From: Dave Darling [darling@simlab.arc.nasa.gov] Sent: Monday, May 24, 1999 10:27 AM To: wayne@pelicanparts.com Subject: Re: [914] Rear Sway Bar: Leave on or off? >Date: Mon, 24 May 1999 09:55:14 -0700 >To: d9142liter@earthlink.net >From: Dave Darling >Subject: Re: [914] Rear Sway Bar: Leave on or off? >Cc: "914" <914@rennlist.org> >Bcc: >X-Attachments: > >At 12:54 PM -0700 5/22/99, d9142liter@earthlink.net wrote: >>I have a 1973 914 with Khoni adjustable shocks in front and rear adjusted >>to firm. The previous owner left the rear sway bar off the car. Will I get >>better handling on the street or autocrossing with it on or off? Thanks for >>any info guys/girls. > > Depends on the rest of your suspension setup. Everyone told me that >I should remove my factory rear bar a few years ago, even with a totally- >stock (factory sway bars) suspension. I tried disconnecting the rear bar >for a few autoX runs. I decided that I liked the car with the bar connected >a little better. However, quite a few people like the handling better with >the bar removed, even on a stock car. > The consensus among the Porschephiles listers (yes it was that long >ago) and the local racers was that there probably wasn't a large difference >in actual times. It was more of a "feel" issue. > That changes when you start upgrading the rest of the suspension, >though. If you put on stiffer rear springs, you will want to remove the rear >swaybar. The springs will give the car the roll stiffness that it needs, and >should not lift the inside rear wheel like the rear swaybar can. They also >don't bottom out as easily as the stock rear bar does--and that DRASTICALLY >changes the rear roll stiffness when it does... > > Unless you can get a rear bar easily (and cheaply!), I'd suggest >leaving the car as is and polishing the loose nut behind the steering wheel. > >--DD > Dave Darling 74 914 2.0 (decapitated) darling@simlab.arc.nasa.gov "OFF WITH ITS HEADS!"