DeTomaso Mailing List: January 98, Message #70
     



From: 	"Charles F Engles Jr." <engles@qns.com>

Subject: sway bars

Date: 	Fri, 2 Jan 1998 21:56:29 +0000



Dear Jack,



	At the risk of discussing the Pantera sway bars to death, I want to ask

you about your mod of using a smaller than stock front sway bar.  To the

amateur (me), this sounds a lot like Bob Woodhouse's recommendation, if you

don't have his super trick adjustable sway bars, to NOT use a front sway

bar, i.e. remove it.  This seems very unconventional to me and rather

drastic.  Your recommendation from your years of campaigning the Pantera on

the autocross tracks is to use a smaller than normal front sway bar.  Can

you explain how these seemingly "unnatural" fixes improve the Pantera's

handling?  The May date for the Porsche club at Hallett comes up soon!





			Chuck Engles



----------

> From: JDeRyke <JDeRyke@aol.com>

> To: Multiple recipients of list <detomaso@realbig.com>

> Subject: Re:  Re[3]: Self Cancel turn signals

> Date: Friday, January 02, 1998 1:03 PM

> 

> Biggest problem with the Pantera's handling is, you cannot cram enough

front

> tire under the stock fenders to overcome the built-in understeer that

Ford

> designed for us. Also, a tight posi differential will cause even more

> understeer. Try a smaller-than-stock front swaybar (we used 0.625 dia;

stock

> is 0.815), a GTS (.875 dia.) rear bar, 245-50 x 15" front tires and no

wider

> than 275-50 x 15" rears. This will get most street Panteras closer to

neutral

> handling, but remember, understeer is idiot-proof: when it slides, back

off

> the gas and thinks are OK. Oversteer is dangerous: when it slides, don't

move

> the gas at all or you'll spin! Neutral handling is really ragged-edge

> handling. J DeRyke