sway bar initial settings

[Trond]

Hi !

I'm just having my Comptech/SoS sway bars installed on my 92 NSX. I've got a set-up as seen in my signature. What initial settings should I go for ?? (These bars have 3 settings both front and rear)

SoS web says the front bar is 100% stiffer and rear 159% than original. Should I then go for an initial front medium and rear soft to obtain original over/understeer caracteristics ??

I do most street/some track driving.

Thanks !

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92 Honda NSX, Style Auto body kit (fully repainted incl. roof), Bilstein/Comptech suspension, RH AL 8x18/10x19'' rims with 225/40 & 275/30 Yokohama AVS Sport, RM Racing air inlet/exhaust/gearknob, Comptech cat. pipes, Cantrell CF engine cover, Taitec CF mirrors, AP Racing 330mm brake kit (f&r), SoS sway bars, Taitec hub, SoS CF brake air ducts, Momo steering wheel, DC Sports headers.

[This message has been edited by Trond (edited 20 August 2002).]

 

[salontools]

I would email Scienceofspeed. They are on this site.
I have Dali street bars and set both bars in the middle hole of the three.
I have less understeer, but just enough to make it safe from snap oversteer.
Bob
'94 All Green / Tan

 

[Trond]

I already e-mailed Chris, and I probably have his answer by tomorrow morning when I come to work (we're some hours ahead of you guys).

Always nice to have more than one person's view though

Thanks for any further advice !

[This message has been edited by Trond (edited 20 August 2002).]

 

[nsxxtreme]

I have the comptech set and don't notice any difference over stock.

 

[Trond]

nsxxtreme: What settings do you use ?

You feel no difference in body-roll either ?

(I guess the sway bars SoS have now is the same Comptech's you use)

[This message has been edited by Trond (edited 21 August 2002).]

 

[Edo]

No difference over stock?
Send it to Morgan and ask him to set it to the stiffest setting. If you don't notice a difference than either A)You don't drive fast enough to notice, or B)Your Internal Roll sensor is bad.

 

[Trond]

Got my car back from the dealer today, and I can sure feel the difference between my Comptech sway bars and the original ones.

The car feels more responsive in side-to-side movements, and the little annoying "slack" feeling I sometimes noticed in my suspension left front, is now gone

Will be interesting to see about body-roll and over/understeer when I have a chance to go to the tracks.

 

[Hrant]

Make sure that the collars they came with the sway bar are tight and not secured over the Teflon tape if that is what they wrapped the sway bar before securing the bushings.

Did it come with 4 collars (one collar per bushing) or 8 collars (one on each side of a bushing?

At a very recent tech session, 3 out of 4 Comptech sway bars on cars driven on the track or moderately aggressively, the front sway bars had moved ....... this was noticeable where the Teflon tape had worn off from back and forth sliding ...... and all 3 had one collar per bushing and it was secured over the Teflon tape ...... we believe two collars per bushings (one on each side) over the bare metal should solve this. Better, a welded washer a la Al Terpak's invention for the DaliRacing sway bars should be perfect.

The 4th one was installed recently, it was too new and had not been driven aggresively yet.

Also on 97+ models 3 of the 4 front sway bars were hitting the edge of the battery tray perhaps from sliding ....... this was also noticed on yet another NSX with another aftermarket sway bar. We believe this explains the clunking noise some of us are hearing on hard turns or G force transition between Ss on the track ..........

Comptech has been notified of this observations. The other vendor was notified last year again after a Tech inspection session.

We have now incorporated these observations on our Tech inspection form.

 

[MiamieNeSeX]

I also have the Dali street/track bars and am using the middle holes on both front and rear, great performance on the track and still fun to drive on the street.
Good Luck
Armando

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White 1992

 

[Trond]

Hrant:

There was one collar (metal) over each bushing.

Do you mean there should be no teflon tape between the bar and the bushing ?

Honda did the installation, and I have to check what they did. I didn't bother to read the instruction manual myself (stupid indeed...) as I though there was only one way to do this.

Thanks

 

[Hrant]

The "metal" collar you are referring to is the one that goes over the bushing and has holes to bolt to the frame. That is not what I am referring to.

What Al found out during auto crossing a few years ago - when Dali and RM were the only two making stiffer after market sway bars - is that the sway moves .......!

So Al came up with metal washers or barckets that are secured either inside or outside the bushing to stop the front sway bar from moving. Mark at DaliRacing incorporated this with a permanent welded washer, while Comptech sends 4 clips.

