[4Canada]

Have you considered the Intrax ones?
Debating these or Nitrons.

 

[4Canada]

Thanks for the clarification, GMS.

We know that you don't BS or needlessly criticize products from anyone. And your opinions are valued here. Regardless of what Nitron might have to say about them!

You could have just posted a picture of the way they look, and said "this is after being serviced, and only driven once on salty roads", but instead gave us a very fair description the first time.

I hope that the clarification post above mine was completely voluntary, and not coerced in any way by them.

 

[4Canada]

That’s my thinking too. Nice to know others more knowledgeable than myself think the same.

He gave me the same advice a year or more ago. Lose the swaybars and go with R1’s. I tend to agree. Considering the Intrax, also, but just the one-way.

 

[4Canada]

I have the upgraded sway bars and going to be installing the R1s soon. What’s the reason to lose the sway bar? After I installed it, the difference was immediately noticeable. The cars handling improved greatly.

Swaybar only prevents body roll. It basically leverages the shock on the side that is not under compression (the "inside" shock absorber) to help take the cornering load - so that entire end of the car (front or rear - acutally happens with both, but front and rear independently of eachother) squats rather than the body rolling. This does keep the centre of gravity closer to the car’s longitudinal axis. There are other effects relating to suspension geometry because of that (not always favourable). You no longer have a truly independent suspension at each corner. But in essence, it makes the springs stiffer with respect to roll by compressing the inner spring with the old one. Hence, the alternate term :"anti roll bar".

Adding firmer springs/dampers should negate the need for the swaybars, laterally. In addition, it also:

• saves weight - the bars are heavy!
• returns true independent 4 wheel suspension.
• the inside wheel maintains its camber setting during cornering.
• because the inside wheel is no longer tied to the outside, you reduce wheel spin on corner exit.
• you reduce/remove the dive / squat (movement around the lateral axis) from braking/acceleration. Swaybars do nothing to address this, which is a big problem with our cars.

Adding swaybars to the stock base suspension is helpful (Alfa even did it, after spring 2015).
Adding the race suspension is an improvement to base - it has better shocks (or at least they are a different part number), and 1mm thicker swaybars.
But both versions of the shocks/dampers are still too soft for the track.
I'm forced to run the base suspension without a rear swaybar (limitation that @GMS has saddled me with due to the otherwise fantastic exhaust of his - he is promising to address this), and the car leans like a torpedoed battleship in corners.
But once I upgrade to Nitron or Intrax, even single adjustment, I do not expect to need the swaybars anymore.

None of this is particularly critical on the street, but if you are on track with sticky tires and 1+G corners, then it matters. At stock height with almost stock tire sizes, I get rubbing of the fender liners on several corners on track. I don't dare lower the car or add wider rubber until this is addressed, for fear I start interfering with body panels!

Rudi, buddy, I tagged you not so much to rib you about the muffler, but to add your two cents as you have a lot of knowledge in this area which I for one would like to absorb!

 

[4Canada]

Stock height, 1G corner, base OEM suspension with rear sway bar deleted, front sway bar upgraded to Alfa Track Pack version (1mm thicker):

 

[4Canada]

Is this general advise I might also take? With the KW V2? The chaps are still waiting for my coil overs to arrive so I could tell them to ditch the sway bars.

I’m going to let the experts respond.
I would think it depends largely on how stiff the KW’s are, and what you will do with the car.

 

[4Canada]

I will put a link in the DIY and Technical Reference thread, but no, I do not consider other people’s input as pollution. There are lots of good questions and comments throughout this and most theads.