How do sway bars work?
When weight comes down on corner of the car, the sway bar actually twists in such a way that it forces the opposite side’s tire down and bringing the acted upon corner up. This also prohibits weight transfer to the end of the car with the sway bar. So with a sway bar you can further reduce body roll, keeping the chassis flat. By reducing bodyroll, ideally the tires are allowed a better contact patch. Typically the removal of the weight on the sway bar end of the car removes traction moreso than the gain in traction by the elimination of bodyroll provided. In other words, the end that has the sway bar will have less traction. If you wish to only eliminate bodyroll, be sure to select a matched sway bar set if you don’t wish to upset your car’s weight transfer characteristics too much during cornering.
Related Questions
- Ive read a lot of conflicting information about rear sway bars. Since my Camaro is rear wheel drive and has a solid axle with leafs out back, why do I need a rear bar and what does it do?
- I heard that some other aftermarket rear sway bars will not fit 1999 M3s due to production changes. Are there issues with the SwayBarbarian?
- What are the specs on the stock sway bars and springs?
