...you can add a little more rear toe-in to help make rotation more progressive for the street. This alows the rear tires to begin to build slip angles more or less in sinc with the front. But I hear you...when my Webb bar was set a little more than half way, the back end became very lively...not uncontrollable, but I sure had to think about what I was doing.

A great way to figure out how much bar - non-scientific - is to remove one of the rear swaybar endlinks and go for a careful but really spirited drive. Then begin by re-installing the endlink at full soft and experiment with slightly more agressive settings. But! Keep your feelers on what the front tires are doing, not the back. There will be a point for all of us, for our individual setups, where we have exceeded the work the front tires can perform. This is the point where the front tires essentially saturate. A car may continue to rotate (and this may be desirable especially on an autoX course) until the inside rear wheel comes off the ground, which adds nothing more to the rotation eqation.

Obviously this is my method...I like to maximize front tire grip while not adding to any additional rear twitchyness...so my rear bar is set on the soft side of medium...if that makes any sense. Every tire combination and suspension setup will yield different settings. FYI

 

I would like to retract my prior statement that the Ireland bar is good. I just broke a end link. Bar good, end links bad.

 

Thats not good news on the IE rear swaybar end-links.........i have one on my MCS.

How long has it been on your mini and where did the end link break exactly?

 

Which is better to have with the Alta lowering springs, the Alta 19mm or the Alta 22mm rear swaybar? And in what setting?

Thanks

 

IMHO, the sweet-spot for a street and road MINI is a 20mm bar. See review.

 

I think it depends on whether or not you ever plan to add negative camber to the front tires. If so, 19mm or 20mm bar. If not, 22mm bar.
I had 25 mm hollow bar (about equal to 23 mm solid) with lower springs and that was a good setup for street and track. I used the softest setting which is still stiffer than the stiffest on a 20mm.

 

Bought the Hotchkis 25mm rear sway from Peter at M7. I installed and had a ball trying it out. The end links need to be next, that's now a weak point inthe system of this new rear suspension work I've been doing. Also, I did Megan coil overs, it all really works well together. What an easy car to work on, it's a 2005 S. I've set the rear sway on the middle setting and have great success with it.

 

Size your bar to optimize front tire traction.

 

I have the H&R 19 mm on the stiffest of two settings. Perfect for the street. It is a quiet bar also.

 

I went with the IE 22 mm bar and I agree about the rattle. I even changed the hyme joints out thinking maybe I got a bad set. But its the same.. I went under the rear of the car for about 2 hours making sure everything was tight and snug only to still hear the rattle. When it's just me in the car I dont care.. But when I have friends in the car I am embarrassed.


From my basic knowledge it's a great bar otherwise. No measurments on the bar. I just moved the links 3 inches in from the end and have left it there. Might be the same as stock at that position.. I dont know.. I would really need to have a experienced person drive it and then adjust it to see...

I think the fix (for me) is to get expanding foam and fill the hollow tube up.

 

+1 for quikmni's good advice.

However, if you had asked me whether I'd ever add camber plates three years ago, when I put a 22mm bar on my `05, my response would have been "Huh? What are camber plates?"

 

Alta 22mm bar on full stiff and I wish I could go stiffer. JCW springs and -2 camber up front. Toe set to zero. Feels pretty decent for autox. Judge for yourself....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR9RfyJ-rSA