New user upgrading 1980SC Targa suspension..

[thulsadoom]

Greetings all.

Question is - for a daily street driver (LA traffic - ugh), learning canyons, who wants better handling, what do you recommend??

1. Decent rubber.. already there (16" sp8000 all around)
2. Turbo tie rods (and steering rack!).. already done.
3. K&N air filter.. done.

To Do:
4. Bilstein sport shocks, front and back.. sounds like an idea.
5. Short shift kit.. ditto.

Now... I presume sway and torsion bars might be considered next (but I do like the fillings in my teeth to stay there). Sway bar bushings.. rubber, urethane, polycarb? How about a strut bar - will it really matter?

Also, what's up with the MSD ignition system (I've never had any problems with the car, so I'm not hoping to fix anything with it, just improve)???

... Then there are always things like Hella H4 ($100), Heatsheet ($70, cant hurt, can it?), Arm rest / cup holder ($160).. Beuler.. Beuler?

Thanks for any advice!!!
-John.

[Vipergrün]

Torsion bars, perhaps 22mm front 28 or 29 rear. Lower her if not done already. I have 22/28's and Sport shocks all the way around. Ride is great, and I drive her daily on SoCal freeways. You could also go for the 7" fuchs up front and 9" rear $$$.

Before you go the MSD route, try adjusting your timing and mixture. Do a search, but you can set timing to 35 degrees max advance at 6K RPM's and richen your CO to 3.5%. This will definately help out your power band. Lose the stock exhaust and go with SSI heat exchangers and a dual-in/out muffler.

You have mentioned 300+ bucks in lightweight (yet practical) upgrades, that's a good start on some of the stuff above..

Have fun!

[911SC Pilot]

Useful topic. Thanks

[thulsadoom]

Brad, thanks for the info. Sounds like we've got blood brothers (sisters?) here.

Ok - so you recommend stiffer torsion bars, say 21-22/27-28. Looks like that's going to be Sway-A-Way for about $625.00 or Weltmeister for about $800 (with tax) - and that's without installation ($1000 total easy, eesh!!).

So, you think thicker torsion bars over Weltmeister sway bars (about $900 done)?

What do you think of a strut bar.. do they really help, or just take up space in the trunk?!

What is your hesitation about the MSD system - it seems like a great idea.

Thanks again,
John.

[thulsadoom]

Well... I finally found the correct search terms to answer my newly posted thread. Should have spent more time mining the board first.

Thanks all who posted to this one last december...
Torsion bars and sway bars...which one!!??

Pretty clear to me:
- tires
- bushings
- shocks (sport only for torsion bigger than 22/28?)
- torsion
- sway, only after much fun with the above

I'm a little unclear on all the bushing possibilities. There's rubber, PolyGraphite, polyurethane (?), mono ball something or other...

Oh, and I've heard surprisingly little about strut bars.. what's up with that, they're cheap enough, right (although I do like my trunk)?

Thanks.