I have Bilstein sports with H&R springs and what I believe is an 18mm/19mm adjustable (2 holes) sway bar. I have a Madness 22mm adjustable (3 hole) sway bar off my old Cooper S.

My question is would this be too much sway bar? Can you have too much sway bar? I want a fairly neutral setup for autocross and some track. The Madness bar was AWESOME with the stock suspension setup but I don't want to cause too much oversteer or make the car too twitchy.

 

I'm sure you could have too much bar but thats why they have 3 adjustment points. start in the middle and go from there. I have the H&R 19mm sway bar and now wonder what difference the 22mm bar would be like.

 

Your MINI would have came stock with a 17mm sway bar.

Since you already have that 22mm bar go ahead and install it you'll love it. I would love to sell you an Hsport, but since you already have it save your money for other mods.

 

Add some camber plates and enjoy.

I like my 19mm, but if I autocrossed much I'd be tempted to try the 22mm. Otherwise the 19mm is perfect with camber plates.

- andrew

 

The 22mm bar should be good with stock front camber.

 

I'm putting the Madness bar on tomorrow morning. I am autocrossing on Sunday so I'll post my thoughts early next week.

 

I installed the 22mm Madness bar this morning. Here are my initial thoughts:

1. If you have the 19mm H&R bar don't loose a lot of sleep wondering about the 22mm bar. It's not a big enough difference to spend the money.

2. The H&R bar I removed was installed with what appeared to be the stock rubber bushings. They where very worn. I think they might be contributing to the bar's stiffness. The new bar was well greased and has poly bushings so the feel is different.

3. We started with the new bar set in the middle position. This felt softer to me and there seemed to be slower steering response.

4. I moved the bar to the stiffest position and I think it is stiffer than the H&R bar. The feel is different. I seem to get more feedback from the road through the system (poly bushings) but I don't think the steering is much faster (or tighter) than it was with the H&R bar.

5. I don't think thickness of the bar is the only factor to consider. I think the material of the bar, the geometry of the bar and the material of the bushings are all important.

6. Also, the installation on the JCW was more difficult than my old S. There was not as much flex in the sub-frame on the JCW. Ultimately not a big deal but just an observation.

All in all, it's different. Different good? Different Bad? I don't know. There is more feedback from the road and I think the bar is stiffer but I'm not sure it's enough to justify spending the money. I'm not unhappy. I guess I was hoping for a more dramatic result. Like the result when I went from the stock bar to the Madness bar. That was a fun day!!

 

What a great day at the track!!

Here are my thoughts on the Madness sway bar with the Bilstein shocks and H&R lowering springs:

1. The bar was on its hardest setting. This seemed to be the most neutral setup. Over-drive the corner and you push. Let off the gas and the back comes around. The track was wet and I never felt out of control.

2. I was surprised that there was not a huge difference between the 19mm H&R bar that was on the car and the new 22mm Madness bar. If you currently have a stock bar, I highly recommend the Madness bar. If you have a 19mm bar, I would tell you to spend your money on other mods. The Madness bar is harder than the H&R but not enough to justify the expense.

3. The old H&R bar was installed with the stock rubber bushings. The bushings where VERY worn maybe even to the point of causing the bar to bind. This might help explain the minimal difference between the two bars. The new Madness bar was installed with polyurethane bushings and was well lubed. The harder bushings give more feedback from the road but I think the grease makes the bar move smoother than the old one.

4. I think the geometry of the bar and type of alloy are just as important (if not more) than the size of the bar.

All in all the feel between the two bars is different although only minimal. This is my second Mini and I had more grip/control today on a wet track than I ever had with my old (largely stock) Mini. That is somewhat because of the bar, somewhat because of the suspension and probably a lot to do with better tires on the new car.

I hope this helps someone out there!!

 

After a full day of autocross here are my thoughts:

1. The setup of Bilsteins, H&R springs and the Madness 22mm sway bar is great!! The car was very neutral. Over-drive the corner and push. Let off the gas and the back comes around. It was the most control I had ever had over the car. The track was wet and I still had excellent grip.

2. I was surprised how little difference there was between the 19mm H&R bar that came off the car and the 22mm Madness bar. There is a difference but I don't think it is enough to justify the expense of switching. I think the geometry of the bar and the alloy are just as important (if not more) than the size. I was (foolishly) expecting the difference I felt between the stock setup on my old (totaled) mini and the larger 22mm bar. That was a great day!!

3. The H&R bar on my car might have been stiffer than normal because it was installed (wrong) with the stock rubber bushings. Those bushings were VERY worn. I think they might have been binding the rotation of the bar. Just an observation.

4. The new Madness polyurethane bushings give much more feedback from the road. They were also well lubed so I think the bar is smoother than the removed H&R. (bad bushings)

All in all its a great setup. If you have the stock bar on your car go for the Madness bar!! You will be thrilled!! If you currently have a 19mm bar don't loose any sleep over the 22mm Madness bar. Spend you money on other mods or sticky tires.

I hope this helps someone...

 

Sorry about the double post. The admins were slow in posting my response so I reposted.

 

^ i read it, great info. I'm juggling between this, the hotchkis, and the whitelines