See the Dali sway bar with the washer at:
http://www.daliracing.com/v666-5/catalog/suspension/more_sway_race1.cfm?swaybar=race

Now as to the Teflon tape, that is a better alternative that the slimy grease because it attracts less dust, sand, dirt ........ but cut the excess Teflon tape before you put the clips. And ideally while one should have been enough, one on each side of the bushing would be even better given the observation we had.

 

[Trond]

OK !

I noticed the roll of teflon tape and 4 clips that looked like plastic (?)

Again: I have to check what the Honda dealer actually did, 'cause they are not experts on anything aftermarket (nor OEM NSX, if u ask me...)

Should the teflon be wrapped on the bar, in the bushing area only, and if some tape is just outside where the clips should be, this should be cut away, right ? (Clips straight on metal/bar)

Would, what seemed like plastic clips, prevent the bar from moving ?

 

[Edo]

Comptech's bar's do not come with the Shaft collars. You need to buy them from someone.
Al Terpak as mentioned earlier sells for for a couple of dollars I think.

Dali's Sway bars come with the collars welded to the bar itself so there is no need to buy collars.

If you just bought the bars from CT and had Honda install them there will not be any shaft collars on them.
These collars are excellent in arresting that irritating side to side motion delay that the NSx has in its stock form.

Although I have heard that if your car has the Non compliance rear beam and toe links you will notice less of a difference.

 

[Hrant]

Originally posted by Trond:
OK !

......... so far so good

I noticed the roll of teflon tape and 4 clips that looked like plastic (?)

........ yep. when you say 4, is that total 4 or 4 on the front sway bar? That's why some got 8 and some got 4 total.

Again: I have to check what the Honda dealer actually did, 'cause they are not experts on anything aftermarket (nor OEM NSX, if u ask me...)

Should the teflon be wrapped on the bar, in the bushing area only,

....... yes, that prevents the otherwise squeaking noise.

and if some tape is just outside where the clips should be, this should be cut away, right ? (Clips straight on metal/bar)

......... by george you got it

Would, what seemed like plastic clips, prevent the bar from moving ?

......... as noted, the welded collar is the best solution but only DaliRacing offers that. Al Terpak sells metal collars for about $6 each depending on the thickness of the sway bar. As for Comptech's, I think two clips on each side of the bushing (especially for the front sway bar) should do the trick since the plastic clip is the least resistant of the other solutions.

Good luck.



[This message has been edited by Hrant (edited 22 August 2002).]

 

[docjohn]

I have spoken to Shad at CT some time ago about the actual stiffness between the different holes and he said about 20lb for each so really the difference from inner to outer is maybe ~60 lbs,not really a big change on a 3000lb car.

 

[NSXGOD]

Originally posted by docjohn:
I have spoken to Shad at CT some time ago about the actual stiffness between the different holes and he said about 20lb for each so really the difference from inner to outer is maybe ~60 lbs,not really a big change on a 3000lb car.

the adjustment holes in the bars are for fine tuning, like adjusting the pressure in the tire 1-2 psi - any bar set to "full stiff" is nowhere close to being as stiff as the next size (diameter) up bar set to full soft.

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need more info? please private me @

[email protected]

Mark Johnson, CEO of Custodial Services @ Dali Racing, a Not For Profit Company.

 

[nsxxtreme]

Maybe I don't drive my car hard enough. CT does have the clips, I was wondering what those were for. Their instructions didn't mention what they were for. I'll have to put them on now if I still have them.

 

[Trond]

Aha !

Hrant: There was a total of 4 clips. Maybe I'll bother to put one on each side of the bushing on the front bar then. If CT knows about this problem and provides 4 PLASTIC clips, that doesn't seem adequate to me. I'll have to go for some metal ones I guess...
BTW: Thanks for the info !

NSXGOD: Should have bought the Dali bars I guess ! Thanks for the very quick delivery of my DC Sports headers

[This message has been edited by Trond (edited 23 August 2002).]

 

[Juice]

I actually gained way too much oversteer! But which should I lay off of? The front or the back? Or do I need to recalibrate my driving style for the new stiffness?

 

[Kirthasa]

Ok, I'll bite - Where can I get shaft collars for the Comptech sway bars? I've looked around, but haven't found anyone that sells them.

Aaron

 

[Hrant]

Originally posted by Kirthasa:
Ok, I'll bite - Where can I get shaft collars for the Comptech sway bars? I've looked around, but haven't found anyone that sells them.

Aaron

You can either order them from Science of Speed who carries Comptech parts, from Comptech directly and their web site is www.comptechusa.com, or order the ones that Al Terpak makes - much beefier metal clips. If you go with Al's version, give me your details and I will pass it to him, I will see him at the club meeting tonight.

Hrant
PS: I talked to Shad today, and he noted that some movement of the sway bar is expected, so no cause to panic.