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Re: rear sway bar....

To: <spridgets@Autox.Team.Net>, <JHOWLIN@peoplepc.com>
Subject: Re: rear sway bar....
Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 20:49:18 -0800 reply-type=original
References: <40935093.20041218193924@pacifier.com>
John,

The message from Bill is  correct in theory, it all depends on what handling 
charicteristics you are trying to acheive from your car, as well as what 
other changes are made.  With no front sway bar,  spridgets oversteer, and 
are "twitchy".  Very early cars have no sway bar up front.  With stock 
185/80R13 tires, the wimpy stock sway bar was all that the tires could 
handle without loosing grip, and understeering.  However, move up to  wider 
tire contact patches, ie 70 or 60 series tires, and the balance is changed. 
The wider tires and softer modern compounds provide more grip, and can 
handle a stiffer front bar. I did not like how much my car "leaned" into 
corners, which changes the camber angle & contact pressure between the front 
tires, so stiffer & shorter front springs, combined with a larger front 
anti-roll bar helps keep the nose flatter (less roll) in cornering.  That 
did result in undesireable understeer, which I corrected by adding a rear 
anti-roll bar.  I found that the rear bar needed to be one size smaller than 
the front to avoid serious oversteer, and that handling was better with 
stiff poly bushinges up front, but softer rubber bushings in the rear.  With 
the combined changes, the correct neutral handling was restored, but now my 
car corners very flat, like it is on a rail, and steering inputs feel more 
direct.  A second advantage I have noticed, is while most spridgets "lean" 
to the driver's side, with front & rear anti-sway bars, my car sits level

David Riker
davriker@pacbell.net
http://home.pacbell.net/davriker/
http://community.webshots.com/user/fool4mg

----- Original Message ----- 
From "Bill L" <pythias at pacifier.com>
To: "spridgets" <spridgets@Autox.Team.Net>
Sent: Saturday, December 18, 2004 7:39 PM
Subject: rear sway bar....


> Hello spridgets,
>
>      as far as "theory" goes.....
>
>      a front sway bar is cure oversteer, a rear sway bar for
>      understeer. (loose, or tight respectively for the
>      NASCARites)....
>
>      since spritgets tend toward oversteer, (at least after they went
>      to 1/2 eliptical springs instead of 1/4's in the BE and early
>      SB's (square bodies) a small front sway bar is all that should
>      be needed for "neutrality", .. however, one could install a
>      front sway bar that is too large, (the advice given to me for my
>      '66 was to go for the 5/8" bar NOT the 3/4 or 7/8) it would then
>      be advantageous to have a small rear sway bar. .......
>
>      soooooo.... skip the rear bar, get the right front bar, and
>      motor on! (my 2 cents)





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