ryan
That is more information then I have ask for but man, is good to know all of this.