Moparts

Auto to Stick. Time to swap Torsion Bars???

Posted By: sunroofgtx

Auto to Stick. Time to swap Torsion Bars??? - 05/17/11 06:49 PM

I still have my original torsion bars in my 71 GTX. Swapping to a stick, maybe it's time to upgrade the torsion bars. Anybody know the hot setup?? I already have the Caltrac front shocks. I want and will go to Bob's ProFab coil overs, but not for awhile. Thank you. I also need a new idler arm..
Posted By: Kern Dog

Re: Auto to Stick. Time to swap Torsion Bars??? - 05/17/11 07:08 PM

I have read and seen on TV guys that think that they are "upgrading" when they ditch the factory stuff and put in some sort of new coil over setup. Yeah, the parts look great and you think that you are gaining header clearance, but just because the Mopar design is OLD , that doesn't mean that it needs replacement. Our cars were designed so the shock mounts take the relatively minimal stress of shock absorption. The shock mounts were never designed to carry suspension loads. The Torsion bar design is truly an engineering masterpiece when you understand it. MOST of the suspension weight is low and toward the center of the car, which helps handling and braking. The suspension loads are spread out from the front of the K member to the torsion bar crossmember. The coil-over design concentrates the entire suspension load in one area that wasn't designed for it. Running a coil-over setup on the street will surely overstress the shock mount area if additional stiffness isnt added in. The fender aprons are technically "shear panels" and even though they are perfectly adequate in their intended application, you could surely expect to see them warp and buckle after extended road use on a coil-over setup.
Drag racers may get by with this setup becausethey travel 1/4 mile and then shut down. They dont see potholes, curbs, driveways and any other obtsacle that you see everyday on the street.
Okay..... RANT over. I used the 1" MP T bars in the Charger. I like them.
Posted By: Crazy68Dart

Re: Auto to Stick. Time to swap Torsion Bars??? - 05/18/11 12:13 AM

Not all coil-over setups are created equal.
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