torsion bar selection 69 RR

i'm about ready to pull the tired out bars in my car during my front end re-build. it there any reason to go with a higher rating than the .96 for just a street car?

Only if you want the car to ride and handle better than it did originally.
I bought a set of 1,15 bars from Bergman Auto Craft, a Moparts site sponsor. The car still rides a bit softer than our 2015 Challenger R/T.

not to hijack the OP, I was going to ask the same question - saw BAC had the t-bars but the 1.15 and 1,12 are OOS, 1.05 are available, I wonder would there be a noticeable difference between the stock .92 and 1.05 - being he is local to me I will have to give him a call

I daily drive my '73 Dart with 1" bars. No worries at all.
Don't be too scared for higher springrates. (Wrong) Shocks can make a car ride hard, not so much springs (within reason).

Your car will feel more modern and handle better with bigger torsion bars and matching shocks.

I put new .96 bars in my car when I rebuilt it.. Work great.. The rear is what I had problems with until I installed the FF rear sway bar..

i was looking at these - http://www.justsuspension.com/pro-touring-torsion-bars.html

i don't get what 'pro-touring' is all about. does it mean you have to lower them from stock height??

Those are the ones I have on my Dart.
Had one bar break oneday, but JustSuspension shipped 2 replacements under warranty.

You don't have to lower your car if you don't want to, but with thicker torsion bars you can set your car a little lower without the the frame hitting the bumps on the LCA's all the time.

What bars are in the car now? Factory HD would've been 0.92 inches. The 0.96 bar is substantially stiffer than the 0.92 bar. For normal high performance street driving the wheel rate should be about 10% of the weight. So it helps to know how much your car weighs and how much weight is on the front wheels.

http://arengineering.com/tech/torsion-bar-tango/

the bars in it now are the original RR ones. the cars about what, 3800lbs and i would think at least a 1/3 of that is in the front. that link doesn't work.
thanks BBMopar, it's concerning you had one break but without knowing the details behind the break it could have been anything but certainly not abuse

A decade or so ago, most TB questions were about how harsh it would be going from .92 to .96. Years later after much prodding, anything under !" is considered a waste of money. AndF and Hotckiss has always been on the very conservative side IMO on TB dia. There are very few if any in the field reports of anyone over sizing their TB's, quite the opposite, most state they should have gone bigger, just sayin.

I would not go bigger than 1.05s unless you want to buy really good shocks, up to that size bilsteins work well.

I asked because a friend of mine built a 70 Challenger R/T 440-6 clone a few years ago (lost it in Hurricane Sandy) - EVERYTHING was done on this car to make it a legit 440-6 Challenger - other than the vin/fendertag - original 340 car - but he put in the the 1.15 t/bars with kyb shocks, and when I drove it, I couldn't believe how solid and stable everything felt - I have kyb's that only have a few miles on them, and I am going to rebuild the whole front end - everything - using rubber, not poly, - and was thinking of upgrading the t/bars - TIA

Dump the KYBs too.
Bilsteins are a huge leap forward of those $125 for a set of 4 shocks.

Unless harsh is the objective.

Kyb shocks might be ok at the track, but arent a good ride.

To be honest, I don't like the KYB's either, they will be getting swapped out -

I have 1.06" t-bars in my 1969 Roadrunner with Bilstein shocks and I think the car feels solid and handles pretty good for what it is.

so the consensus is

stick with stockish and the ride/feel will be like original, not so great.

go slightly larger, 1.05ish. ride will be stiffer but have to upgrade the shocks.

i searched up the Bilsteins but their site says they don't have one to fit?? which series?

Try the Firm Feel website or just call the guys at Firm Feel. They can set you up with everything that you need in one order.

I bought my Bilsteins from Firm Feel. They title them as RCD whatever that means.
The torsion bars came from Bergman Auto Craft. My 1.15s may not be for everyone though. I don't give a rats ass about 1/4 mile times, I'm into cars that corner well based on the factory setup. I added frame connectors and torque boxes too. I refuse to put a roll bar in the car though.

I got my shocks and torsion bars from Firm Feel. They are good to work with.

Both our cars weigh about the same. Don't be afraid of a bar with a 300# rate. It was one of the best damn upgrades I ever did to my car; it flattened the front end right out. The ride only got harsh when I swapped from 15 to 18 inch tires.

YIKES!! i just looked at the firm feel website and those shocks are waaay to rich for my blood

what's the issue with the KYB's? are they too mushy or just don't last as long? i have them on my Blazer and they seem just fine?

KYBs are stiff during short motion but are soft during long suspension travel. EXACTLY opposite of what a quality shock should do.
Spend the money on better shocks. Skip steak and wine for a month or two. Bologna and ice water, then the good shocks!