>
> Robert Jones writes--
> ---------------
> Really? Hmmm. I intend to use this car for autoxing as well as on
> the street. Does that make a difference in what direction I should
> take the suspension mods like this? Does anyone out there run an MGB
> in DSP and if so, would you be willing to share your setup secrets?
> ---------------
>
> My gut reaction here is to say that Moss is full of baloney.
Buy that man a Miller.
> Perhaps Moss thinks that adding a rear bar without increasing the front bar
> will give too much oversteer and also cause wheelspin problems. Maybe.
I'd guess they're concerned about oversteer and possibly wheel hop.
> Putting a larger bar in the front and keeping one off the rear (as Moss
> suggests) will be legal in Stock. The only reason I an conceive for doing
>such
> a thing is to limit body roll and still stay in Stock category. I think it
> will cause the car to plow like a farmer.
Actually, that turns out not to be the case due to the incredibly
ancient MGB front suspension design. Yes, the weight transfer increases
the front slip angles, but the lack of body roll (and correspondingly
massive amounts of negative camber) keeps the contact patch significantly
larger. So in the case of the MGB, all else *isn't* equal.
I finally got to watch an MGB (not mine) on an autox course. The outside
front wheel looks as though it's going to rub the knock-off nut on the
pavement. I swear I could see daylight under the inside third or so of
the tire -- that's the OUTSIDE FRONT in the middle of a turn. Made me
want to buy a Mazda...
Keeping the tire closer to vertical is a huge net win here. And on
the Green Car, before its motor went south on me, the addition of an
anti-roll bar in front makes the front end stick but still lets me
point the car nicely with the throttle.
> It will certainly prevent wheelspin.
Well, if you really want to prevent wheelspin, I've got a motor for you... :-)
> My explanation of a sway bar works is very simple: It tries to lift the inside
> wheel.
Yep. Except that on the MGB (and on certain front-drivers as well), this
extra roll resistance keeps the outside tire more vertical in the corners.
Now, Bob, you mentioned adding the negative camber lower A-arms, yes?
That requires Chapter 2 of the MGB suspension story. And we still
haven't talked about rear-end steer effects from the spring geometry...
--Scott "Working for a living takes so much time away from my cars" Fisher
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