anti roll bars i know how these work and what they do but do they make a big difference to how the car will drive and also have seen advertised panhard rods for a locost but what are these and what do they do and more importantly will i need one thanks and sorry for a dumb question (another) adam

panhard rods stop the side ways movement of a live axle

oh right so me having a irs set up wont need to worry about that then does a anti roll bar make a big difference to the drive then is manly going be on the road and now and then track days

yep you wont need one with an IRS set up.

Im not entirely sure on the anti roll bar front... I think mainly people use them for racing but i havnt got a clue sorry.

An anti-roll bar does exactly what it says on the tin- it stops the car rolling. This means you can use softer suspension springs / dampers (which will iron the bumps out of a road).
So my Micra, for example, has a smooth ride but doesn't roll round corners.
My old Maestro, however, had an equally smooth ride but (without an ARB) rolled round corners like a drunk sailor.
For track use you can get away with harsher suspension (ie a less compliant) ride. So you would think an ARB would be less important. However, the way an ARB equipped car moves the balance point around is different to a stiffly sprung car.

It's a complicated topic (understatement of the year)...

Mostly on a 7 the balance point is low down so the body roll will be very limited despite high lateral G-forces. So ARBs are generally not needed... but some people still fit them... clear as mud?