Sway Bars For Street Use

[zzmac]

Time to start planning some winter projects.....

What's the latest opinion as to the best sway bars upgrade (which manufacturer) for my SPF? This would be strictly for street use.

From your experience, will the modification be a dramatic improvement or barely noticeable (or somewhere in between)? Remember, street only.

Thanks in advance for your input.

[DSM351]

How "spirited" is your street driving? And how old is you car, the earlier your car, the more benefit to upgrading?
r

[Mark IV]

The "RT" system from Cobra Valley is very good. We can supply if you want.

[zzmac]

The car is a 2005. I'm not sure how spirited my driving is. Most of my spirited driving tends to be in a straight line but that could change with new sway bars.

[Silverback51]

I will second the RT bars from Cobra Valley. It's a night to day difference.

[zzmac]

Is the night and day difference felt on the street or on the track? If it's on the street please go into more detail.

[zzmac]

.........bump

[jhv48]

I plan on ordering their shocks and sway bars in the near future.

Would like to hear from anyone that has them already installed.

[emberglo66]

There are several recommended upgrades you will want to make.

1. Rear shock mounting brackets. developed by RT (must do upgrade)
2. RT Sway bar upgrade kit
3. Ball joint upgrade.

All available from Cobra Valley Parts & Accessories for Ford 427 Shelby Cobra, AC Cobra, Superformance, FFR, ERA, Unique, Contemporary and more

Also think about joining SCOF it’s the Superformance Owners group. Years of information and experience

Welcome to SUPERFORMANCE.ORG !!! Home of all things Superformance®

[zzmac]

Originally Posted by emberglo66

There are several recommended upgrades you will want to make.

1. Rear shock mounting brackets. developed by RT (must do upgrade)
2. RT Sway bar upgrade kit
3. Ball joint upgrade.

All available from Cobra Valley Parts & Accessories for Ford 427 Shelby Cobra, AC Cobra, Superformance, FFR, ERA, Unique, Contemporary and more

Also think about joining SCOF it’s the Superformance Owners group. Years of information and experience

Welcome to SUPERFORMANCE.ORG !!! Home of all things Superformance®

I've already done the rear shock mounts and will be doing the ball joint upgrade for sure.

The RT swaybars seem to be the most popular but I was just hoping for a more in depth review of the difference they make on the street as compared to the originals.

[Ralphy]

Curious, has anyone ever used an adjustable blade sway bar?

Ralphy

[Silverback51]

To me the sway bars resulted in less body roll and sharper/quicker turn in.

Prior to the sway bar installation (they were back ordered at the time) I upgraded the shocks and springs to the QA1's. I run them fairly stiff as I'm willing to compromise a little comfort for the handling.

Now for a question in return. What tires do you run? Truthfully, if you run a tire like the Goodyear GTII, or BFG rags, then it's a waste of money to upgrade other suspension parts, as the tires are the weak link. And the above is my opinion. Others may agree or disagree.

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

For street use, I'd leave the rear sway bar off. What it does is keep more weight on the inside rear wheel with high-speed tight cornering (almost the same effect as higher rated rear springs), preventing weight transfer and making the rear end loose, something you don't want in a Cobra. It's great with soft rear springs and smooth roads, or on a high-speed race track with race tires, but may not be too desireable with standard or stiff rear springs on normal roads. Remember those old films with Ken Miles driving the Shelby Cobras on the track with lots of body roll? He didn't use a rear sway bar. He let the chassis do its job.
With that said, every Cobra is different and every driver has their own preferences, and with all the different chassis setups available, there's no hard rule, but just because you have a rear sway bar doesn't mean you'll have a better handling Cobra. Less is more.

[zzmac]

Yes, I'm running Goodyear GTIIs on my car.

I wanted more insight and I'm getting it but now it's getting confusing....

Upgrade.......No Upgrade......or No Sway Bar at all???

[Buzz]

Originally Posted by ZOERA-SC7XX

For street use, I'd leave the rear sway bar off. What it does is keep more weight on the inside rear wheel with high-speed tight cornering (almost the same effect as higher rated rear springs), preventing weight transfer and making the rear end loose, something you don't want in a Cobra. It's great with soft rear springs and smooth roads, or on a high-speed race track with race tires, but may not be too desireable with standard or stiff rear springs on normal roads. Remember those old films with Ken Miles driving the Shelby Cobras on the track with lots of body roll? He didn't use a rear sway bar. He let the chassis do its job.
With that said, every Cobra is different and every driver has their own preferences, and with all the different chassis setups available, there's no hard rule, but just because you have a rear sway bar doesn't mean you'll have a better handling Cobra. Less is more.

Words of wisdom right there. Depending on the type of driving you do and what roads you do it on, stiffening up the suspension to remove all traces of independent articulation and body roll may not necessarily be the most satisfying way to go.

[zzmac]

Originally Posted by Buzz

Words of wisdom right there. Depending on the type of driving you do and what roads you do it on, stiffening up the suspension to remove all traces of independent articulation and body roll may not necessarily be the most satisfying way to go.

Do you recommend removing front sway bars as well?

[akfish]

I had the Goodyear GTIIs on my car, I put on a set of Avon’s and the vibration at 65-70 mph went away, but what would you expect from an oval tire vs. a round tire ?

[Buzz]

Not at all, but it really depends on your particular setup and how you want the car to handle and feel. I opted not to install the rear bar on my Unique and I really like the long travel and articulation that keeps the rear planted during sharp transitions and accelerating hard out of tight turns on the twisty, uneven roads down here. My handling is nice and neutral - the only time the rear end breaks loose and swings out is when my right foot tells it to. Also, at lower speeds, with the rear wheels only a foot behind my seat, I appreciate the more supple ride over imperfections in the road.

Even a normal drive in the Cobra here is like negotiating a non-stop slalom course.

EDIT TO ILLUSTRATE

In the recent thread about frame stiffness, many owners proudly declared that their rear tires come off the ground as soon as they jack up the front on the same side. The accompanying pictures showing almost no articulation in the rear suspension boggled my mind. No wonder everyone talks about how twitchy and treacherous Cobras are!

I'm proud to say that I need to do a good bit of jacking at the front before my rear tire clears the ground. The frame goes up all right, but the rear tire stays planted until the available suspension travel is exceeded. To me that's the whole point of having independent suspension. Just because one wheel lifts due to dynamic forces or surface irregularity doesn't mean the others have to come unglued as well.

[zzmac]

Thanks Buzz. Some interesting points to consider.

[Bobcat]

Buzz ... just curious , did you ever run the car with the rear bar connected ?
Now you have me thinking about my own car with IRS and factory rear anti sway bar .
Off the subject , but do you still like the Edelbrock carb you went to ??

Bob