Help - 22/28 Torsion Bars for Targa??? I have conducted searches...

[sam71TargaS]

I have searched and searched all the posts including Pelican and have not found the definitive answer on what torsion bar size I should get for my 71 Targa S. This car will be mostly street driven with 3 or 4 DE events a year. I am replacing all the bushings (including utilizing monoballs) and the original Koni's with new Koni's (sports if available). Since the wife will be riding with me in the mountains the car can't be too stiff . What is the best reasonable combination? Anyone with other Targa's that can provide advice?

Thanks for the help.

Sam

[JimR]

Targa or coupe...no big difference. Maybe a bit more body flex. I have experience in a coupe with the following configurations: stock, 21/26, 22/28, and 22/29. I would recommend that your dual-use targa should be set up with 21/26 t-bars. Your ride harshness will also depend on your shocks and tires. If you run low profile tires, expect to feel road irregularities. A 60 series tire would feel pretty nice on the street, and still be OK for DE use. I think your strut shock set-up should be Bilstein HD's front and back, or maybe try Bilstein Sports in back. If you have Koni's, I'm not experienced with them and can't offer my 2 cents. Good luck and have fun with that targa.

[70SATMan]

I'd say 21/28 for a Targa and without the monoballs if only 3-4 DEs a year.

I'm going with 21/27 on my Coupe with ER bushings all round. Still gotta decide on the dampers. Going to stick with Konis but, reds or sports??? I talked with one guy at Paragon (not Jason ) who thought that even with the sports I'd need a re-valve. That I don't quite understand. Gonna talk with Jason first.

[Bobboloo]

I guess you didn't find my car on Pelican.

73' 911 Targa 3.2
Frt/Rr
7/9x16 Fuchs
22/28mm T bars
Koni red/Bilstein sport
22mm Tarret/21mm carrera sways
Carrera/stock brakes
Elephant polybronze/ Wevo SPS

I'll echo Michaels thoughts. 21/28mm T bars would be better for a street track car than the 22/28mm I have. Keep in mind I have a 3.2L motor in back so the 28mm rear bars won't seem as firm in my car as they will in yours with the mag case motor. Then again I've driven it with a mag case 2.7L and it didn't seem anymore harsh. It just felt a lighter in the tail. In a good way!!

I feel the 22mm front T bars took it a little over the top for a street car. I'm considering switching them out for 21mm. In all truthfulness 19/26 T bars are more than adequate for a predominently street used car. Those combined with adjustable shocks would make a great street track setup IMO.

I love driving the car. It is very confidence inspiring but as for long drives with a passenger, hmm.. don't know, I guess it depends on the passenger. My girl loves it but then again she loves the smell of fuel and oil at the track. Yeah shes' a keeper.

Anyway, I live in Van Nuys where are you located? If your nearby you could take the car for a spin and see what you think of the setup.

[hgarazo]

I'm going with 21/27 on my SWB.

Michael - I would appreciate it if you could share Jason's recs. I'm also going with the Konis due to my struts (911L/S).

[sam71TargaS]

Thanks for everyone's input. I am going with the Koni's as my S originally came with them and I really do not want to change the struts etc. I found a post by Chuck Miller last month that kind of sealed the deal for me on the Koni's. I was told by many many porsche owners here (and shops such as Carquip, Dart Auto, etc.) in Colorado that if you are going to go thru the trouble of redoing all the bushings spend the money and go with monoballs front and rear (no squeaking to worry about and yes they do squeak - numerous test drives confirmed). However, no one could give me the same answer on the torsion bars. I like the sound of 21/27 or something similar or should I just leave the originals in there and save $500...

[Bobboloo]

Maybe you should consider going with 19/26mm T bars which means you would just change out the rears since the fronts are already 19mm. This is what the first Turbos used and it's a proven street combo.

As for the bushings I strongly recommend you go with Elephant Polybronze in the front and Wevo SPS springplates in the rear. I have these on my car and they are fantastic. Not only do they make control of the vehicle more precise but they actually "improve" ride quality. They dial out some of the vibration and harshness of the stock bushings. You can feel the car riding more on it's springs as opposed to the bushings.

[lisa_spyder]

Consider 21mm fronts and 29mm rears - BUT Sanders hollow bars. We have used this combo with Konis and urethane suspension bushings with success down here for exactly this sort of usage without breaking a customer's piggy-bank. Ride is not too stiff; springing combo is well balanced. Sway bars - standard front and 19mm rear. Sometimes we revalve the Konis to suit more constant spirited usage too.

We've done several cars with this set-up and everyone has been very happy with the all-round result; we only use Sanders hollow torsion bars for a very good reason .

Cheers,

Lisa

[RSwannabe]

Just as a another data point, I hae 22 and 30 hollow torsion bars in my coup with delrin bushings and monoballs and I do not feel the car is uncomfortable on the street at all. Firm yes, but completely driveable, even for casual cruising. Then twist the Koni race shocks to full firm and thus setup rocks on the track.

Brooke

[911pcars]

Remember that the early 911 coupe chassis is not very rigid; the open-top Targa much less so. If you install very stiff, coupe-size torsion bars on a targa, the chassis will flex more. This is not what you want. Be reasonable with the bar sizes or add stiffness to the structure.

Sherwood