I have read this site for hours trying to find info. on 19mm bars on a MCS. i.e. What brand name of bars are MCS owners using? What setting you are using?
We have a 06 MCS, and I would like some feedback from anyone who has installed a 19mm rear sway on your MCS. Our car will never see a race track or solo course; it's a daily driver. I want feedback from users of 19mm bars. I'm looking at these bars: H-Sport, Alta ( 2 or 3 hole bar ), Dinan, & maybe an H&R 18mm. If you have any experience with any of these bars or any other 19mm bars can you please give me some feedback?

Thanks for your time,
Randy

 

There is a reason for that ... I think most ppl go 22mm. Our car will never see autox or a racetrack and perfectly happy with H Comp 25.5mm (22mm effective) on the softest setting

 

I called H-Sport today and they recommend thier 19mm bar if the MCS was only use for street driving without changing the front bar.
Oh, Alta also recommended thier newer 3 hole 19mm bar.

 

Yeah, it says that but my suggestion is to search all the posts concerning rear sway bars and read the opinions of those who actually have them installed .... then decide.

Your call.

 

I added the 19mm H&R from Turner Motorsports to both my MCS and my wife's MCC. We both AX and I think it is just about perfect. And the price was right at $149/ea.

I keep mine on the stiffer setting which allows me to throw the car around and rotate the rear end at will. Her MCC's sway is set to the lighter setting and she has been very happy with it - dialed out the understeer and made the car handle pretty neutral overall. The bushings that don't need lubrication were also one of the reasons I went with the H&R.

I should add that we swapped out her struts and springs for that from an '05 MCS ( a wee bit stiffer) and mine is still stock (until I can afford coilovers and camber plates).

 

i have a 19mm hsport on my car. its on the middle setting.

when i got it put on it was like night and day.

although, i might have gone for a 22mm if i could do it again, but i have yet to try the hardest setting.

 

Hsport here, and yes... nite and day. middle spot.

 

I have an Alta 19mm rear bar on my MC. I read somewhere (Randy Webb's site maybe) that that's what recommended for a Cooper without the sport plus suspension.

I have video of my car and another MC going through an accident avoidance maneuver, and the difference in body roll is very noticable.

 

On my MCS, I’ve had the Madness 22mm, the H-Sport Comp, and now use the H&R 18mm. For daily street driving in both dry and wet, over rough and smooth roads, with lowering springs, coilovers, stock and FSD struts, the smaller bar fits my driving style just fine.

The stiff H-Sport bar was lots of fun but required too much attention (throttle modulation, counter steering) during rapid transitions and/or wet conditions. The enhanced rotation stiffer bars afford is sometimes not suitable for the street and in some instances not suitable (without a high level of driving skill) for high speed tracks either. For better “stick” with any bar including stock, adjust camber, and for increased turn-in or straight-line/sweeper stability, adjust toe accordingly; the bar is not always the solution.

It is heretical sacrilege to suggest that a MCS is fun with only a wimpy 18mm bar and that under steer can be your friend or steering can be approached from another angle, so call me the bar agnostic. What I tell anyone that’s persistent about the desire for a stiffer rear bar is to get one and experience it first hand; it may be right for their/your driving style. The mod is reversible and driving experiences are evolutionary.

 

Right on K-huevo!

Another point that is often overlooked is macro tuning - springs and dampers. My rear spring rates are 335in/lb and the fronts are 280in/lb. I need more roll stiffness, but require less contribution from a bar than say someone with softer rates. I get enough rotation at this point in my set up with the stock rear bar. I need a larger bar to transfer some grip to the inside front wheel. No doubt, I'll need to add a little more rebound up front to keep the backend in check.

Sawybars should be used to fine tune...

 

wooha! that's a lot of stroke per lbs!

 

...stroke length...


...I didn't quite explain that properly, oh well, whats a mother to do? What I meant to write is, my particular spring rates require less contribution to over-all roll rate and roll stiffness from a larger swaybar. The Webb bar is on its way!

The car is finally handling pretty well.

 

I have a 19mm two position in the stiffest position. I am quite happy with it for the reasons already stated. I drive very narrow, windy, bumpy back roads and like the predictable handling. It is a big improvement over stock but still retains the same traits. I have stock springs, but replaced my shocks with Koni Yellow Sports at 36,000. Cost $150.-

 

i was just being picky. i knew you meant lbs/in. just thought
in/lbs was kinda funny.... that's a lot of distance for just 1lb.

