Wild Rides' Rear Anti-Roll...
Wild Rides' Rear Anti-Roll Bar kit (shown with upper control arms) fits all '79-'04 Mustangs. The system eliminates roll rotation and improves traction and stability.
One of the tricks used by drag racers is to remove the front antiroll bar. While the front bar improves handling around the corners by keeping the nose of the car flat, removing it for strip use drops valuable weight (as much as 25 pounds in an '87-'93). But there's another important benefit. Yanking the front bar frees up the front suspension, allowing the nose to rise quickly for better off-the-line traction.
When connected, the front antiroll bar, which is nothing more than a torsion bar, mounts to the chassis with two brackets and to each front lower A-arm through end links. Once disconnected, a vehicle has quicker weight transfer and greater extension of the front struts and A-arms.
In contrast, many drag racers leave the rear antiroll bar in place. As with the front bar, the rear bar resists roll at the back of the car. This is desirable in drag racing as it helps to keep both rear tires planted evenly. But, as we know, it doesn't always work out this way.
Late-model Mustangs equipped...
Late-model Mustangs equipped with a V-8 came with a rear antiroll bar similar to the one seen here. The stock bar is linked between the lower control arms in order to keep both arms parallel with each other. This helps to keep the rear housing from rotating under acceleration. Unfortunately, this is not the best setup for drag racing.
One way to make your car work better is to watch other cars and relate what they do, to your car. The next time you're at the track, pay close attention and watch all the cars. Look at the rear tires and the nose; listen to the engine. Note whether the car hooks and bogs the engine, or whether you see tire spin and hear the engine rev up or "run away." On a good working car, you'll observe the tires dig in, the car accelerates, and the front of the car rises. The engine may be pulled back a bit, but not to the point of bogging. If the car is set up correctly, the nose will rise evenly and in a controlled fashion. The rear wheels should remain in position under the wheelwells, meaning there's little noticeable squat or separation.
On the other hand, we've all seen some drag cars launch in ugly fashion. The classic example is when a Mustang leaves with a twist--you know, it lifts the left front wheel up high while the right front tire stays on the track. When this occurs, you can bet there's a huge amount of separation between the driver-side rear tire and the wheelwell, and that the passenger-side tire is tucked up in the wheelwell. The car appears to be twisting, or rotating, to the right as it accelerates. This is referred to as "roll rotation." And excessive roll rotation can lead to all sorts of problems. Instead, what we're after is controlled pitch rotation, which in lay terms is called "weight transfer," or more simply, a wheelstand.
In the case where a car roll rotates excessively, as the body rotates to the right, the rear housing rotates under the back of the car in the opposite direction. This is why you'll see separation between the left rear tire and the wheelwell. You may even see the driver-side tire being planted harder into the track than the other tire.
This may look wild--almost cartoonish in some extreme cases--but it wreaks havoc on the rear suspension and the chassis. Because the rear housing twists excessively under the body, it tends to tear up torque boxes and bushings, and it can bind suspension links. It can also cause the shocks to reach full extension and top out--all of which is bad for traction and handling. On the other hand, vehicles that leave straight, go straight down the track. In addition, they are easy, safe, and consistent to drive.
To counter roll rotation, racers may stiffen the right rear spring or install an airbag. These methods work to a degree, but there's a better, more modern way to set up a drag car--and that's by installing a drag race-style rear antiroll bar, such as the one shown here from Wild Rides Race Cars in Farmingdale, New Jersey. The system retails for $299.95, and we decided to ditch the airbag in our NHRA-legal Stang and give it
To prevent roll rotation,...
To prevent roll rotation, many Mustang owners install an airbag in the right rear spring. When pumped up, the airbag increases the spring rate of the spring, which helps prevent roll. How-ever, the vehicle will have unequal spring/corner weights. With the Wild Rides antiroll bar, we won't need to use the airbag.
Before installing the antiroll...
Before installing the antiroll bar, Wild Rides removed the 8.8 to make room for the Strange/ Autofab 9-inch that we bolted in our Mustang. The antiroll bar kit can be used with virtually any rear housing.
The bar will sit horizontally...
The bar will sit horizontally above the rear housing between the existing framerails.
Prior to installation, Wild...
Prior to installation, Wild Rides cleaned the area on the inner framerails where the end plates will be welded. The end plates contain bushings that allow the bar to turn.
The Autofab/Strange 9-inch...
The Autofab/Strange 9-inch rear is lifted into place and connected to the control arms. With the Strange Pro Race brakes attached, the 9-inch is almost 20 pounds lighter than the 8.8!
The antiroll bar is lifted...
The antiroll bar is lifted into place and set between the rails.
Gene Giroud of Wild Rides...
Gene Giroud of Wild Rides aligned the bar and tack-welded it in place. Before per-manently welding it to the car, he checks the alignment one final time.
After checking the alignment...
After checking the alignment once more, the ends are welded to the chassis rails.
Once the area cooled down,...
Once the area cooled down, we applied a coat of paint to prevent rust.
The end links are bolted to...
The end links are bolted to the bar using the supplied spherical rod ends.
Giroud levels the rear housing...
Giroud levels the rear housing and squares up the end links so they can be welded to the housing.
The end links are welded to...
The end links are welded to the housing. When we get to the track, we'll add some preload to the right side of the bar. Lengthening the right-side end link will counteract the roll rotation on launch and keep the car leaving straight.
Wild Rides' Anti-Roll Bar...
Wild Rides' Anti-Roll Bar kit fit nicely in Project Stocker.
We'll be matching the antiroll...
We'll be matching the antiroll bar with these new double-adjustable shocks from VariShock. Springs are standard for a '95 Mustang GT.
VariShock dampers feature...
VariShock dampers feature separate adjusters for jounce and rebound. The knobs sit at the bottom and are clearly labeled. We'll have a more in-depth report on them once we get to the track. VariShock will soon introduce double-adjustable front struts for late-model Stangs.
The entire package is ready...
The entire package is ready to rock.
Wild Rides did some additional...
Wild Rides did some additional work including fabricating these weight bars. We now have four weight bars along with provisions to install a series of small 5-pound lead pucks. This allows us to move weight from side to side and front to back.
After the work was complete,...
After the work was complete, Wild Rides "scaled" our Mustang using corner scales. In race trim, we ended up with 50.7 percent of the total weight on the front and 49.3 percent on the rear tires. According to Giroud, that is excellent weight bias for a production-type car.