Kevin,
Rear antiroll bars on Minis have always been a bit of a puzzle for me. By using a rear antiroll bar you effectively reduce the rear wheel grip which makes for less understeer.
To me it makes more sense to increase the front grip to reduce understeer and have more TOTAL grip than reducing rear grip and ending up with less TOTAL grip.
Using progressive rear bump stops increases rear roll stiffness on the outside wheel but doesn't reduce the grip on the inside wheel like a rear antiroll bar. This seems to be a better way to go for improved rear wheel grip. It will also reduce the tendancy for the inside front wheel to lift because of less rear body roll. How effectively, as you say, is another question.
It seems to me that by fitting a front antiroll bar you increase the front roll stiffness but I guess it has the downside of tending to lift the inside front wheel. Maybe that's why it isn't a good idea.
I've been told that if you run an LSD then a front antiroll bar is the way to go.
You can also reduce understeer by reducing the amount of rear toe in but I think that makes for a very twitchy rear end and thats not a good idea for the road.
As Pauline would say - anybody please explain.
Regards
RonR
