Maserati Forum banner

Next mod? FD anti sway?

8K views 26 replies 8 participants last post by  FormulaDynamics 
#1 ·
OK guys, I've got an '02 Spyder. You can see my FD mods in my sig. I don't track at all.

How will the anti-sway bars help the cowl shake?

I'm very happy with this car and have had no problems at all other than slight shake.

Dan
 
#3 ·
I read that in my search. Jeff's mentioned to me that it would help. That's the reason for me starting this thread.
 
#4 ·
I find it odd that Jeff would say that as I don't think he has tried a modded Spyder (at least since I last talked to him). In any event, I stand by the assessment. If you don't track, you may be OK with just the springs [/I]
 
#5 · (Edited)
Well, I certainly could be mistaken. I spoke with him probably a year ago. But now that the spring is coming, I'm thinking about the next mod.

I guess I'll mod my question. I just wanna gain more confidence at high speeds

Springs or Bars?
 
#6 ·
If you don't have the springs get them first. Although I have a GS Coupe and can't speak for cowl shake I believe the springs will keep you planted closer to the ground at 80+. The sway bars will help you pivot the car on a dime, but you probably will get less utility at higher speed. The sway bars are crucial for twisty roads.

I have more fun getting use out the sway bars but the springs are more important for safety. You should ask Jeff what the impact would be doing the sway bars first.
 
#8 ·
I didn't realize that you do not have the springs.

They are a mandatory first step and make a big difference. The sway bars are a "Phase 2" addition and the car handles great with them. Check out these Photos of my Spyder at the track (hint: these are "at the limit" - compare the roll in them to those of the 599)

July 6 & Aug 3, 2010 pictures from cars photos on webshots
 
#9 ·
Will the springs help the shake at high speed or amplify it?
 
#10 ·
I have an '06 Spyder and the springs were one of my first upgrades. Completely transformed the handling. I don't feel compelled in any way to go to sway bars and I track my car. It's a known fact that the cowl shake on earlier models of the Spyder was more pronounced than on the later model years (05/06). I can't imagine how sway bars would help with cowl shake. With the springs, you'll be able to lower the car which is aesthetically appealing, lower the center of gravity and greatly improve cornering and nearly eliminate body roll. You've gotta do the springs first...and then make your decision about the sway bars later.
 
#11 ·
Vicenzo,

I agree that the springs make a huge difference and the car will track well with them. That said, if you have not tried the sway bars, you are in for a big surprise. The cornering is much, much flatter, more solid and general high speed stability (especially in sweepers) is greatly improved. You don't need them but then again, you don't need any of these mods really....

As far as model differences, I don't think the cowl shake was improved in 05. Maserati added structural foam in late 03. I am unaware of any subseqent improvements (or believe me I would have bought a newer car). My custom chassis brace does help somewhat though.

IMO - for $2K installed, the sway bars are well worth it.
 
#13 ·
Vicenzo,

I installed the springs first and drove the car for a year. I thought the improvement was pretty dramatic but I found the car still rolled a bit and could use some stability improvement on very high speed sweepers (100 MPH+). The sway bars corrected this shortcoming and had a major additional benefit - turn was much quicker and the understeer at the limit was virtually eliminated. The car has truly excellent handling now and feels much lighter and quicker than its 3800lbs would suggest. I highly recommend them but if only one mod is perfomed the springs have to come first.
 
#14 ·
Flash - thanks much for the info. Now I have a harder decision to make...sways or de-cats. Hmmmm.....
 
#15 ·
No problem. One thing you could do is depack the front cats. This is pretty cheap and gives a 15HP uptick plus a major sound improvement.
 
#17 ·
Will the springs add confidence at high speeds?
 
#20 ·
I'm assuming that I need an alignment after installing new springs.
 
#21 ·
Right. I had mine aligned and had some camber adjustments done as well.
 
#22 ·
Gentleman,

There are lots of good commments here.

In general if you're going to start with a single suspension upgrade, I suggest going with the sport springs first. The reason is that the springs help to firm up the base suspension of the Maserati and correct a real problem with how soft it is for a performance oriented driver.

For instance, beyond the obvious benefits of the increased spring rate and lowered ride height. Upgrading to our Sport Springs will help so that when you use the brakes, the front end doesn't dive and when you transition from the brake to the throttle, the front end doesn't lift. The dipping and diving can create a very unsettling feeling when you're pushing the car and if you're in a corner at the same time... this will actually steer the car as the suspension articulates and makes it very hard to control your direction. This is why it's often hard to hold your line in the Maserati over bumpy pavement and why the car feels very floaty during transitions.

After installing the Sway Bars, you will have noticably reduced body roll, improved steering and a more neutral balance to the handling (reduced understeer). However, it should be noted that the Anti Sway Bars really are only activated in the corners so they do not help to reduce dive / lift or other aspects of handling.

