Printable Version of Topic

Click here to view this topic in its original format

914World.com _ 914World Garage _ Need to lower and add sway bars. What 2 do?

Posted by: 96740 Mar 15 2009, 05:25 PM

Need to get sway bars and lower the car. Nothing hard core, but solid and clean. I'm not going to be tracking it every weekend but I would like a streetable lower look.

What sway set up? What springs? Any more to it?

Roy.

Posted by: Vacca Rabite Mar 15 2009, 05:35 PM

Going to 140 pound springs in the back will lower the rear 1/2 inch, eliminate the need for a rear sway bar, and work well with a stock front sway bar.

Going to R50 tires instead of R65 will also lower the car a little.

There are LOTS of threads on lowering the front - 2 of them came up today counting yours. How low do you want to go?

Zach

Posted by: southernmost914 Mar 15 2009, 06:17 PM

How low you want to go and how stiff a ride can you bare. I running 180 rear springs no rear sway and a 23mm front sway, bumpsteer kit "A" arms adjusted level. It's bareable. This puts my front jacking donuts at 3.5 inches of the ground with 205/50/15s.

Steve

Posted by: 96740 Mar 15 2009, 08:31 PM

Just put new Kumho 195/60-15's on. The car has no sway bars but new Bilstein's. My guess was springs in the rear and torque down the torsion bars in front. What are the details of the "Bump steer" set ups? why and what is this?

Posted by: RJMII Mar 16 2009, 04:53 AM

The bump steer setup corrects the geometry for the lowered front suspension. When you hit a bump with the geometry off (from lowering the vehicle) the chain reaction from the tire moving in an upward direction in relation to the body of the vehicle causes the tie rod to move inboard, thus causing the steering wheel to spin. bump->steer.

Basically the kit is really thick spacers and longer bolts for mounting the steering rack higher to compensate for steering arm on the strut going higher/the car going lower in relation to the steering arm.

Posted by: blitZ Mar 16 2009, 05:40 AM

You might consider adjustable perches in the rear with coil overs. It's fairly inexpensive and will provide independent height adjustment in the rear so you can corner balance the car. The coil over springs are a bit cheaper and there is a large variety of loads to choose from.

I have a 22mm Weltmeister in the front with a bump steer kit. 175 pound coil overs in the rear, lowered and corner balanced.

Posted by: 96740 Mar 16 2009, 08:12 AM

Thanks guys. Learn something new every day.

Posted by: Dave_Darling Mar 16 2009, 10:45 AM

One of the main things to consider with a suspension setup is balance. If the front is too much stiffer than the rear, the car won't turn (understeer). If the rear is too much stiffer than the front, the car will like to spin (oversteer).

Additionally, in the 914 there are other considerations. A lowered 914 with a stock-type rear sway bar setup can bottom out the sway bar in a really hard corner, which then goes to a near-infinite rate. Not so good. It can also unload the inboard wheel to the point where an open diff will spin that wheel. Also not so good.

There are ways to overcome either or both of those, but they're not necessarily that easy.

Usually 914s past "a certain point" do without rear sway bars. They use the rear springs for the rear roll stiffness.

I have 150 lb/in springs on the rear of my 914, stock torsions and a 19mm aftermarket sway bar up front. No rear bar. The bar is slightly too small, I am running out of adjustment and still do not have an understeering car. For a mild street car, I think that 100 lb/in springs and the 19mm front bar would be a good match.

--DD