Jazzer The Cat

Bruce and John gave me a replacement bar under warranty. Will be installing tomorrow.

Sleeper_08

Are you shipping the broken one back to them for them to inspect? If so it would be interesting to hear the explanation for the failure - if you get one.

Sam Strano

Wow... that is some seriously thin wall tubing right there. And it looks like it actually tore the metal. Hopefully it was just some bad metal, because a car on Toyo's shouldn't have done that to a swaybar under normal conditions.

It's great to hear they warrantied it without hassle.

I would like to know more about the bar.... like the OD, the wall thickness etc. There isn't anything on their website regarding real world information.

sleepless

Speculation: looks like it was not welded properly.

Jazzer The Cat

Sleepless is correct, the tubing was not welded properly. Fortunately, Griggs original shoppe was at Infineon Raceway and is only 10 mintues away. This is where I brought it to do the original work and subsequent upgrade to SLA. They have since relocated, middle of it actually, to Petaluma and that is only 15 minutes away. I just brougt the two pieces up there and spoke with John directly. He had a little pow-wow with Bruce and decided that it should not have broken and just gave me a new one. They offered to install it, but didn't want to have to go back up later this week to pick it up. I just installed it a few minutes ago and took only 1/2 hour.

Sam, as far as its dimensions, it is quite thin and would say no more than 1/8" thick (maybe only 3/32") tubing and 1.5" diameter. The strange part is what I could have done on Saturday, rather than leaving event. John said I should have just removed the parts and continued the autoX event! He went so far as to say, if I had a Watts-Link rear instead of a PHB, I could have just lowered that one peg (to lower roll-center) and probably not even noticed the front bar was even missing! He said the front bar is almost not even necessary with the Griggs set-up. Sho nuff, on the way home I tugged the wheel a few times on some minor twisites and was just fine. Still VERY responsive and only the slightest additional roll. He said the only issue I may have had at autoX w/o bar, was possibly some tire rubbing due to 295's up front.

So anyway, all fixed up and red-to-go for next autoX event. I am picking up some good helmets for galpal and I as the ones we had pretty much sucked. I will also bring the toolbox from my truck as it has all the wrenches I needed to re-install the new bar just now. As it was, I had to borrow a 10" & 12" Crescent wrenches and was a PITA to remove.

Sam Strano

1.5" OD with approx. 3/32" wall. Ok, that's what I wanted to know.

As for the running w/o the front bar thing and lowering the rear RC, I agree you could have done it. I don't think I'd classify it as "just fine" as a setup, but it wouldn't have caused you any bodily harm. If the front bar isn't necessary I wonder why they bother changing it, let alone to such a pricey part (basically I don't really buy it).

None the less, I'm glad they did the right thing for you.

Jazzer The Cat

Prior to his saying this, I said how bummed I was that I had to dis-continue the event and go home. He used the words "just fine" in conversation, but was just letting me know I would not have had a major or dangerous issue continuing to run the course (maybe some tire rubbing and add. body roll). If I was running a WL and changed the RC, I would have had even less likely tire contact and may not have noticed much difference at all.

It is certainly prefferable to have the sway bar, but I think the major advantage of this one over the stock is the non-binding Heim joint connections. This is largely what sets this bar apart from stock aside from possible weight savings.

I too am happy it is all fixed up and have a little more knowledge of "how things work". Will be just that much more prepared next time I hit the cones.... I mean course