New T-Bar install: How Low Do I Go?

Hi everyone,

I have two new sets of Torsion Bars that are going on my 72T, but I need to know how low to set the car?

I am going to Autocross it, and drive it on nice weekends. I do not mind a LOW slung look; but can I adversely affect the suspension geometry if I am not careful on ride height?

What are some advantages and disadvantages to a low ride height?

Can I go TOO low?

Where do I measure to once I get feedback on ride height?

thanks in advance,

chris

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chris collier
collier@iglou.com

72 911T
(RS wannabe)

Well, this is my 2 cents. On my 72 that i auto x, I have i5" rims with 50 series tires. I have almost the whole 9 yards. What i mean by that is adj. sway bars, adj. spring plates, adj shocks, 29 and 22 torsion bars-blah, blah, blah..... My stock fenders overhang my tires by about an inch. This is with neg. camber in the front and rear. I have no scraping of the tires on the fenders. I even have wheel spacers-1\4". The only prob i have on the street is, was, the front spoiler(rsr) soon to be rs's', scraped the ground on some drive ways if not navigated properly and, some pot holes. I would say that my car is about 4" lower than stock. This car is still driven on the street but, limited. It's a harsh ride. Not many people like to be driven in the passenger seat on the road unless it's a white knuckle ride up the mountain.

So the harshness of the ride is directly related to the diameter of the T-Bar, not the height, correct?

So no matter how the height is set, the torsion bar determines the ride?

chris

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chris collier
collier@iglou.com

72 911T
(RS wannabe)

Well, a few things determine the ride. If you lower your car, your car will not travel up and down as much as it would like thus, your shocks do not dampen the ride like they would like if you had the stock ride height. Swaybars also do not allow the car to move like it would like, also limiting the way the car moves up and down, plus side to side. Swaybars will cause the most stiffness in my mind if they have solid conections to the body, a-arms and spring plates. Torsion bars will also make your car stiffer when cornering and also traveling up and down. Stiffer shocks also contribute to the ride. Plastic bushings will also add to the ride plus sometimes they squeek. Before installing bushings, make sure you push them into place, take them off and file any edges off that cause them to bind.
If your installing torsion bars in the rear, i would buy adj. spring plates. This will make it so easy to adj. the ride height. Do it once, do it right. Tires-the lower the profile, the stiffer the ride. Tires are the key to a great handling car. I run yoko a032r's in the rear and Kuhmo victoracers in the front. The kuhmos in the front are stickier thus no more understeer. the yoko's in the rear enable me to slide the rear out when i want
I did all my suspension work in increments to see what had the most profound effect on my car. Lowering and swaybars were it for me.
It just depends on how far you want to go. Good luck and have fun.
P.S. Buy adj. spring plates, I can't say that enough