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What would be the better set up for handling on a 70 Dart?

1 1.03 t-bars with sway bars front and rear, kyb shocks, stock rear springs.

2 Stock t-bars with sway bars front and rear, kyb shocks, stock rear springs.

Both set ups would be run with 17" wheels 225/45/17 tires.

Thanks!

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What would be the better set up for handling on a 70 Dart?

1 1.03 t-bars with sway bars front and rear, kyb shocks, stock rear springs.

2 Stock t-bars with sway bars front and rear, kyb shocks, stock rear springs.

Both set ups would be run with 17" wheels 225/45/17 tires.

Thanks!

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#1 but it will be a rougher ride.

Upgrading to Hotchkis Bilstein shock would be a big improvement over KYB's too. But if you are doing other suspension work (bushing, ball joints) the T-bars aren't much more time and labor. You can go back and upgrade the shocks later and it's an easy install.

Close call between T-bars (~$250 more) and Bilsteins ($400-$150 for KYB's more). But I'd go with the T-bars.

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What would be the better set up for handling on a 70 Dart?

1 1.03 t-bars with sway bars front and rear, kyb shocks, stock rear springs.

2 Stock t-bars with sway bars front and rear, kyb shocks, stock rear springs.

Both set ups would be run with 17" wheels 225/45/17 tires.

Thanks!

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#1 but it will be a rougher ride.

Upgrading to Hotchkis Bilstein shock would be a big improvement over KYB's too. But if you are doing other suspension work (bushing, ball joints) the T-bars aren't much more time and labor. You can go back and upgrade the shocks later and it's an easy install.

Close call between T-bars (~$250 more) and Bilsteins ($400-$150 for KYB's more). But I'd go with the T-bars.

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I already have the shocks I was thinking that the bars would be more headache than cure. The reason I ask this is matching the spring rates so the car works. Hotchkiss leaves the t-bars out of their package so I was thinking a higher rate wasn't as important as to having matched stock rates.

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you want better handling? take your hands off the beer, and put em both on the wheel. just an idea

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Torsion bar needs will widely vary based on balance of the car, BB, SB, A-body, B-body, etc. The 1.03 are a good all around rate as it matches up to the compression and rebound settings of the Bilstein shock they offer. You go to a bigger bar you run the risk of over working the shock and hurting it.

At that point, as we do on our car which has 1.12 bars in it, you must consider going to more race type adjustable mono-tube shock.

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I already have the shocks I was thinking that the bars would be more headache than cure.

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1. Throw the KYB's away
2. Make sure the garbage man takes them away
3. nothing the others have posted is wrong and all will help, but not as much #1 above.
4. Unless you have numbers on yoour doors on weekends, you are likely over thinking this, but you'll soon discover this on your own.

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Have you installed frame ties? I went though upgrading shocks, springs, and sway bars, and the biggest difference is when I welded ties in. Night and day...

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However, could it have been "day and night"?

I mean, if one installed "welded ties" first, the difference noticed without upgraded shocks, springs, and sway bars might not have been very significant.

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I already have the shocks I was thinking that the bars would be more headache than cure. The reason I ask this is matching the spring rates so the car works. Hotchkis leaves the t-bars out of their package so I was thinking a higher rate wasn't as important as to having matched stock rates.

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I already have the shocks I was thinking that the bars would be more headache than cure. The reason I ask this is matching the spring rates so the car works. Hotchkis leaves the t-bars out of their package so I was thinking a higher rate wasn't as important as to having matched stock rates.

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MoparPollack - We leave the torsion bars out of the TVS because we know that not everyone wants or needs to replace their T-bars. Plus we sell all the parts in the TVS separately. With that said, the TVS kit is a great kit with some big gains over the typical stock suspension.

If you're starting from scratch on a Dodge Dart you should start with leaf springs and T-bars. Then upgrade shocks and sway bars. Some weld-in subframe connectors are also a big help over stock. You never realize how flexible the car is until you have a set of weld-in connectors. They are much better than bolt-in connectors, especially if you drive your car hard.

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I looked at it this way:

1 Springs/torsion bars are matched from the factory.

2 Matched sway bars would work better with matched factory springs.

3 Messing with one end before the other would make it worse.

4 The car already has frame connectors makes it much more ridgid.

5 Was confused why the torsion bars were left out as if a high rate spring was really needed.

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I looked at it this way:

1 Springs/torsion bars are matched from the factory.

2 Matched sway bars would work better with matched factory springs.

3 Messing with one end before the other would make it worse.

4 The car already has frame connectors makes it much more ridgid.

5 Was confused why the torsion bars were left out as if a high rate spring was really needed.

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