View Full Version : Front sway bar question.


q-tip
06-04-2009, 11:10 AM
I am looking into getting JUST the front sway bar. How does this impact handling compared to replacing the front and rear at the same time?

I drive mostly on the street but I attend one AutoX event every weekend so cone-to-cone performance plays a major roll in my decisions.

Basically my question boils down to how will the car handle with just a front sway bar on the street and on the track? What kinds of improvements/compromises would I see?

mulkio
06-04-2009, 05:38 PM
I am looking into getting JUST the front sway bar. How does this impact handling compared to replacing the front and rear at the same time?

I drive mostly on the street but I attend one AutoX event every weekend so cone-to-cone performance plays a major roll in my decisions.

Basically my question boils down to how will the car handle with just a front sway bar on the street and on the track? What kinds of improvements/compromises would I see?

Stiffer front = push. (In my experince, slow tight turns car just would not rotate)
Set full soft in front, rear set to mid, & she rotates. (IMO oversteer is better than understeer)
Different setup could yield different results. IE allignment, ride height, etc etc etc

fossumja
06-05-2009, 10:21 PM
Adding a stiffer bar to the front only will reduce roll (which is good) but increase the proportion of weight transfered at the front (which is bad). This is the tradeoff. A slightly stiffer bar will help overall grip without causing too much understeer. The Hotchkis MX5 bar is gaining popularity with stock class autocrossers. Most others are considered too stiff to work in the front only.

TeamRX8
06-06-2009, 12:04 PM
It helps the car slalom and turn-in much better. There are other tuning factors that can also dial in under/over-steer, so setting up the rest of the car to also work mid-turn and corner exit is the key.

Just finished the latest TeamRX8 V3 speedway bar, similar to the Gendron bar with a few personal variations.