andykaz23

Hi

Will fitting just a rear 22mm ARB (and solid drop links all round) reduce body roll significantly? Or will it only dial out understeer, with reduced body roll requiring uprated front and rear ARBs?

Car is a classic UK Turbo.

Thanks guys

cusco kid

hi m8 what you want is 24 rear and 22 front -alloy d/links for a good balance
the biggest difference will be felt from the rear bar and links alter roll centre stiffness. when i get people asking me to set up their cars i fit the rear first then tell them to go play .they all come back with one comment (how does the rear arb+ d/links totaly transform the front of my car,turn in improved, roll decreased car feels much better ) then its on to the front and so on
i always say go try if your not impressed i will remove it .guess how many i have removed ? regards geo

andykaz23

Thanks for your reply - i know you are a very knowledegable guy for this stuff.

So 22mm rear arb and d/links all round reduces body roll, but upgrading to a 24 rear with 22 front makes an even more dramatic difference?

Cheers.

cusco kid

this will make a big difference .
we have tested 24 24 and have had great results also m8 geo

911

Not sure if I need to add to this, but 22 front/ 24 rear is (imho) the very best all-round combo. You can get some good balance changed for the road to the track, and even a good compromise for both!

It is good fun to try other combinations (I've tried 27/24 in the dry), but 22 only on the rear is a bit 'half job done' and Geo is absolutly right.

Do the job right, once: 22/24 with solid rear links.
Then go out and get used to it all and try the 3 hole positions starting with the soft first (hole closest to the end of the bar)

This is the chassis change Subaru should have done in the early 90's.

andykaz23

Sorry, bit late replying to this, dont think me rude!

So you also feel that 24r 22f is suitable (infact better) for road use? And you feel only the rear d/l needs to be replaced?

911

About right.
if you have alloy front lower A arms, then you will have solid front links (shows where the factory thought help was needed as they left the rears in plastic).
The rear links change to steel and add the 24mm to the rear, 22 to the front.

If the front 22 has 2 settings (not all have) use the 'soft' hole setting.

The 24 rear usually have 3 holes to choose from. The soft hole is the one to start with.
The car will be nice, a little understeer, but nice.

The hardest hole will deliver far more oversteer and can be nice and 'nervey' which some like. (not me)

Most end-up in the middle rear hole and for me that is nice and neutral with no hero moments you hope you can control.

I'm not young enough to think I know everything, so a neutral chassis that works in dry and rain seems good to me.

Here we are at full tilt in the dry, 22/24 middle hole (and a whole lot of mods and slicks)

The car is flat out in 4th with 370 bhp and dccd etc:
DropShots.com

See how flat it hits the bend?(about 100mph, track speeds are very deceptive) No drama just speed and I took Class win, class record and went on to clinch the class Championship!

The real trick is to set the car the way YOU like it, not me or another, so you need to experiment!

andykaz23

Thanks for the reply - nice vid footage!

I was worried that the 22f 24r may make it a bit harsh on b roads, but at the same time, i want to improve all round grip, not just reduce the amount on the rear... For this reason i am prob trying to decife between 22/22 and 22/24. Your thought s certainly help.

I must admit i thought the DL on my UK classic were plastic. If this is the case i assume i should beef those up as well as the rears (if i change the front arb also)?

Thanks again for taking the time to post such a detailed reply, your opinions are being thoroughly considered

911

The performance of the links at the REAR are quite critical, but IMHO are nor paramount. to performance.

The rear links on all classisc are 'C' shaped. When loaded as the car corners hard, the flex and are a spring in their own right. Seeing as we want to stiffen and tighten control, rigidity is engineered into the system by going to steel or alloy 'C' links.

Now, to the front, the links are plastic, but very short and straight, thus more stiffer and probably fine with the 22mm bar.

It is interesting though that subaru changed the plastic links to steel ball/rubber links when they did the STi and the lighter/stronger alloy lower A arms, but left the rears as WRX plastic!

Overall the metal front rear links are better IMHO. At least you know they are stiffer.

I ran my racer on Whiteline Australia's suggestion 5 years ago on 22/22mm bars, and the car was great, but the rear bar was on the max stiffness setting.
The 24mm rear gives you a bit more space to play which I needed for racing.

In dry conditions I've successfully used 27mm front / 24 rear!

You have to try things.

with 22/22 or 22/24 you will find on B roads a little 'giggle' in the chassis as the road surface is far fron billiard table true, but spring/damping rates are far far more important.

Ammusingly, I feel that stock Sti suspension is prob the fastest on real UK B roads (country lanes), and i know that such a spec is terrible on a track!

Everything is a compromise. Be sure you know what you are willing to surrender to gain.

andykaz23

Good advice, thanks.

All i know is that i cannot tolerate the existing body roll, and i would accept increased NVH etc if it dials out some of the roll.

911

Then do this:

22/24 bars + steel links.
Camber bolts in the rear
ALKit
Take the car to a real chassis specialist such as Powerstation or Mocom. (there are others)
Put good tyres on

Drive the car for a few days/week to really get used to it, then change one thing on the bars, then drive for a time etc.

I am assuming the rest of the car is in good condition, esp the dampers.

andykaz23

I should also add i have limited funds

Fitting new rear shocks / springs in the next week or so hopefully as i think they were worn / mismatched (dont ask). Will be standard uk suspension though as i like the ride it provides on uk roads.

Thanks again, think i may well go for the 24/22 combo as i can see it being the one i'm least likely to regret ie wishing i had gone for something a bit more dramatic

911

Sounds a plan to me.

The stock suspension is a very good mix for a road car.
I am sure you will be back for more!

Graham

andykaz23

Thanks for all your advie. You are probably right, i will end up more ploughing more funds in to the suspension (and all other areas) in the end