Sway bar combos

[Emerald94]

My car is a '94 MTX and has a 24mm front sway bar and a 23mm rear one. I hear that when Ford came out with the ATX, most of the cars were getting all kind of sway bar combos because of the different suspension setups between the ATX and MTX.
My question is how good or bad is my setup. I've never driven another SHO with a different combo so I can't compare my car with others.
I always thought a bigger front bar would help with the understeer yet I see people using smaller front ones, saying it's better.

 

[twr]

I believe the general rule of thumb (atleast on mtx cars) is to always have a larger sway bar in the rear of the car.
Terry

 

[thebigjimsho]

About 6mm of separation, yes front should be smaller, should help in giving a neutral handling car. If you change to a 19mm front, that should help alot.

 

[gdsqdcr]

I have a 24mm in the front and 26mm in the back. I love it ... I got lucky on mine, came this way. =)

What good would it be for a smaller front sway bar?

Anthony

 

[thebigjimsho]

gdsqdcr:
I have a 24mm in the front and 26mm in the back. I love it ... I got lucky on mine, came this way. =)

What good would it be for a smaller front sway bar?

Anthony

It wouldn't be any good, unless we raced. Then, as I watch you lose tracion in the front and your car's front end plows away from the apex, I will be able to use my nice, neutral handling to get inside you, accelerate through the turn and away from you. The SHO was made to understeer, like most cars. That is the best way to keep the average driver out of trouble. If your front loses traction, you get off the gas and it regains it. Simple. My car is harder to control but you will have faster cornering speeds. Neutral is the way to go. C-ya!! burn_out

 

[viperrt450]

i heard that a 20.5mm and 26mm will give you a neutral felling car and maybe even a little bit of over steer. But you will get a little body roll with it. But if you go with a 24mm and 26mm you will have understeer still but less body roll. So it is up to the driver how they want their car to feel.

 

[thebigjimsho]

I didn't notice much body roll. Then again, I do have just about every suspension mod there is. My '92 doesn't roll anywhere.

 

[Porod]

I hate to ask a really stupid question, but how do you measure to see what you have on your car? Is it the diameter?

 

[Emerald94]

Use a set of metric open wrenches and crawl under your car.
Yes, it is the diameter.

Porod:
I hate to ask a really stupid question, but how do you measure to see what you have on your car? Is it the diameter?

 

[CharlieSHO95]

I would go with the 24/26 combo, which I believe is what the gen 1s have. A smaller front bar might be better for track driving, but a bit of predictable understeer on the street can keep you out of trouble. Even with a 24/26 combo, you can get lift throttle oversteer, which has almost put me in the weeds a couple of times when I've overcooked some turns. The best part for you is you already have the 24 mm bar in place anyway.

 

[PhysicsSHO]

gdsqdcr was very lucky to get a 24/26 on a '94! My 1995 MTX comes with 21mm front, 19mm rear (gaaah!)

The front looks really hard to change, and it seems 21/26 would be way mismatched, so I just acquired a 23mm rear bar.

What kind of difference will I see?

 

[AutoXSHO]

The 21/26 is actually a very nice setup for the street and track, as long as you don't do a lot of high-speed track events.

The 24/26 is too benign for autocross.

John V

 

[Porod]

AutoXSHO-what combo swaybars would be good for autocross? I tried an autocross at spring zing, and am hooked. If I am going to change swaybars, I want to use the best autocross setup. Thanks.

 

[DeaconBlue]

A lot depends on the bushing material as well. I also have the 20.6mm/26mm combo. With poly or TPR bushings front & rear I believe that the 22mm (SLO wagon)/26mm combo would be the most neutral for a MTX. I personally like the "playful oversteer" of the 20.6mm/26mm setup with full compement of poly bushings, but I won't trust the AWA driving it fast or in an emergency situtation. It can/will swap ends on you in the wet if your knapping. The ATX's are more nose heavy and may do better with the 24mm FSB. Also open diff vs. a LSD also makes a difference in FSB selection.

 

[AutoXSHO]

With an open diff, keep a smaller front swaybar. My 20.6/26 is playful, but with neutral tire pressures the car won't slide without work. I have the TPR bushings and HD endlinks in the back, but factory worn-out rubber bushings up front.

With an ATX the 22/26 would probably be a good setup; it also certainly will work on an MTX but I really appreciate the behavior of the 20.6/26. I can tune the tire pressure and with a few psi change make the car go from loose to neutral or vice versa.

John V