Are you going to put markings on the slider to let us know what stock is and so on...or are you going to give us measurements? I mean to say, where is the stock setting on that bar if it runs from 0-320% stiffness

 

Beautiful design and execution of this product Randy! It's absolutely perfect for those of us who want to have a car that is perfectly "streetable" -- dial it in to say 150-175 percent of stock stiffness -- and then bump it up from there for track, autocross, or rally days (like Targa Newf for example .

Please put me on the list for one of these. My Mini will be arriving just in time, around the third week in Nov...

-Micah

 

Randy,

This is an interesting aspect. Can you elaborate on this feature as it would really be nice not to have to worry about lubing in the bar.

BTW I’m sold on this bar. I was going to do suspension work but since a pulley party came up I switched my mod. plans and glad I did otherwise I would have already bought the H-sport bar. I think your gonna get flooded with orders (much to the dismay of other bar manufactures). Is there a way I could pre order a bar and add it to the bill for my pulley install in the Bay Area?

Thanks
Steve

 

That is one sweet sway bar. wish i could afford it.

 

Is installation included =)

 

Randy

If by some freak chance. Let me know before you leave. See you next week. Call before you leave I still want to talk about my problem before you get here. Do you have plans for frt. drop links.

 

Randy

Will the swaybar be ready in time for the LA pulley party? If so how much $ for the bar and the install? Thanks.

 

I doubt the bar will be ready by then. It'll be another three weeks or so - just in time for Christmas .

I'll elaborate more on the design after it is in production - don't want to give everything away...

Thanks!
Randy

 

Yes, that is the plan for the production bar.

Randy

 

After seeing the first-gen WMS swaybar on Brian's car and getting the full technical explanation from Randy, I can honestly tell you that this is THE swaybar to bolt to your Mini. First of all, it just looks super trick -- much more engineered and high-end than any other bar currently available. The tubular cromoly design of the bar itself combined with the billet aluminum end arms are both highly functional and beautiful. Having the ability to adjust the stiffness on a continuous linear scale (versus three fixed mounting holes for other bars) is a huge improvement. Adjusting it is simply a matter of removing rear wheels, loosening a couple of bolts on the slider and droplinks (which are trick pieces in and of themselves), and then setting the slider for the desired stiffness. Finally, you don't have to drop the rear subframe for installation, making it more accessible for the weekend warrior mechanic.

The WMS rear swaybar does not just make small incremental improvements over current designs, but brings it up to a different level.

This is the bar I will be installing on my Mini, and in my opinion it is well worth any price premium over other bars...which, when you factor in the price of droplinks, is really not that significant.

 

You're saying its worth the premium but you have not even tested this bar vs others.

 

Good point...you're correct in that I have no objective performance data to say this. My opinion above is based on a subjective impression comparing the appearance and attributes of various bars.

Given that such an objective performance-based test of various sway bars using lap times would be difficult to do (especially trying to control for driver expectations about different products), I am using other considerations to make my decision. So for me the primary decision points that lead me to chose the WMS bar over the others are the technical and design considerations that have gone into the WMS bar, the superior (at least in my judgement) execution of the product, and the ability to adjust the bar on a continuous linear stiffness range to change the handling characteristics to varying situations (i.e., road vs. track) and as my skill with the Mini improves.

 

I don't need no dyno numbers on this one I just want one BAD!

 

Are there any sound issues with using this kind of design? Does it creak more/less? I see that it doesn't need lubrication, so I'm guessing there isn't much give at the ends of the cromoly...where does/does any vibration get dampened? It would be nice not to EVER have creaking.

 

Don't you really mean to say "the weekend warrior mechanic that happens to have a cutting torch sitting around the garage"?

You still have to remove the existing sway bar, and if you don't drop the subframe you'd have to cut it off.

 

Randy / Brian

Would I be able to use this bar on my 2005 Cooper S Convertible?

let me know so I can place the order right away
regards,
Charles

 

Yes Charles, it will work on the convertible.

 

Randy/Brian

Any plan for the front end too?

Cheers

 

Beautiful, really a piece of art - congrats.

I can see it for the track - ultimate dial-in sway bar BUT way over the top in my opinion for street.

 

That's true...but you can always rent one for the weekend from a local place like NationsRent that you have in your area :smile:

 

I believe the pillow mounts are self-lubricating, which should prevent squeaking/creaking from ever occurring. (I didn't specifically look at this to confirm, but have seen bushings on full suspension bicycles that are impregnated with teflon to "self-lubricate" to prevent seizing and unwanted noise)

 

Any news on the production version being ready?

 

We have the new stiffer bar, ready to put on and test. But we are waiting to see how the production is going to work out with the notched slider section. We will keep you updated!

 

No need to rush it, get it right. I'm sure you guys will. I have already paid for my WMS sway bar but can wait until it is fully Randy aproved.

 

I don't know how many positions you guys are going to "mark" but it would be great to have a few different positions tested and have a description on how drastically each position changes the behavior of the car at low/high speeds, on/off throttle coming into/out of a turn, etc. That'd be cool!