If you don't get an answer here, check out http://www.fiero.nl/cgi-bin/fiero/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro - Pennock's Fiero Forum . There's nothing about Fieros that hasn't been discussed there at least a hundred times in the last dozen years!

Patrick wrote: If you don't get an answer here, check out http://www.fiero.nl/cgi-bin/fiero/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro - Pennock's Fiero Forum . There's nothing about Fieros that hasn't been discussed there at least a hundred times in the last dozen years!

Thanks patrick i looked there but no 1 said what length to us.

right on!!!

are you taking pictures of the process?

one question, will the local auto parts store have the bushings and end links or am I going to have to order them online?

I want to do this to my car while I have it in the garage

ok cool thanks

When you're done I'd like to hear an honest assessment of how the handling has or hasn't improved due to the rear swaybar.

Well Patrick u know i cant drive yet.But my dad said he does notice that the rear is tighter.the rear struts are shot so with the new 1 on the ride will be better.the rear us to hop and the sway bar made it a little tighter and on the corners it doen't roll as bad as it did before with the new struts will make a big change to the ride and the handling of the car.But the sway bar did make a change on the car.

tk_85redgt wrote: Well Patrick u know i cant drive yet...

Sorry, I keep forgetting how young you are.

Good to hear that your dad notices a difference with the rear sway bar installed.

I wouldn't mind trying one on my '84, but I've read numerous times that a duke powered Fiero doesn't really benefit from a rear sway bar as much as a Fiero does that has a heavier (V6, V8) engine. Colby seemed to have mixed feelings about the rear sway bar installation on his duke. I forget what he eventually decided. Maybe he'll see this and offer a comment.

Patrick wrote: tk_85redgt wrote: Well Patrick u know i cant drive yet... Sorry, I keep forgetting how young you are. Good to hear that your dad notices a difference with the rear sway bar installed. I wouldn't mind trying one on my '84, but I've read numerous times that a duke powered Fiero doesn't really benefit from a rear sway bar as much as a Fiero does with a heavier (V6, V8) engine. Colby seemed to have mixed feelings about the rear sway bar installation on his duke. I'm not sure what he eventually decided. Maybe he'll see this and comment.

Well, I can't say with certainty that it made things better or worse (in terms of an autox run time), but I did in the end decide to keep it on as I did find it made the car more enjoyable.

With it, there is certainly less body roll, and it does help with the excessive understeer (although it's probably not best way to deal with it). The downside is that it also makes it a fair bit easier to lose control and spin the car, so you need to be more careful not to enter into a corner faster than you can handle and you need to be a bit more careful with the throttle. This makes it a bit more difficult to experiment a bit during your run, as unintentionally passing the limit of your car can quickly lead to a spin rather than just a whole lot of understeer. Also, if you care about the classing for autox, adding it puts you into the more competitive "street prepared" class.

Cheese wrote: With it, there is certainly less body roll, and it does help with the excessive understeer (although it's probably not best way to deal with it). The downside is that it also makes it a fair bit easier to lose control and spin the car... as unintentionally passing the limit of your car can quickly lead to a spin rather than just a whole lot of understeer.

Colby, this is with a rear sway bar the same diameter as the front, isn't it?

If I was to install a rear sway bar, I'd want the front one to be stiffer than the back. It probably wouldn't be a "cure-all", but perhaps it would help to alleviate some of the issues you've mentioned.

Patrick wrote: Colby, this is with a rear sway bar the same diameter as the front, isn't it?

Yes, I'm pretty sure it's the same diameter.

Patrick wrote: If I was to install a rear sway bar, I'd want the front one to be stiffer than the back. It probably wouldn't be a "cure-all", but perhaps it would help to alleviate some of the issues you've mentioned.

It probably would help with the issues on my car (at the cost of having a bit more understeer), but my experiences won't be the same as yours since your springs are so much stiffer, your car is lower, etc.. What I suggest is to autox your car as is until you're fairly comfortable with it and it's characteristics at the limit (you might be at this point already), then try this stuff. That way be you'll less likely to accidentally go past your limit which will make the potential drawbacks not so much of a problem, and you'll also be more able to recognize how the changes effected the handling.

Cheese wrote: What I suggest is to autox your car as is until you're fairly comfortable with it and it's characteristics at the limit (you might be at this point already)...

No no, I'm nowhere near that point quite yet. As much as I think I may (or may not) be a quick learner on the track, I need more seat time, lots more seat time going fast in circles.

Time on the track during an autocross day is unfortunately so limited. There must be large parking lots available after hours somewhere (away from residential neighborhoods) to practice going into turns at the top end of second gear. Now that would be a fun "unofficial" club event!