ive been on a few sites now and i have used the infamous "search" option but i cant find what im looking for. I am sold on a sway bar but i dont just want the rear. I would like front as well. my questions are:
#1 Is there a "best" ( 19mm )?

#2 how large is stock bar and what would compliment a 19mm rear bar? 27 seems too big. but i dont know what my options are, most sites i found dont sell them together.

#3 everyone apparently loves the rear sway bar, but why not the same love for the front? every car ive ever owner made a huge difference replacing the FRONT sway bar, but the concensus here is obviously rear. will the front make a noticeable difference or is it a negligable mod?

 

Increasing the size of the rear sway bar helps to eliminate understeer, if you were to increase the size of the front bar as well you'd be dialing the understeer back into the chassis. You're mostly better off putting the money towards coilovers, or at least an aftermarket spring/shock combo rather than just increase the effective spring rates front and rear with sway bars.

 

I did the H-Sport Comp bars....25.5 rear/27mm front both are hollow. Alot of people dont do a front or disconnect it but I have found it is perfect for me if I put the rear on full stiff and the front on soft...thats just me...

 

i guess im a totL noob when it comes to suspension mods. Im no stranger to asthetic and engine mods but the suspension is pretty much stock. Im not sure i understand " dialing understeer back into the chassis".?...You gonna have to talk to me like a total moron for this one i guess and its IS appreciated. question 1 and 2 still out there for someone by the way...

 

Oversteer ("loose") happens when the back end wants to break free first. Typically this results in the back end coming around, sometimes in unpleasant ways, resulting in slides or spins. Of course, if you were hoping for a controlled slide, this is a good thing.

Understeer ("push") happens when the front end wants to break free first. This results in the front end loosing traction and the car not turning. This is generally considered safer as you slow down, the fronts bite, and you're fine.

Most production cars (including the MINI) come set up for understeer as it's 'safer'.

If you beef up your rear sway bar, you decrease body roll in the back and decrease the ability of the rear end to load the outside tire, decreasing rear end traction and therefore increasing the tendency to oversteer.

Likewise, if you beef up the front sway bar, you increase understeer.

Beefing up both front and back will tend to cut body roll, and may shift under/oversteer depending on which end is increased more. Note that this is NOT linear, so beefing both ends up by 1mm does not retain the balance that you had before.

Most folks feel that the Mini has sufficiently little body roll, so the sway bar mods are really out to increase the oversteer/cut the understeer.

 

so what i gather is yes on the rear and no on the front? who makes hte best? H&R?

 

I would just get a rear sway bar. That will eliminate understeer, firm up the feel of the car, and give you a more enjoyable driving experience. Then, do some springs, shocks, etc...

 

Basically. It really depends on what you are looking for when it comes to figuring out the "best". Some come with grease zerks on the mounts that allow you to grease them whereas others are "permanently lube (these have a tendency to squeak). Some come with just two adjustment holes whereas others come with 3. Some (like the Alta) come in cool colors whereas others are just plain old black. Lastly when you start to get to bigger sizes you can get hollow bars which are lighter than solid bars.

That said, at one AutoX I went to a guy there in a mini had a sway bar and front camber plates and his back end came around twice. I tend to side with the people who suggest getting camber plates first. You can pick up a set of IE fixed camber plates for 180$ new. These will increase your grip in the front (reducing understeer) and wont make your back end as likely to come around as a swaybar would (I think i am right about that second bit). And if drive even mildly spiritedly on the road, there is a good chance that you will wear the outside of your front tires faster than the inside, adding camber plates will stop that.

 

Nothing like lots of input to really confuse you - eh?

Ireland Engineering (www.bmw2002.com) has a good swaybar - and it has endlinks on it as well. Cost is good, but I have heard that the endlinks rattle quite a bit. IE is geared toward racing.... Squeaks & rattles don't matter when your adrenaline is going so hard that you can't hear anything but your heartbeat.

H Sport (Hotchkiss) has a good sway bar as well. That's what I ended up with.



There are other threads on this topic that are revealing:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=134584
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=127026
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=135235
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=134600
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=129004
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=130564
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=94968



Scott

 

I consder it an ongoing experiment. My plan is to get accustomed to the car first, then add the rear swaybar and see if I like it. If that's too much oversteer or body roll, then beef up the front.

So far, the amount of body roll isn't an issue for me, but then I'm not tracking it or auto-xing, just carving up the city streets. Legally, of course.

 

Base Cooper Stock anti-roll bar diameter

22.5 front
16 rear

Cooper S Stock bar diameter

24 front
17 rear

1. No there are many 19mm bars. For the average MCS owner the 19mm bar set on softest is fine for street use.
2 See above for front stock bar diameters. Normally the stock bar is fine for street use. It's stiff enough. Only the rear needs to be adjusted to reduce understeer if desired. 27mm is the upgraded front bar which has two holes to make adjustments. That bar is usually matched with a 25mm rear bar that is hollow but about the same stiffness as a 22mm solid bar.
3. It's not that everyone loves the rear bar, it's a practical solution to improving handling for cornering.

The Stock front bar is plenty stiff for street driving. The rear bar is easier to remove and upgrade and there are many options on diameters from 19 to 22 to 25 (hollow bar to save weight). Many have three holes to adjust the stiffness and that tends to work.

Some owner prefer to adjust the front bar but it's more work to install it and you will then need to adjust both front and rear to get handling at the right feel for you. Stiffer in the front will usually require much stiffer in the rear. Softer in front (the front stock bar from a MINI One) would work.

For general street driving you really don't need to change anything and if you find you are understeering too much with high speed cornering then adding a larger diameter stiffer rear bar usually will work.

 

Hey James...I love my H-Sport set up I have the 19mm in the rear any setting is great(depends on if girlfriend is in the car)But I like to keep it on full stiff. The front is the 27mm on stiff(this only has 2 settings, but the stiff is what I like)...These and the one set of control arms are the only suspension mods I have done so if we see each other soon you can feel my suspension out if you want before buying anything.

 

Just remember, the stiffer your front bar, the more lift you have on the inside wheel during cornering which results in smoky inside tires instead of forward propulsion.