Torsion bar size, factory or upgrade...? Options

[MarkG]

Didn't want to hijack the sway bar thread, so here is MY question looking for advice:

'76 2.0 ...... I have sitting at home waiting to be installed: Bilstein shocks all around, 165 lb springs and 22mm front sway bar (and of course Turbo tie rod kit, new ball joints and soon Elephant A-arm bushings). Have new Falken 195/60-15 tires.

Question: Street car only, should I upgrade to larger torsion bars or will stock be o.k. on a non-AX car, but driving in the Rockies......?

[nebreitling]

i'd vote for stock. there are even a lot of AX guys who run stock tbars, and just compensate with sway bars.

i'm only going heavier because i don't like how much brake dive i get in AX, but it will probably kick my ass on the street.

[anthony]

For a mild upgrade you can go with 911 a-arms and stock torsion bars. They are 1mm larger than stock 914 bars and they should be relatively inexpensive.

[TravisNeff]

It looks like the parts you have are in line with how most poeple upgrade with stock torsion bars. I think your setup would be great for a street driver. If you do decide to upsize your torsion bars, you may (or may not) have to change rear springs not long afterwards.

Set it up and drive it, if it feels as though it needs changing, visit it then. It will cost you an extra alignment at that time. But it may be money well spent if you were to go hog wild and find that you went overkill on what feels right to you.

[TravisNeff]

Oh, you can also get torsion bars in different flavors than the standard 21,22,23

You can get them in 19 (from a 911) you can get 20mm (or maybe 19 too) from troutman

[mskala]

19mm is only available for the 911 a-arms, different splines
from the 4-cyl. And I personally wouldn't change out the
a-arms just to go from 18 to 19 mm. Seems like a lot of
time and money.

[kermit]

Mark,

As a street only car, I'm rather surprised that you're even doing as much to the suspension as you plan on.
When I bought my 914, it was totally stock and very comfortable to drive - anywhere.

Now that it is an AX-only car, with the suspension pretty well setup, I never drive it around anymore, except to and from events.

Definately stay with the stock torsion bars. Sway bars you can always loosen, so that's fine. Bilsteins are great shocks and not quite as harsh as Konis, so that seems fine too. 165lb springs? Are you sure. Stock springs are allegedly around 100#, but I've heard that they are acutally in the 60-70 range. Most autocross people use 140#. I have 180#s and they are pretty darn firm for the weight of a 4 cylinder.

Turbo tie rods are a great upgrade.

Bushings are pretty severe in the comfort department. I'd just put in factory rubber ones to drive on the street.

Just my two cents...

[MarkG]

Thanks for the input guys......

Kermit: I also think I should have gone with the 140lb springs.....oh well.

I live in Colorado Springs and do a lot of twisty mountain road driving. I have always put handling and stopping power ahead of horse power when I do upgrades to my cars.

I did the same thing I talked about here on my 911 (bigger torsion bars in rear and front, Bilsteins, Turbo t/rods etc.) and had the Weltmaster plastic bushings (Elephant stuff was not available back in those dark ages) etc. and loved the ride.

Of course all of this is a moot point until (if?) I get it on the road!!

[Triaddave]

food for thought, i bought a 75 car that came with the 911 front end, didn't know it until i tried to install the 22mm torsion bars, wouldn't fit. there is a one spline difference between the two, went with the 23mm for ax.
ps. no records of that front end being replaced...stick it in the car gunther.

[Joe Ricard]

I have been Autocrossing since last August. 8 events Drove to all of them. Pretty crappy roads around New Orleans.
Stock torsion bars, 150lbs rear coil overs Adjustable koni's all around. Weltmiester 21 front bar and stock rear bar. Poly bushings in control arms, trailing arms and sway bars. Little rough on the street Pretty nuetral on the AX track. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/driving.gif) My buddy said he could see daylight under the tires after one certain bump on I-10 All I know is I went UUGGHHH! when I hit.