So I get my FRPP handling pack installed (not bad, did a driveway install along with my adj panhard rod, still got the UCA to go), took about 5.5-6 hours and all I needed to get was a deepwell 21mm socket and some spring compressors. Got it on, checked for loose items and whizzed around favorite road to see how it worked; A bit rough, but not intolerable, however I set the front bar to the middle position. where its supposed be a bit more neutral in handling, although it didn't seem that way (of course this may just be me, but I've still gotta check the alignment afte rI get my camber kit in and installed) on the middle setting I noticed a bit more understeer going around my usual set of turns.

Also the instruction set seemed to be kinda confusing

a) Full Rear (Softest setting)

• /reduces under-steer
• use in rain or slick roads
• use on rough terrain or bumpy roads
• increases comfort

b) Mid setting (street performance) - this is where I'm at now

• tuning out under/over-steer
• for normal driving conditions
• dry street driving
• use with additional trunk weight

c) Full forward/firmest setting

• Reduces over-steer
• use on dry roads and tracks
• do not use on wet or slick roads

It almost seems that the reccomendations are reversed? Typically you want to tune out under-steer and go for neutral handling or a bit of over-steer, that latter of which can make the car hard to control if you go over the line (most if not all cars are designed with some degree of under-steer)

Has anybody messed with the front bar after the intial setting? And if so, what are your thoughts?

 

I used to have this swaybar. Not sure what you mean by the reccomendations being reversed? If you want to reduce understeer, go ahead and try the softest/rearward position. Although it's not necessary, you really should get an alignment before swaybar tuning.

 

Do you have the instructions electronically ?

 

No, but those are the reccomendations almost verbatim from the instruction sheet.

 

I will as soon as I install a camber kit (not gonna pay somebody to do such an easy job, I can have the struts out in 30 minutes and I've got the tools to slot the strut myself) after I install the kit, I'll take it in for an alignment. Do you have a reccomendation (given that this is my daily ride)?

As for the instructions, its always been my observation that under-steer isn't the best way to negotiate a turn (or at least to me, I find it bothersome when the car tracks an arc and the nose wants to slide out).

Perhaps I'm just reading into the instructions wrong? They could be written with only the effect the front sway bar alone rather than the dynamic of the whole suspension, which is the point of view I was taking.

ie;

Under-steer = compromised handling (not nessecarily bad, but not the quickest set-up for a car), considered

Neutral-steer = generally prefered provides the best handling in most cases for most people, but car is less stabile in adverse condtions.

Over-steer = can be good or bad, but also promotes the least amount of stabilty in adverse condtions - really only for a skilled driver.

This of course is the frame of mind I had while reading the instructions. If the instructions were written with only the effect the bar had at the front and not the car as a whole, then that would make more sense as written.

 

firestone has a lifetime alignment for like 130 bucks. I went with that and I am not sorry.

 

How do you adjust them, I had my kit installed but want to make the changes myself. Do you need an alignemnt after the install

 

The kit I got is really just a heavy duty version of the regular old camber bolt ( I like the Steeda model better where you insert the little blocks which have the nessecary offset in each insert).

If you have the camber bolts, then you just loosen the bolts which attach the strut to the spindle and rotate the bolt, its an eccentric and moves the spindle relative to its upper attatching point, changing the amount of camber the spindle has (as opposed to the older cars where you actually changed the inclination of the whole strut - hence no need for caster/camber plates on the S-197 cars).

Glen, I was talking more about the install portion of the camber kit - no need to pay somebody an hour or two's worth of labor for something I can easily do myself, I would have to get the car base-lined at an alignment shop, but afterwards I can adjust the camber myself since the camber kit has a reference point on the side plates and the eccentric is degreed (oddly it has 8 marks over 3 degrees which works out to .375 of negative camber per mark).

 

I put my camber bolts in the lower hole to start with. When I went to the algniment shop the guy changed them to the upper hole. It took him less than 5 minutes to do that. No need to remove the tires to change them.

 

I was thinking more of how do you adjusting the bars,

 

I would set my camber for the street at between -1.25 to -1.5 and toe in about 1/16". Never had any abnormal wear with these settings.

Yes, I think the instructions are just describing the general effects of the different settings. Too many variables such as springs, alignment, tires, weight distribution, etc., etc. to expect a particular swaybar to make your car "neutral". Swaybars are really for fine tuning after you picked your springs, tires, alignment, etc. For example, I use a front swaybar that is about 25% softer than stock and no rear swaybar based on the rest of my setup.

 

Thats interesting both sets of instructions I have indicate using the bottom hole (elongate the bottom hole and use the the eccentrics)

 

Sweet, i'll keep that in mind after I have the suspension checked for alignment.

 

I didn't have to elongate the hole either. Hmmmmm

 

You always want a slight bit of understeer (stable) as opposed to oversteer (unstable) for high speed cornering. Probably getting close to neutral is sweetest.

On the rear bar, moving the link forward, makes the lever arm longer and the bar softer. On the front, moving the links rearward does similarly.

 

I thought you didnt need a spring compressor for this kit. MM7FF said the spring sat nicely on the strut with no clearence issues.

 

you at least need the compressor to get the stock springs off.

 

You better believe it! if you don't your going to have quite a surprise when you take that strut mount nut off !!!

 

Well you wanna use a spring compressor, I borrowed one form Advance (had to put down 50 bucks but I got it all back), the PITA part is trying to get the nut off of the strut while preventing the shaft its attached from spinning, you can take a wrench and a rachet and do the same thing, but an impact wrench makes it easy, I dont reccomend putting it back on with an impact in light of the fact that the nut is a torque to yield piece.

Rad, the rear bar has no adjustment, just the front

I got a chance to stretch the cars legs tonight on the way home, its a nice curvy two lane road built atop what amounts to a swamp so its a bit bumpy due to the chainging condition of the soil, but its a good place to test out this kind of stuff since its got a nice esse that runs into a long curve then you got to haul it down for a tight kink onto a short straight leading into a fast curve onto the end of the road ( the entire length is very deceptive when viewed from google earth - might trace it out though and post it). Anyways with the old set-up once you hit 90 or 100, the car bounces a bit and reduces your confidence in the cars ability to track properly, I noticed tonight (and just driving to and from work the ride was noticably harsher and I feared that I would have lost alot of compliance relagating the car to smooth roads at high speed) that the car seemed to come into its own at the higher speeds, I hit 110 and the car was noticably more controlled over the bumps and through that long curve prompting me to take it a bit deeper before I normally hit the brakes, then I hit the brakes hard to slow down for that kink (hard enough to feel the KDWS tires squirm under the load), thats when I notived the next area for upgrade, the brakes, under normal driving they dont wobble, but man when really hauling it down they sure do shake then - I guess they are warping do to the high heat build up and its mono construction (1 piece rotors espand unevenly due to differing thicknesses) or maybe they are just warped, but I digress.

All in all the car felt like it had less understeer (might try the next setting to see what it produces) and felt better at speed, I didn't get a chance to check my speed through the esse nor the kink, but coming off of the fast curve I had about five more MPH.