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Thread: Developing a rear sway bar alternative

  1. #41
    Administrator Daox's Avatar
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    For the next version I am trying a completely new design. IMO the clamps just aren't going to provide enough stiffness to make it worth while.


    Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block

    Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)


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  3. #42
    Administrator Daox's Avatar
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    The new materials have been ordered for the new design. Hopefully, we can do some testing with it next weekend.
    Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block

    Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)


  4. #43
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    What if you did some kind of solid or hollow bar that either ran inside the torsion beam, or along side of it, and then clamped to it near the ends?

  5. #44
    Administrator Daox's Avatar
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    Yep, the new design is along those lines.
    Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block

    Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)


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  7. #45
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    updates?

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 46.4 mpg (US) ... 19.7 km/L ... 5.1 L/100 km ... 55.7 mpg (Imp)


  8. #46
    Administrator Daox's Avatar
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    No updates so far. I have to get together with Spork over a weekend to install and test the bar. Mothers day weekend wasn't a good time for that. Perhaps next weekend.
    Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block

    Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)


  9. #47
    Senior Member HitShane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Daox View Post
    No updates so far. I have to get together with Spork over a weekend to install and test the bar. Mothers day weekend wasn't a good time for that. Perhaps next weekend.
    I'm guessing that the beam doesn't stress that much under driving conditions. Not enough for a loosely installed reinforcement to aid it. I will also guess that nothing short of a welded reinforcement will actually help... The main problem is the brackets stick out that hold the springs and those are what is flexing. This is why the UR bar that connects them is so effective. Maybe making a brace to reinforce the braces to the torsion bar would be better.

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  10. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by HitShane View Post
    I'm guessing that the beam doesn't stress that much under driving conditions. Not enough for a loosely installed reinforcement to aid it. I will also guess that nothing short of a welded reinforcement will actually help... The main problem is the brackets stick out that hold the springs and those are what is flexing. This is why the UR bar that connects them is so effective. Maybe making a brace to reinforce the braces to the torsion bar would be better.

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    Give that UR bar some time and it will crack, fail, and then start to rust.

    http://mirageforum.com/forum/showthr...way-bar-broke)

    Yepp

  11. #49
    Senior Member HitShane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ednevell View Post
    Give that UR bar some time and it will crack, fail, and then start to rust.

    http://mirageforum.com/forum/showthr...way-bar-broke)

    Yepp
    I actually was adding input to promote a great alternative, thanks for your negativity though

    I have also seen this issue brought up in another forum and even after 3 years the end user was shipped a replacement from UR. Here is a picture I just took on mine. I don't live in Salt Lake City, as the one in your link, but I do drive in Florida flood waters every week.

    Maybe they used crappy hardware during the install? Just for good measure though, I'll rough mine up and put a sealer on it. I see Rust-Oleum has a clear flexible sealer in a can for $10. It's even paintable :P

    EDIT: Seeing as the censuses in the other link is bad hardware, poor torque specs, and the loose springs; I will definitely keep following this link for an option to further reinforce the rear end. I really want rear springs, but the stock ride height just isn't an option for something much stiffer and the labor alone for all 4 lowering springs installed is more than the springs themselves lol...

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    Last edited by HitShane; 05-16-2016 at 08:08 PM.

  12. #50
    Administrator Daox's Avatar
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    We tried the new design this past weekend. Again, the same outcome, needs more stiffness... still.

    The new design was arguably even simpler than the original clamp design. This one simply used a fairly beefy piece of angle iron cut to length and shoved up into the torsion beam channel. This is similar to many other aftermarket torsion beams. It is held in place with u-bolts with bars across them. At first, we tried a single u-bolt on each end. Later, we tried to add more clamps as that would make it more rigid.

    Here are some installed pics:

    This is the initial setup with a clamp on each end. I did tighten down the clamps fairly hard as you can see the flat plates bending a bit under the stress.

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    Here you can see the additional clamps. I also moved the end clamps out farther to get even more support farther out.

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    SO! While I have other ideas, I'm not really sure why this isn't working. The piece of angle is pretty thick compared to the torsion beam. It should have really decreased twisting quite a bit according to my computer analysis.

    I'm hoping to get together with a member who has an Ultra Racing sway bar already installed on his car to feel the difference with and without it. Then I can compare it to my designs and hopefully come up with something that works.


    Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block

    Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)


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