 

Wanted to say Thanks for the replies! It helps to get info. / feedback from the people who really use what you are looking at getting. At this point I'm looking real hard at the H-Sport and H&R rear bars. Has or is anyone out there using an H&R 18mm on a MCS with other wise stock suspension. I hear the steel the H&R uses is alot stiffer than the stock 17mm bar.

Again Thanks for your time,
Randy

 

I didn't see a reply with my set-up. I have the DINAN 19mm (warranteed at DIDAN authorized dealers) on the stiffer setting, on an 06 MCS convertible. No other suspension mods except strut brace. I won't be on the track at speed. I like the stiffness, with retention of a bit of understeer. I may be looking at offset camber plates to help with turn-in, but no other suspension changes are anticipated.

 

I have had the Dinan bar on a couple weeks (set to the softer setting) and am very pleased so far. I am getting a tiny bit of "creaking noise" even with the rubber bushings and may try to address that with some lube. Haven't pushed it hard really but like the improved reduction in lean it has provided. Once I get a chance to push it harder I plan on testing the firmer setting also.

 

I have had both 19 and 22mm Alta rear sway bars and I can say the 22mm is the best way to go. The difference from stock to 19mm is not worth the money but when you go to 22mm the difference is enough to make the purchase worthwhile. I have mine on the stiffest setting and it really reduces torque steer and keeps the car flatter in tight turns. I don't track my car but will be driving it around the "Ring" this summer. My car is basically a daily driver with no other suspension mods except the rear sway bar. I wouldn't bother with a 19mm IMHO the cost to performance ration is not enough to make it worthwhile. Good luck

 

MGear, you are probably right about 22mm being better all around. But DINAN's 19mm is the only bar that (some) dealers will warrantee. I'm finding the stiffer setting to be sufficiently tighter to satisfy me.

MinneCS, I too hear the creaking. I will be taking it back to the dealer that installed it. I suspect they didn't lube it properly, as I believe mine was their first install.

 

There is a huge difference between stock 17mm and a 19mm. The car stays flatter, handles turns better but does not swing the back end around. I think the 19mm is the best bet for back road driving.

Many people get a 22mm thinking that there car handles better until they push it to the limits like at the track where they lift the throttle in a turn and spin out. Do that on a canyon and you will be over the edge.

 

22mm (or 25 hollow) is alright if you set it up right. I'm running the H-Sport comp on the softest setting and absolutely love it. Unless you get on the brakes while going hot through a corner, your not going to oversteer. I still understeer in most situations. I'll probably be trying the middle setting this summer to see if it's safe on the street. When I'm trying to corner hard, I tend to come in off throttle to get the rear unweighted a bit and then roll on throttle as I apex the corner. This allows me to use the advantage of the soft swaybar setting and still be in control without oversteering.

I'm not sure how the different settings of the 19mm would compare to a 22mm bar. All 3 settings might be less stiff than the softest setting on a 22mm. This would mean almost certain understeer and feel much like stock to most people.

 

does all the mc and mcs models have the same stock 17mm rear bars? (2006)


_

 

MC with sport suspension comes with 16mm and if you get the Sports Suspension Plus, you get 17mm rear bar.

 

Ok, my humble opinion... go for the H-sport comp bar. I have the ALTA 19mm bar and it's ok, but not great. I think a larger bar would be much better. I am going to switch my bar out to a larger one if I ever get off my lazy backside to do it! My 2 cents worth anyways... there are lots of threads covering this topic. Good luck with whatever you choose, it's a great mod to do.

 

In all aftermarket rear sway bars you will eventually get a "squeeling" noise usually coming from the left rear sway bar bushing. The material used for the bushing never seems to be the same material as the OEM so you will have to regrease it from time to time, no big deal. I have found though that ambient temperature seem to increase (colder temps) or decrease (warmer temps) the noise. Someone recommended wrapping the bar with Teflon tape underneath the bushing and I found out this has been a regular trick by race car teams. Not sure how long the tape will last but it's worth giving it a try. In fact I just might do mine this afternoon after the European GP.