Sway bars, attach to body?

Excaliber · #1 (**permalink**) 08-15-2002, 10:44 AM

I have a 9" Ford four link rear end. The sway bar is not attached to the body at any point. It goes from one lower link to the other. A sway bar is supposed to tranfer weight due to the twisting action when one wheel is up and the other is down. Without being attached to the body, wouldn't the action be more like "flexing" not twisting? Perhaps it does work, just not as well as if it were "pivoting" or "twisting" at the body mount location?

Excaliber · #2 (**permalink**) 08-17-2002, 12:39 AM

Looks like the panel has been stumped on this one! What? No suspension guru's out there? Seems like a simple question, maybe not?

Hotfingrs · #3 (**permalink**) 08-17-2002, 04:59 AM

A sway isn't supposed to be attached to the body. Sway bars transfer weight from one side to the other side of the suspension. There are a couple of schools of thought on bar diameter...one goes with heavy bars and lighter springs..and the other uses heavy springs with a lighter bar to fine tune...

jrichard · #4 (**permalink**) 08-17-2002, 07:39 AM

sway bars are attached to the lower suspension member on each side and the car's FRAME in between. They work by using the swaybar's TORSION to help keep the car level during cornering- (anti-sway bar is what they really are).

Jack21 · #5 (**permalink**) 08-17-2002, 07:56 AM

Topic of rear sway bars was discussed recently. Do a search under Don Scott, or DV. Anyway, it depends on the design of the sway bar, and the suspension it's used on. 4 link solid rears lend themselves to this setup. Many rear sway bars, including late Mustang from which many Cobra rear suspensions are derived, attach to the lower control arms only. The arm is bolted at two points per side, allowing it to twist. The torsion of the bar keeps the wheels and body level during cornering. It's designed that way. Virtually all late '60's - early '70's with OEM rear sway bars were setup this way. (Olds 442's, some GTO's, and big block Chevelle SS's) Take out the 4 link, and put in an IRS (or leaf springs) and the sway bar would have to be attached to the frame, with only one attachment point on either side of the suspension.

Excaliber · #6 (**permalink**) 08-17-2002, 11:40 AM

Thanks for the help guys! The search was great, found the info. YES, the anit roll (sway bars) are attached ONLY at the lower swing arms and not the body, in some cases (such as mine).
Ernie

Mr.Fixit · #7 (**permalink**) 09-07-2002, 07:38 PM

Your's is probubly late mustang derived. But alot of the hipo mustang nuts buy aftermarket rear swaybars which do attach to the frame. There are the two basic design styles, with the frame attached variety being generally preferred.

Excaliber · #8 (**permalink**) 09-07-2002, 08:01 PM

I would indeed think that attached to the frame would transmit more "torque" or weight transfer than just hanging on the lower swing arms. I'm going to look into that. Thanx for pointing that out. Just because something DOES work, doesn't mean it's the "best" setup.

Got beat by a Datsun 510 again today. Man I'm really starting to hate that guy, ha ha. I can take him easily on the road course, but on the slalom he's eating my lunch.

Ernie

A Snake · #9 (**permalink**) 09-07-2002, 10:37 PM

Excalibur,

You can beat him in the slalom too. I wasn't there to watch, but I'll bet he cuts the cones pretty close. Right? Finesse win slaloms, not horsepower. Economy of motion. I don't know how your car is set up, but I'll suggest a couple of things to think about. #1 - leave it in first gear, unless you're too low geared for a longer part of the slalom. #2 - neutral gas in, power out...gently so you don't break the tires loose. Spinning the wheels doesn't win races.

If you are heavily on and off the throttle, it throws the car around and loads the suspension too much....makes your turns wide. Learn how to power up and down without the car reacting violently.

Just for giggles, go get a set of cones and set them up somewhere with lots of room. Start by going slow and tight. Find the "line" Get the feel of what the car is doing. Do this maybe fifty or sixty times in succession. You should be able to do it in your sleep before you move to the next level.

Add a little speed and continue the exercise. don't lose the line as you add speed. This is the whole secret. The guy in the 510 has probably done it in the same car hundreds of times.

Let me know how you do.

Been there, done that, got the tee-shirt. Damned Mini Cooper kept getting to me. Like you I got tired of it. Decided to drive with my head instead of cojones. Worked a lot better.....yeah I got him....finally.

Excaliber · #10 (**permalink**) 09-08-2002, 01:52 AM

I hear you about easy throttle application! Which is of course is easier said than done! "Seat time" is the only way. Traction was my main problem today, and it's happened before. Yokohama Auto cross A032R's seem to really "go away" if they get to hot. Where as the Hoosier full race tires seem to get BETTER! I actually had a better time than him in the second heat, my 85 secs to his 86 sec lap. A long delay before heat #3 and the track was hotter than a pistol by the time we ran. His times DROPPED and mine went UP!

I got to better handling (sway bar mods will help?) and HAVE to get full race tires. The DOT race tires just don't cut it anymore. And to think I started doing SCCA on Goodrich T/A's. WHAT was I thinking!!!! Ha ha!

Truly slalom is "fineese" and "control", big HP is NOT the easy solution.

Ernie