Handling: Most bang for the buck?

[bigchillcar]

hello all,

i'm a bit more familiar with mods for 'straight-line speed'...road handling mods, not so much. i'd like to hear some comments from you guys on the 'best bang for the buck' to improve road handling qualities in the corner.

here's what i've got:
stock suspension on a 1974 911 coupe with 15x8 fuch wheels and four 185's for rubber. shocks are stock replacements.

where would 'ya start? new shocks? wider tires? torsion bars? sway bars? changing the camber? just would like to hear what you guys have done and any and all opinions.

[island911]

Lowering. . .no parts needed => no $'s needed.

. . .the stock US ride height was a bit silly.

[Jack Olsen]

Stage One: 205/225 rubber
Stage Two: 21/27 torsion bars and new shocks
Stage Three: Swaybars, bushings, strut brace, etc.

[Clark Griswald]

If you do the work, lowering is the best bang for buck. But the most profound change will be from shocks. Then tbars.

[island911]

Perhaps you can expand on what balance your looking for, or what you feel is lacking in the handling.
Improved road handling/corner quality is rather dependent on the type and condition of the road your traveling.
When I take my 81 to the SUV roads of Seattle¹, I feel like I should be wearing a kiddney belt. Most everywhere else, it's just about right. If the road is a smooth race track, then I want it set it up like a go-cart.
2¢ worth

1) they've been working hard these last 20 years to fix the problem "spots" and they're just about done. . with the study.

[campbellcj]

Tires

BTW do you really have 15x8's? That's kinda big for a stock 74. Very big for 185's. You can fit something like 235's or 245's on 8's.

Cheers,

[masraum]

most bang for the buck, lowering (can't beat free if you do it), tires (since yours are so small try a tad bigger and sticky), shocks/struts, torsion bars, sway bars. I think you could see the most dramatic improvement from tires especially if you increase in size. If you don't want to lower the car yourself but you do any of the mods besides the tires then you can have the car lowered, corner balanced, and aligned when they do the other work.

I'm surprised no one else has mentioned this yet, but track time would also be at the top of the list, of course, that's not exactly what you were asking for, but it's still actually valid.

[rattlsnak]

Jack,. 21/27 torsion bars??? No wonder you lean so much!! go with 23/31. MAJOR difference.....

[Jack Olsen]

21/27 was what I was suggesting for him, not me.

I think 23/31 makes sense for the heavier cars. I have 21/30 right now. Neither my wife nor my CD player would be able to cope with much more than that.

[autobonrun]

Tires, shocks, torsion bars