The Dodge Challenger Message Board

I have a set of Big Block torsion bars off a GTX and was wondering if they will fit, and if so if they will help the cornering without to stiff a ride or any other adverse effects.Thanks. Paul.

B and E bodies both use 41 inch bars. The thicker the bar the higher the spring rate. The higher the spring rate the better the car will corner but the stiffer the ride.

It is foolish to mess around with suspension rates unless you have a fair idea about what you are doing.

Some people (americans in particular) prefer to increase the sway bar size and keep the torsion bars and rear springs near the original spring rate so that the ride does not feel too harsh.

In the rest of the world it is normal practice to increase both the sway bar diameter and the main spring rates.

You also need to keep the front spring rates in line with the rear rates. The factory did not do this very well but you can.

If you just increase the front spring rate by adding a sway bar and stiffer torsion bars without beefing up the rear springs and adding a rear sway bar then the result will be massive understeer on your car.

Read this very good book on the subject; Super Street Mopar

dave, may i ask why you specifically called out "americans"? haha. And by the way you worded it, i will assume you do not promote keeping a small torsion bar w/ a large sway bar. why is that?

I am offended Dave. I can run my stock .92" torsion bars with a .875 sway bar under the 340 without a wimper.

I guess the unibody may help cushion the ride though.

Jon

LITEMUP wrote:dave, may i ask why you specifically called out "americans"? haha. And by the way you worded it, i will assume you do not promote keeping a small torsion bar w/ a large sway bar. why is that?

American cars have always had their suspensions tuned more for comfort than handling, whereas European cars generally have suspension settings that give better handling but less comfort (besides, that's a necessity with European roads).

There are exceptions of course, but that is true for all mass-produced cars.

Handling will be better with a stiffer torsion bar (don't go overboard though, or else the frame rails and crossmember will be doing the torsion bar's job - not for a long time). Don't go any stiffer than the stock BB bar.

Comfort is a job for the seats, not for the suspension.

It is just that you Yanks like a soft ride for your pampered bottoms!

Plus you have that many dirt roads of course. Something that you don't see in the UK at all or in the more civilised areas of Europe.

But that is true that there is a strong argument in the US on the subject of suspension ratings vs sway bar ratings. Most other places prefer a much stiffer ride to start with.

I was driving a small hire car (import) in Canada a few years ago and tried to drive around a 90 degree bend at the bottom of a highway off-ramp. I took the bend at 35-40mph which in the UK would have been no problem at all in the same car model.

I couldn't believe the body roll and I struggled to get around the bend. I can only assume they fitted softer springs for the US and Canadian market.

so the verdict is....get bigger torsion bars for the handling perspective. disregard the fact that it will ride rougher. and if im unhappy about the roughness, then address the problem w/ the seats, not the suspension. right?

dave-r wrote:Some people (americans in particular) prefer to increase the sway bar size and keep the torsion bars and rear springs near the original spring rate so that the ride does not feel too harsh.

In the rest of the world it is normal practice to increase both the sway bar diameter and the main spring rates.

...and what about the Challenger then? An american car with a suspension setup that is more like european cars (compared to an average US car)? Or am I totally wrong there? (What I have in mind is that Challengers have fairly stiff torsion bars and a not so stiff sway bars, compared to average US cars.)

fbernard wrote:Comfort is a job for the seats, not for the suspension.

My decision with my car was to uprate both the springs/torsion bars and the sway bars by the same amount. In my case 30%. Thus preserving the balance on the componants. Except at the rear where it didn't originally have a sway bar. Boy did it need it. Chrysler later admitted that.

Also remember that even a front sway bar was optional on most US cars right up to the early '70s. Some Challengers and Barracudas never came equipped with one. Something that seems incredible to us from "other parts".

But if I had to drive a lot on the kind of pot holed, dirt, back roads like the ones around my sisters place in Canada then I would by wanting a softer ride too.