Trying to decide on sway bars for my ERA

[Buzz]

Cut and pasted from my reply in the Butler thread and intended as general discussion re: front and rear sway bars:


I enjoy a nice, firm ride in my car (Unique) with only a front sway bar. I elected to leave the rear bar off in favor of keeping some compliance in the rear suspension. This setup delivers a supple ride with a small amount of body roll; and the extra articulation in hard turns allows the IRS to do its job and keep the inside rear tire planted when I get on it early and hard exiting the corner.

The goal of eliminating all body roll often leads to excessive suspension stiffness which contributes to snappy oversteer, produces a harsh ride and is just not the ideal setup for a short, light sportscar with independent suspension.

With the rear planted in the corners, I find the handling to be more neutral as opposed to understeering, and oversteer can be induced relatively progressively (by Cobra standards) if desired.

Originally Posted by patrickt

I have both.

In an earlier thread, Patrick, you showed a pic of the front of your car jacked up a few inches which also raised the corresponding rear tire off the ground. You attributed that to frame stiffness - which is partially accurate because it wouldn't happen with a flimsy chassis - but the real story there is an alarming lack of articulation in your rear suspension. If I jack my car up like that, I'm happy to say I need to go a good way before I run out of rear suspension travel and the back tire clears the garage floor. I just searched your gallery for the picture but either I missed it or it just isn't there.