Adding the Sway Bars to the Sport Springs allow the Maserati to corner incredibly flat as if it's "on rails". The steering precision is improved tremendously. We often hear comments from owners who install the kit about how well the car is able to change direction and hold a line at a noticably higher speed than before.

As an example, I was a passenger in a GranSport with a customer who tracks regularly just after he added the sway bars. During the first session he nearly ran over the curbing on the inside of the track several times because although he was taking the same line, at the same speed as before the upgrade... he was able to drive right across the apex of the corner now. He spent the rest of the day learning new entry speeds and lines through the corner. These were lines that he said he was never able to drive on before.

If you were to only install the Sway Bars, you'll find that the car will run flatter in the corners but it will still dive / lift on the brakes / throttle. It's not that I would say that you couldn't or shouldn't go with just the sway bars but I think you're getting the best bang for your buck by starting with the Sport Springs.

In regards to cowl shake. I have driven Spyders with just the springs and also with springs + swaybars. I can't comment on the cowl shake difference specifically as I did not A/B them before and after the upgrade. However, I did ask the owners of the cars I drove and they said that there was not a noticable difference from their perspective. However, it's possible that they did not push the car to it's limits the way that Flash does on the track.

I have also seen the marketing material that states that Maserati added structural foam in the 03 cars... Honestly, the 05-06 certainly feels better in my opinion, I have a feeling that more was done to later model cars in this regard but I can't offer any hard evidence.

I don't think that the sway bars would help the cowl shake but I don't see that they should hurt it too much either for street driving being that they aren't activated except in the corners. The one thing that I have noticed is that if the car is lowered below our recommended street spec, the suspension begins to get much stiffer and I could see that this would contribute to the problem.

Best Regards,
-- Jeff
 
#24 ·
Gentleman,

In regards to cowl shake. I have driven Spyders with just the springs and also with springs + swaybars. I can't comment on the cowl shake difference specifically as I did not A/B them before and after the upgrade. However, I did ask the owners of the cars I drove and they said that there was not a noticable difference from their perspective. However, it's possible that they did not push the car to it's limits the way that Flash does on the track.

I have also seen the marketing material that states that Maserati added structural foam in the 03 cars... Honestly, the 05-06 certainly feels better in my opinion, I have a feeling that more was done to later model cars in this regard but I can't offer any hard evidence.

I don't think that the sway bars would help the cowl shake but I don't see that they should hurt it too much either for street driving being that they aren't activated except in the corners. The one thing that I have noticed is that if the car is lowered below our recommended street spec, the suspension begins to get much stiffer and I could see that this would contribute to the problem.

Best Regards,
-- Jeff
Jeff- I think the cowl shake issue can be adressed in part with a shock tower brace. Any plans for this?
 
#23 ·
Hi everybody
i found this post very intresting becouse i was just thinking about my next mod and i have to decide between springs and swy bar.
Sometimes i can't understand something due to the language. Please can anyone explain what do you mean when you say "cowl shake "??
I have a 07 Gransport MC Victory, the sunspensions are too rigid for our streets and i'm afraid that fitting sport springs could make the car too rigid....
Have you ever tried just to change the rubber of the sway bar with teflon home made???
Bye
 
#25 ·
Cowl Shake is only a problem on the Spyders (convertibles). It's due to lower structural rigidity caused by the lack of a roof, the middle section of the chassis flexes, causing the bulkhead in front of the passenger compartment to move and vibrate when the vehicle is subject to uneven road surfaces. Passengers feel it as a vibration and shudder.

The 4200 Spyders had this problem, currently there is no real fix in the market.

SaroSelemi: Honestly, you should be fine as long as you have a Skyhook car. Even in Manhatten, Philadelphia, New Jersey or other areas with bad public roads are just fine with the Sport Springs. They really are not meant to be race springs.

Flash: I still need to get a 4200 Spyder in here! It just seems that there aren't any owners in Vegas that feel that it's enough of a problem to offer their car up for development. I may just build one for the Coupe and shoot it off to you for testing, lets see how the projects go this year. We have lots to do!

Best Regards,
-- Jeff
 
#26 ·
Hi Jeff i really don't know the conditions of the public roads in USA but here they are very bad. However the car is very rigid maybe becouse it's MCV??
 
#27 ·
The MCV and GranSport models aren't any stiffer than the standard 4200, they have the same springs and shocks. However if your road conditions are very poor then you're likely to have a problem with most any car you'll drive there. The areas I've mentioned in the US are notorious for potholes and bad roads. We still have many happy customers running our springs in these areas. The main thing is to be sure you get the right tire pressure, it's very important.

Best Regards,
-- Jeff
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top