Well, I'm looking into having my camaro handle a bit better. I am just looking for something that will make an overall improment for cornering. I won't be doing any auto crossing or road racing. I was looking at the BMR 32/21 sway bars and the 1LE 32/21 sway bars. The 1LE is much cheaper than the BMR, but BMR says theirs are 40% stronger? Is this true, and if so, is it worth getting the BMR over the 1LE. Also, what do you guys recommend for what I am looking for...... a better handling street car.

 

I can't tell you what bars to get, but I can give you some info.

Calling the 32/21 bars "1LE" is wrong. When GM first brought out the 4th gen in 93 they wanted to go out and win SCCA Showroom Stock races. They developed the 1LE package to do that (no A/C, etc.) The first cut at swaybars was 32/21. After about 20 cars and some real world experience, they decided that was not the hot setup and went to 32/19s and stayed there for the duration. 99% of the 1LE cars used 32/19s. 1LE bars are 32/19.

Bigger is not better. The front bar (and front springs) provide 90% of the roll control. The rear bar tunes the handling by setting the proportion of weight transfer that goes to the front and to the rear. There is a correct rear bar size for your car and where it is driven. Too big is worse than too small.

You can go overboard on roll control. With stiff lowering springs, it is all too easy to make the car so stiff it will be twitchy, particularly in wet weather. Think go-cart.

 

I come from the school of thinking that says control the roll with massive sway bars and use softer springs. I came to believe in this after I install all of Herb Adams equipment on my 1980 Trans Am. It ended up being one of the best handling cars I've ever driven.

As you can see I use a 35mm bar on the front. I think the biggest front bar you can get is best (I'd get larger if someone made one!). You then use the back bar to tune (or tame, depending on how you look at it) the understeer or oversteer you are comfortable with. I use several different rear bars (I have a 21.5mm and 19mm) just for that. I haven't tried the 25mm rear bar (Sam Stranos seems to think it's too large, who's to argue with success).

What I've discovered (and what all the top guys already know) is that proper shock control is critical in controlling the motion from the bars and springs. Get the BEST shocks you can afford. Talk to Sam to get his ideas about those.

Just keep in mind that your springs, driving habits and expectations come into play here.

 

Well, like i mentioned before, it's mainly for better street handling...... just shootin the turns and curves. Would I be best off just getting the BMR 32mm front bar and leave the stock rear bar?

 

A 32mm will be fine but if that's what you're going to get, I'd search for a 1LE bar that someone might be selling. It would be a lot cheaper. Too bad you're in San Fran, I'd sell you mine!

 

Nice set-up Steve, very similar to mine after I install Sam's pile of goodies! I also have some Borbet type Ts with Kumho Victoracers - I am dying to get out and hit the autoxes here in the Sacramento area.

 

How do you like your T2R??? Never can have TOO much traction!! PLUS cambered?? How much did that cost to have done, just curious? Do you know how much camber you ended up with?

Yea, I haven't raced (except once) since '91 when I won the SEDiv C Prepared Championship. I'm going to be VERY rusty this time around!!!

 

All the other posis suck compared to the T2R - I have been through a lot of them! Not breaking them, just trying to find a good one for my third gen race car which I am running a Truetrac in right now. After one race I am very unimpressed with it. I think I am going to either have to get a Detriot Locker or a spool ( have a Dana 44 on that car). The fastest drivers I race with all weld their spider gears together. I just can't bring myself to do that, and their cars push, which I don't like. Such a dilemma! If only the T2R were made for the F-body Dana 44!

 

But how 'bout your '97? Have you autocrossed with the T2R? I understand that a lot of the top cars in ESP used that diff. (I know one that swears to it!).

 

Minor point, in 93 the 1LE package didn't include the stiffer springs found in the 94+ cars. Hence the reasoning for the larger rear bar.

So its:

93 - Stock springs (292lb/in Front, 114lb/in Rear) , 32/21mm bars

94+ - 1LE springs (360lb/in Front, 130-170lb/in Rear), 32/19mm bars

 

Steve, the cambering was done by Matt Adams in Carmel Valley, CA - $500. You will notice the difference, however, I would make this the last thing I spend $ on. I can't remember the specs on that, sorry!

I hear that the T2R is what you need to win ESP or whatever SCCA is calling that class these days.

 

He's not related to Herb Adams is he?? Sounds like something that Herb use to recommend.

 

Matt is Herb's son.

 

I should have known!!!!! I use to use all of Herb Adams parts on my '80 Trans Am and it was probably the best handling car I've ever driven. Herb knew his stuff (of course, he should have, he designed the 2nd Gen Trans Am!).

Do they still make any parts for F-bodies?

 

"Minor point, in 93 the 1LE package didn't include the stiffer springs found in the 94+ cars. Hence the reasoning for the larger rear bar."

Yes, the springs changed, but they _both_ went about 20-30% stiffer, the front only slightly less so than the rear (because of the progressive rate, it's hard to be precise here). The rear bar stiffness was decreased by a whopping 50%, while the front bar was unchanged. That suggests that the rear bar change was more a handling adjustment than a simple response to the spring change.

In any event, making 32/21s sound good by calling them "1LE" is still a crock.