In a discussion with a local suspension guru the point was made that
adjustable swaybars really only need to be adjusted on one end, thus the
adjustable bars that have adjusting holes on both ends really only need the
holes on one end. The basis for this argument is that a sway bar is just a
spring with a constant rate so a 100 lbs pushing up on one end will push
down with 100 lbs on the other (assuming no preload on the bar).
Thinking about this in the context of vehicle roll (which the sway bar
exists to control) it appears true. A sway bar transfers load from one side
of the vehicle to the other at a constant spring rate and the lever length
of the sway bar ends would not affect the amount of load transferred (again,
we're talking about vehicle roll). I don't think its true in single wheel
bump but that's another issue.
This was a new idea to me but it makes sense (after thinking about it and
drawing a lot of pictures). What do you folks think?
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John Coffey
johncof@ibm.net
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