To Be...Or Not To Be..?. Rear Anti Roll Bar?
Discussion
I have had various suspension types and mods but always retained both anti roll bars.
I currently run 450/400 springs.
The standard diameter ARBs are iirc, 19mm and 22mm, stiffer at the front.
I now run 22mm and 25mm giving a very slightly improved lack of roll when cornering at speed, probably un noticeable at road speed.
I did experiment with removing the rear ARB as it was said that many people that do the speed championship DO remove them.
I tried and the car handled worse, thats a big defo!
As a comparison to other cars, I took part in the RideDrive limits handling day at North Weald two years ago, got the second fastest time on the sprint course, (part of a second behind a Nissan GTR} out of about 20 cars.
Also, Tim Davis, (a Tuscan race champion) who was there, drove my car and said it was the best handling chim or griff that he had driven and he drove most cars on the sprint course that day!
Just saying
HTH
I currently run 450/400 springs.
The standard diameter ARBs are iirc, 19mm and 22mm, stiffer at the front.
I now run 22mm and 25mm giving a very slightly improved lack of roll when cornering at speed, probably un noticeable at road speed.
I did experiment with removing the rear ARB as it was said that many people that do the speed championship DO remove them.
I tried and the car handled worse, thats a big defo!
As a comparison to other cars, I took part in the RideDrive limits handling day at North Weald two years ago, got the second fastest time on the sprint course, (part of a second behind a Nissan GTR} out of about 20 cars.
Also, Tim Davis, (a Tuscan race champion) who was there, drove my car and said it was the best handling chim or griff that he had driven and he drove most cars on the sprint course that day!
Just saying
HTH
Precats didn't have a rear arb - but tvr must have added one on the 500s and chimaeras for a reason - the original '92 road tests were never very complimentary!
There was also a sports chassis option with thicker arb diameters at some point. I'm guessing the track cars running without are set up with rock hard Spring rates?
My 97 car with arbs and retuned blackdown bilsteins seems less likely to want to kill me compared to my old 4.3 from what I remember. I'd fit one if it were me
There was also a sports chassis option with thicker arb diameters at some point. I'm guessing the track cars running without are set up with rock hard Spring rates?
My 97 car with arbs and retuned blackdown bilsteins seems less likely to want to kill me compared to my old 4.3 from what I remember. I'd fit one if it were me
andy43 said:
Precats didn't have a rear arb - but tvr must have added one on the 500s and chimaeras for a reason - the original '92 road tests were never very complimentary!
This is very true and many pre-cats (including mine) were modified to add a rear ARB by dealers not long after delivery.Simon
Leave it off & try it to see what you like. As stated precats don't have rear ARBs as standard & mine does pretty well without it. Without rock hard springs.
phazed said:
I have had various suspension types and mods but always retained both anti roll bars.
I currently run 450/400 springs.
The standard diameter ARBs are iirc, 19mm and 22mm, stiffer at the front.
I now run 22mm and 25mm giving a very slightly improved lack of roll when cornering at speed, probably un noticeable at road speed.
I did experiment with removing the rear ARB as it was said that many people that do the speed championship DO remove them.
I tried and the car handled worse, thats a big defo!
As a comparison to other cars, I took part in the RideDrive limits handling day at North Weald two years ago, got the second fastest time on the sprint course, (part of a second behind a Nissan GTR} out of about 20 cars.
Also, Tim Davis, (a Tuscan race champion) who was there, drove my car and said it was the best handling chim or griff that he had driven and he drove most cars on the sprint course that day!
Just saying
HTH
So then Peter, when are you actually going to demonstrate how good a handling chim or griff yours is by having a go at the Speed Championships & show us all how to do it?I currently run 450/400 springs.
The standard diameter ARBs are iirc, 19mm and 22mm, stiffer at the front.
I now run 22mm and 25mm giving a very slightly improved lack of roll when cornering at speed, probably un noticeable at road speed.
I did experiment with removing the rear ARB as it was said that many people that do the speed championship DO remove them.
I tried and the car handled worse, thats a big defo!
As a comparison to other cars, I took part in the RideDrive limits handling day at North Weald two years ago, got the second fastest time on the sprint course, (part of a second behind a Nissan GTR} out of about 20 cars.
Also, Tim Davis, (a Tuscan race champion) who was there, drove my car and said it was the best handling chim or griff that he had driven and he drove most cars on the sprint course that day!
