Sway Bars
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Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Virginia
A sway bar is made to twist. If you study how they are mounted, each end is always mounted on the lower a-arm. The middle of the bar is mounted to the frame with large rubber bushings.
The bar can twist easily in the large rubber bushings on the frame. So if you are going down the road straight, and both wheels hit a bump, the bar moves in the frame bushings with no resistance, so the bar has no affect on the ride.
But, let one wheel go down in a pot hole, and the other one stays on good level road. In this instance, one end of the bar will drop, the other will not. The bar will try to resist the wheel dropping down in the pot hole.
You will also notice this in a high speed turn. The outside wheel will tend to compress upward into the fenderwell. The wheel on the inside of the turn will be losing the weight of the vehicle, so that wheel will tend to drop out of the wheel well. The sway bar will try to resist this difference from side to side, keeping the truck more level in the turn.
The thicker the bar, the more it resists the side to side difference on each wheel.
The bar can twist easily in the large rubber bushings on the frame. So if you are going down the road straight, and both wheels hit a bump, the bar moves in the frame bushings with no resistance, so the bar has no affect on the ride.
But, let one wheel go down in a pot hole, and the other one stays on good level road. In this instance, one end of the bar will drop, the other will not. The bar will try to resist the wheel dropping down in the pot hole.
You will also notice this in a high speed turn. The outside wheel will tend to compress upward into the fenderwell. The wheel on the inside of the turn will be losing the weight of the vehicle, so that wheel will tend to drop out of the wheel well. The sway bar will try to resist this difference from side to side, keeping the truck more level in the turn.
The thicker the bar, the more it resists the side to side difference on each wheel.
Lead Driver
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 8,813
Likes: 13
From: Littleton, New Hampshire
Originally Posted by Jker
Correct.
Now for the rear. If you have a 4 link with a panhard, and coil overs, is a sway bar necessary?
Now for the rear. If you have a 4 link with a panhard, and coil overs, is a sway bar necessary?
Vern
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Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Virginia
Be sure that if you add one that you also have a front bar. Running a rear anti-sway bar only is not a recommended practice...
The factory designs most all cars with a "push" in the front, since it's easily correctible by hitting the brakes, something most people naturally do when they are getting ready to lose control in a turn.
Lead Driver
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 8,813
Likes: 13
From: Littleton, New Hampshire
Dave,
That's interesting. I didn't know any better so I used a stock MII bar in the front on my 29 and a larger diameter aftermarket one from Progressive Automotive in the rear. The car handled very well and never seemed to want to come around on me but I drove it like a little old lady. Perhaps I was just lucky...
Vern
That's interesting. I didn't know any better so I used a stock MII bar in the front on my 29 and a larger diameter aftermarket one from Progressive Automotive in the rear. The car handled very well and never seemed to want to come around on me but I drove it like a little old lady. Perhaps I was just lucky...
Vern
