7 replies to this topic

[shinerwright]

Hi all,

Just wondered which anti roll bars to go for. On minispares the adjustable ones say for race use only i'm guessing there are different types.

Kad are adjustable but are they suitable for road use?

Minispares are fixed but are they compatable with adjustable tie bars and shocks and hi-lo's?

I got adjustable tie bars, adjustable spax shocks and hi-lo's and it's going to be for road use mainly, can anyone point me in the right direction?

Also are there any mods needed to install them?

Many thanks in advance,

Martin

[shinerwright]

Has anyone got anti roll bars on theirs that they can recommend?

[Cooperman]

Rear anti-roll bars are for race cars as they improve the 'turn-in' to allow you to get back on the power sooner. For road use they really don't do a lot except to make the car oversteer more and a well set-up Mini will handle fine on the road without one. It is more important to have the suspension settings correct.
What are you hoping to improve with an anti-roll bar?

[phil hill]

I had the MiniSpares rear anti-roll bar on my fast road car which I occasionally used on track, until it broke. Nothing to do with the bar I hasten to add, simply lack of maintenance on my part.

My reasoning for fitment was that when I looked at some pictures of me on-track in corners there was a lot of body movement (roll) at the rear of the car, which when changing direction tended to unsettle the car into understeer, but it also unsettled the front due to the degree of lean, such that when applying power out of the bend the unloaded inside front wheel would spin. The car had 13" wheels (which I know Cooperman hates, sorry Peter !!) and the suspension was adjustable and had been set up by Paul Brown of Brownspeed racing so I knew the rest was up to scratch.

I guess the long and short of all that is that I was pushing the envelope of the car in a controlled way on-track, and yes fitting the rear ARB helped on subsequent track outings providing it wasn't wet........

If you are reading this and thinking what the hell is this guy on about, then I would suggest you don't need an ARB !!

If you are asking which ARB is the best for my purposes, then the KAD ARB is a very nicely made piece (fitted one to a race car which is currently in Ireland) as are all KAD items, but it comes at a price.

The MiniSpares ARB is a decent product at a decent price. There are pros and cons to each design to the point that I am going to make my own in future based on the best elements of each design.

They are both available as fixed or adjustable, and much like adjustable dampers you have to ask yourself how often will I adjust them and how easy is it to do so. For race use where you set the car up to each track and the conditions of the day, adjustment is invaluable. For road use how often do you really need to adjust it, go on now be honest with yourself !!

All the above is my opinon only.

Phil.

[shinerwright]

Thanks for your advice.

The reason I was considering having ARB was because my boss at work said I should get some but I don't plan on taking it around a race track, so it is only going to be used as a fast road car. Also most modern cars now have got ARB so I thought it might make it better.

So from what I understand is that there are no advantages of having a front or back ARB unless I plan on racing it. Just to get the suspension set up correctly should be fine?

Thanks again,

Martin

[Wil_h]

'my boss said' classic!!

ARBs effetively increase the spring rate during roll, so on a modern cars they are very useful because you can run softer springs for a comfy ride.

On a mini the suspension is so hard in the first place that ARBs aren't really needed for road use. I've never felt the need, but I do have them on my hillclimber.

[SMP]

I will try and report back my observations in a few weeks time - when the SKY should be back on the road.

Just fitted P&L springs because the old donuts were shot.

IF the body roll is unacceptable I will have to decide between ARB or selling the springs and getting some new donuts - perhaps the minispares red dot ones (or whatever they are called). If I do go down the latter route I will be able to give a comparison between new donuts and new coils springs - not aware that anybody has done that yet.

Steve

[shinerwright]

Ok thanks all for your advice, I will go without which also saves me some money.