smart racing roll bar install

fredmeister · fredmeister's Garage

Does anyone have experience with the front and rear sway bars from smart racing?
I am interested in their performance versus Tarret or Weltmeister roll bars.
I am really interested in photos of how they install on a front of the 911 or 930 Turbo.

Any install information is appreciated.

911pcars · 10-20-2006, 11:59 AM

I doubt if anyone could perform a blindfold test and determine the brand of sway bar installed. Besides, driving blindfolded would require installation of air bags and a roll cage.

Other than that, there's a quality issue as the price differences indicate. How much does this quality translate into a cost/benefit formula only you can decide based on your budget, actual needs and bragging rights. The difference might be in the geometry and the ease and range of making adjustments (although adjustment for most users is a one-time "set and forget").

If you're a track guy, I'd probably suggest one of the higher quality kits. For street use, it's a wash and up to you.

As for installation, they're all the same.

Sherwood

Cory M · 10-20-2006, 12:37 PM

Do a search - this exact topic comes up about twice a month and has been discussed in great detail several times.

randywebb · 10-20-2006, 01:30 PM

agree re the search - I also recall that one brand wieghs a tad less

and the SRP rear bar hangs down in the back a ways more than the others.

I'd say the contest is between SRP and Tarrett; I wouldn't waste time on the Weltmeister (which is what the PO put on my car - still there tho). The welt also uses US sized allen wrneches for one adjustment. Hate that...

Jeff Alton · 10-20-2006, 04:34 PM

The Tarett bars are much much lighter. I have used both. They are both good quality products.

Cheers

jhelgesen · 10-20-2006, 06:27 PM

I would suggest mounting the front srp bar about 1/4" rearward from the factory location, keep from interfering with the gas tank, at least for the 31mm bar.

Susp upgrade (sway bar porn install)

89turbocabmike · 10-20-2006, 06:32 PM

I have the SRP and the quality is incredible, well worth the extra cost IMHO. Good installation instructions also. The rear bar does hang down quite a bit and I was concerned about it scraping, but after 1 year of daily driving and countless speed bumps, not one scrape....and my car is really low.

don911 · don911's Garage

I put on SRP bars a few months ago. Quality is top notch. I think the front installation on the SRP bars is a little different than the tarrets and requires tank removal. At least I couldn't figure out a way to install the inside plate without tank removal.

lateapex911 · 10-20-2006, 07:21 PM

I second and third the Smart comments. I too tried to do it without tank removal, but in the end I decided that it would be faster to just suck it up and pull the tank (a5 minutes) than it would to dork around further.

I took tons of pics, and can post if you'd like.

Garen · Garen's Garage

I have the SRP bars as well. Awesome product. I installed them on my '87 930, and did take the tank out. Even though draining almost a full tank of gas (did this prior to spring, so couldn't drive the car!) was a pain, the effort paid-off, since it was easier to align the collars while sitting in the gas tank cradle.

The rear mounts for the bar on my 930 needed to be lowered by 1/4 inch, to clear the trans. This could just be a 930 thing, if I recall correctly.

Also, it would be very wise of you to upgrade the rear chassis mounts to the WEVO units (also from SRP). The stockers WILL break. Trust me...

Garen

lateapex911 · 10-20-2006, 07:35 PM

Oh yea, Geran is right, I almost forgot...get the WEVO mounts!!!!

fredmeister · fredmeister's Garage

Thanks for the info......I was mostly interested in seeing the front sway bar mounts to the lower control arm with the SRP set-up. They seem to not use the stock U-tab on the control arm.....makes it not necessary to remove it? This is what I am not sure about and wanted to see pictures of it.
John Helgesen provided a great link to some photos thanks.
One othere question is the rear and front sway bar interchangeable with the SRP. If I used a heavier sway bar for the rear versus the front, would it be possible to swap them around if the car needed it?

Garen · Garen's Garage

Yes. The bars are interchangeable. That's another benefit to these bars. You can get rid of the U tab. It is no longer used. The SRP drop link attaches to the diagonal bar. I'll try to find a pic for you.

Jeff Alton · 10-20-2006, 08:06 PM

The SRP mounting to the a-arm is a good design. It allows you to mount it to late arms without having to modify them at all.

Cheers

lateapex911 · 10-20-2006, 08:17 PM

Here's a view of my installation, showing the mount to the a arm. It's a two peice mount that clamps with two socket head cap screws. Super clean.

MaquinaVerde · 10-21-2006, 07:29 PM

I just installed the Tarrett front bar today and it went in very easily and seems to be of the highest quality. My car was never equipped with a front bar so I did have to do a little bit of "adjustment" to the factory mounts to get everything lined up and moving smoothly. I wasn't able to adjust the drop links or take a test drive since the car is mostly in still pieces. In a few months when I get the car back on the road I'll know how it works....

randywebb · 10-22-2006, 11:57 AM

re the wt. differences mentioned above...

1st - this is not a hugely important location re wt. savings.

2nd - I talked to Tarret via Email on one comparison between his and SRPs bars and the SRP one werre actually lighter. So, if you care, then check each particular configuration - don't just rely on broad claims.