triumphs
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [TR] tr3 best improvement

To: Ibsen Dow <flashtr3@cox.net>
Subject: Re: [TR] tr3 best improvement
From: "Randall" <tr3driver@ca.rr.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2008 05:41:23 -0700
> I am also going to wait for Randall to ring in on 
> this  subject.  I have read that rear sway bars on a 3A is a 
> no no because it  makes the car too twichy.

Well, I wasn't going to say any more, but since you ask...  TeriAnn is quite
right, most people seem to feel that a rear bar does not help on the TR3.
But I like mine.

My primary goal was to eliminate the rear axle hitting the frame in hard
turns, since to me that was the most negative aspect of the car's handling.
A better driver would no doubt be able to anticipate the sudden transition
from understeer to oversteer caused by the axle hitting (and the subsequent
skipping sideways), but somehow it was usually a surprise to me and I felt
it was really dangerous.  The C&D description "... would lure you into a
corner all cozily understeering ... then throw up it's hands and bumble off
backwards." seems like a perfect description.  And, since this was primarily
a street machine, I didn't want to lower the rear.

Adding roll stiffness to the front (through a sway bar and/or stiffer
springs) also increases understeer, while I felt the car already had more
than enough understeer.  Others may feel differently of course, but that's
my opinion.

What I have are the ADDCO bars (bought many years ago through JC Whitney),
but the rear bar has rubber mounts & links while the front bar has nylon
links & poly mounts for increased stiffness.  I could still push it until
the axle hit the frame so an even stiffer front bar was my planned next step
before the car was wrecked; but the current setup provided nice neutral
handling out well beyond where the original skinny tires would have broken
loose.

On the track is different; I might well have been faster with the rear bar
disconnected.  But on the street, I like it better with the bar. YMMV

No idea if it's still the case, but the rear kit ADDCO supplied did not fit
my TR3A.  Was setup for a TR4, which has more room between the spring
perches and the wheels.  But ADDCO promptly sent me some modified brackets,
and told me how to bend the bar, so the links no longer hit the wheels.

Although not at the top of the list, I will be moving both bars to my
project TR3, in time.

Randall
_______________________________________________

Support Team.Net  http://www.team.net/donate.html

This list supported in part by the Vintage Triumph Register
http://www.vtr.org


Triumphs@autox.team.net
http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/triumphs


http://www.team.net/archive

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>