Anti Roll Bars

[Mazzini]

The XAS FF were a great tire especially on the road. This was many years ago and they were one of the first 'track day' tires with a soft compound in road legal construction you could get. The modern tyres such a the 175/60 x 13 Yoko A048R I use now are far superior but for a traditional profile tire on an Elan the XAS FF is great if you don't do a lot of miles as the cost is high and the wear rate high also

The Dave Bean Spring Rates and bars are versus standard as follows:

Standard - 0.688 inch bar and 75 lb/in Front , 68 lb/in Rear spring rates.
High performance road - 0.750 inch bar ( you can use standard plus 2 bushes) and 115 lb/in Front and 95 ln/in Rear ( I tried these but ended up with a 7/8th bar when the car was still regularly used on the road still)
Road race - 1 inch bar and 160 lb/in Front and 125lb/in Rear ( I use these rates but with a 7/8th bar for my Elan these days as it is basically a track only car, you can use them on the road but it does get a bit harsh!)

TTR's fast road spring rates will be similar to the DB high performance road and a 13/16th inch bar from TTR or 3/4 inch bar from DB is getting down to personal preference. I ended up with a 7/8th bar when the car was still set up for the road as well a sprints and hill climbs as in this situation I personally prefer a car a little softer on the springs but with a stiffer front roll bar given the state of our roads and tracks here in Australia.

cheers
Rohan

Thanks Rohan! I think I'll start with the TTR ARB and see where that takes me. British roads are in a fine state of repair...cough, cough.

[Mazzini]

Rohan,
I've followed your suspension/ARB advice on my S2 and S3 and i can honestly say it's transformed the cars
Many, many thanks!
Rob

[rgh0]

Glad it has worked well

cheers
Rohan

[twincamman]

Geee. I would be aware of bolting into 18 gauge mild steel ...ed

[rgh0]

The anti roll bar mounts into the chassis seem to be one of the few places that don't crack --- Chapman obviously used to much metal there

With bigger anti roll bars the more likely failure point is the connection on the bottom of the damper from what I have seen, especially if you get up to around 1" diameter bar.

cheers
Rohan

[Greg Cozier]

Rohan, what dampers, springs and A/R bar would you suggest for a rally car on rough roads like Ireland?

[rgh0]

HI Greg

I would try the fast road setting I listed above as a reasonable starting point.

i.e. 115lb/in front 95 lb/in rears and a 7/8 inch front roll bar. Also make sure your rear aeon rubber springs are in good condition. As you are rallying I assume you will be setting the ride height fairly high for ground clearance so a 30mm spacer under the aeon rubber springs would probably help to make sure the come into action soon enough.

cheers
Rohan