Just saying
HTH
griffdude said:
So then Peter, when are you actually going to demonstrate how good a handling chim or griff yours is by having a go at the Speed Championships & show us all how to do it?
A very good point!Unfortunately a project that is adding to my retirement fund has left me running on less then empty..............
I have promised myself next year before I get tooooo old!
I am doing the odd TD and in fact, weather permitting I am doing Curborougfh this Friday, and Shakespeare Raceway on Saturday to uphold my fastest RV8 TVR position, (all challengers welcome!).
griffdude said:
Leave it off & try it to see what you like. As stated precats don't have rear ARBs as standard & mine does pretty well without it. Without rock hard springs.
Second that, '93-430 here, drove well before, had suspension rebuild, odd track day, 'enthousiastic' driver, car now has had a corner-weigh and geo and drives even better, I don't feel the need for a rear ARB........(contrary to popular belief, adding one will make the car not less oversteering, but more understeering....) When I removed mine, handling was worse, which way, oversteer/understeer I can't remember!
I did have a drop link shear on the front during a sprint day. This effectively was the same as "no front" ARB.
This gave entertaining "nose in" on light throttle then "tail out" on large throttle, entertaining but worse times!
I did have a drop link shear on the front during a sprint day. This effectively was the same as "no front" ARB.
This gave entertaining "nose in" on light throttle then "tail out" on large throttle, entertaining but worse times!
To support Phazed's comments I replaced my completely shot original drop links with a set of Leven rose jointed ones and all I can say is there was a marked improvement in handling.
Basically like Peter my anti roll bars went from doing nothing... to working as designed, within the couple of hours it took me to fit the Leven drop links I was able to make a before and after handling comparison.
All I can say is there was a massive improvement in how tight and confidence inspiring the car felt, I don't track my Chimaera so I can only speak with confidence regarding the improvements in the "on road" behaviour ... but the improvements were genuine and significant.
A set of Gaz Gold Pros with uprated springs replacing my tired original Bilsteins plus a set of Leven drop links all round and the handling of my car was transformed from vague and under damped to to taut and confidence inspiring.
Personally and following my drop link experience I would never consider removing the anti roll bars on my Chimaera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_liGnV3PTiQ
Basically like Peter my anti roll bars went from doing nothing... to working as designed, within the couple of hours it took me to fit the Leven drop links I was able to make a before and after handling comparison.
All I can say is there was a massive improvement in how tight and confidence inspiring the car felt, I don't track my Chimaera so I can only speak with confidence regarding the improvements in the "on road" behaviour ... but the improvements were genuine and significant.
A set of Gaz Gold Pros with uprated springs replacing my tired original Bilsteins plus a set of Leven drop links all round and the handling of my car was transformed from vague and under damped to to taut and confidence inspiring.
Personally and following my drop link experience I would never consider removing the anti roll bars on my Chimaera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_liGnV3PTiQ
Mine has been sat in the corner of my workshed since I broke a wishbone bracket in about 2003/4. The car immediately felt way more balanced and progressive (had a couple of lairy end-swapping moments prior to removal and before it broke but never a repeat since); it will not be going back on any time soon.
May be more a function of all the flex in the standard set up making its effects inconsistent or non-linear (weedy bar, flimsy failure- prone bracketry, and rubber loaded drop-links), and have no experience of a more rigid set up (I gave up after the bracket fractured and after destroying a shockingly inadequate set of aftermarket drop links that were simply dire in terms of design and quality - thankfully no longer peddled and certainly not the Leven ones which were not then available). But, as inflicted by TVR on mine at least, the thing was a disaster and its banishment to a dusty corner was well-deserved.
May be more a function of all the flex in the standard set up making its effects inconsistent or non-linear (weedy bar, flimsy failure- prone bracketry, and rubber loaded drop-links), and have no experience of a more rigid set up (I gave up after the bracket fractured and after destroying a shockingly inadequate set of aftermarket drop links that were simply dire in terms of design and quality - thankfully no longer peddled and certainly not the Leven ones which were not then available). But, as inflicted by TVR on mine at least, the thing was a disaster and its banishment to a dusty corner was well-deserved.
Edited by Pupp on Tuesday 12th April 06:33
A complete range of opinions - interesting stuff. Makes me wonder whether disconnecting the rear bar drop links (it's only a couple of bolts?) and going for a drive is worth doing, to see what effect it has. Or is adding more influence with stiffer drop links the way to go? Which gives more consistency/predictability?
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