OK-It's time to make a decision about the new suspension and what diameter rear arb I should aim for, for the 405 track car.

First of all a definition of 'the track car'.

It'll be fully caged, yet be the car to put up with the bone jarring ride when driving to the track because you know you'll whip the ar$e of some higher horsepower wannabe which will make it all the most satisfying! (Who wouldn't enjoy lapping faster than a pedigree race car with a 'sleeper' Mi16)?

Currently the car runs Koni yellows on all 4 corners & Eibach front springs & a +1mm (21mm Partner) rear arb. I've had made some 23mm rear t/bars which need a suspension package built around them. Cars weighs approx 1100 kg atm.

As Feck-all development occurred with the 405, maybe some info from the 309 rear set-up could be relative? What rear t/bars & arb set-up did they run? Is their an optimum relationship between t/bars & rear arb? I'm committed to using these 23mm t/bars & would like to know what size the 309 bar arb was for reference? I've found that none of the various Pug models have anything that's interchangable with the 405 regarding torsion or sway bar serious upgrades.

I've found a supplier who can manufacture the rear (sway) bar in any size, although any diameter above 24mm requires one of the suspension arms to be removed in order to fit.

Experience with any of the above welcomed.....

Cheers

Jeff

I should have mentioned in the previous post/ramble (a bit too much red wine last night) that I'm intending to swap over to GAZ Gold coilovers front shocks & 350-450lb springs & adjustable top mounts.

Hoping to keep the Koni yellow rear shocks 'tho.

Thanks

No experience in suspension, but I am about to do the same to to my Mi16.

The interior is coming out to put a roll cage in, with work undertaken 1 hour every other weekend as the car is out on my parents farm.

If you going to order something custom made I would be interested in getting a second set made up.

I've always wondered if anyone had information on the set up of the Mi16 rallied in the Italian championships.

Brett

Hi Brett-I'll be getting a thicker rear arb manufactured very soon & would welcome sharing the freight costs from the UK.

When I have the suspension sorted, I'll have a 21mm Partner arb (22% stiffer) I recently fitted for sale.

OK - just ordered a set of these Bilstein B6

Got a 4x4 front ARB from Alex - will order new bushes at the same time as buying the Partner rear ARB part number 5170 A1 and bushes to match (hoping it's a straight swap)

I have lower stiffer springs fitted to the front already (may go back to standard, we'll see how the stiffer front ARB affects understeer)

Looks reasonable. Feedback welcome.

I'll report back in a couple of weeks

found this ages ago...

Another way of dealing with thin front ARBs derived from Soviet rally heritage would be using two front ARBs instead of one.
Now, we have given it an initial look and so far have not found a decent place to fit the second ARB as there is simply NO space along the route where the stock ARB fits. I might be looking into fitting it in front of the engine rather than around the back of it.

or just raise the front spring rate rather than the roll bar.

not forgetting you'd need a fairly significant increase at the rear spring/roll rate to prevent it becoming an understeery beast.

A few of the guys in our car club have fitted dual front arb's to their 404/505's, but as said not the room to do it on the 405.

One guys solution was a custom 24mm front arb. He had the arms made a little longer with 3 holes (one either side of std position giving 3 way adjustability) for mounting to the drop links & re-valved for the track Koni Yellows. I think the bar was $200-300.

I think you've over looked the most important parts, rear torsion bars. You should upgrade these before anything else. Contact 309PUG on the 205 Forum. His prices are very competitive from where I'm sitting.

or Anthony

Jeff, those are RWD cars, hence the front arb upgrades