I have the Pettit front sway bar from one of my trips down to West Palm.
Stock diameter bar with 3 position adjustable ends.
I have the Prothane universal hard bushings as well.

My car actually has slight over-steer now, I have the sway at the hardest position.
I am wondering; should I soften the front sway one setting, or go with harder rear bushings and sways?

 

yea i am fighting suspension issues too---it gets complex.
what shocks/springs and rear bar are you running?
OD

 

Softening the front/stiffening the rear will result in more oversteer.

 

Are you sure?
I hardened the front, and now seem to have more over steer; my front stays put and the rear rolls out.

Stock shocks and springs with a Pettit 3 way front sway.
The sway is set to the hard position (to stop the stock under steer), I am thinking of loosening it a position or two to kill off some over steer.

 

Check out this link, it has some helpfull information but suspension is tricky, the key is try one thing at a time and make small adjustments.

http://www.rogerkrausracing.net/Unde...er_Steer_.html

This is saying stiffer front and softer rear sway bars, however if you have a stock rear sway bar and a stiff front sway bar, you are probably getting too much rear body roll and loosing grib so you might want to stiffen the rear and see what happens.

 

very true and good advice---plus the drivers style is individual. this makes a "cookbook" set up impossible.
if you are running a big front bar and the oem rear, stock springs and shocks--the bar is probably causing less grip in the rear. the big bar is probably causing the inside front tire to have more traction than before--basically speaking.
Just some general hints for the rx8
1- this chassis likes a little rake (front)
2- do not lower the care too much
3- the weak point on the oem suspension is the shocks
4- general rule MATCH SHOCKS TO SPRINGS and vice versur--and dont forget the bars
5- the car is fairly well corner weighted from the factory--it is not grossly off BUT the factory alignment is--so 1st thing--get an alignment. AND you do not need a lot of neg camber!
Giving this car another 100hp like we do--changes everything on the track. the acceleration now is causing to much lift in the front(with my set up of koni yellows, tein h springs and the rb bars) causing corner exit understeer---not a lot---but enough that i have to use the throttle to control it. I will probably end up with the kw varient 3 coilovers so i can control this.
olddragger

 

Are the RB bars even stiff enough for heavy track use? especially with that much more power?

 

I can feel the back trying to break loose, and the front holding tight, when I go right to the edge.
And no, this is not from too much throttle....

 

the rb bars are ok--but remember its a part of a package. I am thinking about going either with a good coilover like the kw varient 3 with much stiffer springs and if i do I may have to revisit my sways. Sways really -in the corner- compensate for "soft" springs by allowing more weight to stay on the inside tire. To a point.
I am leary about going to a stiffer spring(h techs now are much softer than the kw's) because of possible traction issues on corner exit. More power really changes this chassis. I may have to go back to the oem rear bar and perhaps the front. I have to think and research more about this. We are not the same as the non fi guys--what works for them may not for us.
olddragger

 

I have the KW coilovers and I do not feel like they are too stiff, I also have the RB bars and I am getting a little more body roll (especially in the back) then I like so I am going to upgrade to the progress tech bars. (RB bars will be up for sale in about a month). I run the track with 245/40/18 NT01 tires so when I start to push the tires I get more roll then I want. On street tires its not a problem which is why I want the adjustable progress tech bars and why I have the adjustale coilovers. I will also be going FI at some point so I will need to adjust everything when I do.


To the OP. I would suggest a strut/spring upgrade and a stiffer rear sway bar, it is rare to stiffen the front bar and leave the rear alone. The stock setup leaves a lot to be desired. Also, is your over steer on turn entry, neutral power near the apex or on acceleration out of the turn? Depending on when it oversteers changes how you address the problem and as olddragger mentioned, suspension is a package and has a lot to do with driving style. Example, when you have FI you want to be able to get on the gas as soon as possible so you can use the power but when your are NA it is more important to carry as much speed through the turn as possible to make up for the lack of power..

 

well i just spoke with David at Speed source. He recommens a 600lb spring in the front and a 400 lb in the back--he has some dimension shocks and abak(sic) springs for me.
recommends going back to the oem rear bar and make is adjustable.--thats easy to do.
olddragger

 

Great, thanks.
I'll try it.