Fascinating Christmas Thread ...
Just bringing 1 more datapoint to the party...
elancoupe wrote: Tony Thompson email:
"Hi Mike
Antiroll bars are decided by how much grip you have so.
Std or Road work use standard bar. Road tyres have no real grip.
The reason is simple you do not generate enough grip to need to reduce the roll of the car. Never fit a larger bar to a road car it destroys the handling by causing dangerous understeer. The straight on syndrome especially in the wet.
We advise to keep your standard bar.
Cheers,
Tony."
2cams70 wrote:Stiffer front relative to unchanged rear (sway bar and/or springs) = more understeer
Stiffer rear relative to unchanged front (sway bar and/or springs) = more oversteer
Stiffer shocks will change the transient response of the car but not the ultimate steady state balance.
Handling is SO subjective - I'm not so much into outright grip as 'well balanced fun' - Using pretty standard road tyres 155/80 (Firestone Multihawk 2) I've been playing with ride heights and anti-roll bar diameters, to replicate 'the handling joy' I remembered form several earlier Elans.
Long story short (assume geometry, pressures etc all OK) ... Adjusted ride down about 1" to Wishbone level front and rear with TTR (medium) ARB3/4" ( 0.75" 19.05mm), this gave slightly sharper steering at 60-70mph and, at first, seemed to sharpen up the steering.
BUT once (after lockdown) I got to favourite quiet test area (empty private industrial estate @ w/e with a variety of bends and straights
) where I could rally push the outer limits of the not so grippy tyres. I was disappointed with with understeer - I could force the rear out but it was not the natural balance I'm sure we all love. mmmmmm
So, as the above posts, which matched my previous experience, I went back to the original soft ARB : 11/16" (aka 0.688" aka 17.46mm), with standard front springs and rear springs adjusted in height .... and finally, after rebuild and electricery, balance at the limit of the tyres is exactly as I remembered: front and rear gently drifting together, with the option on push either end out more with throttle and steering ..... wonderfull !
I guess super grippy / wider tyres, thicker ARB's and stiffer springs might help with lap times, but
for me, not necessarily smiles.
Having got back to base, I will continue to play with adjustable damper settings. I also still have a quicker moss rack to try with steering Ratio 12.24 vs standard 13.98. Steering ratios are fascinating and distinct from grip and balance - but may well swap back if it is a 'negative' improvement