> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wes Shew [SMTP:schumi@vcn.bc.ca]
> Sent: Friday, May 07, 1999 2:16 PM
> To: Racing
> Cc: Team dot net; Wes Shew
> Subject: Anti-rollbar theory?
>
> I'm pondering how swaybars can make a car turn faster lap times. Let's say
> you upgrade to a larger front bar on a RWD car that normally oversteers
> at the limit. In theory you will lessen oversteer. Is this because the
> front end will begin to understeer before the rear oversteers. OR, is the
> traction/cornering limit (friction circle) of the rear actually increased?
>
When you adjust swaybars you are adjusting the percentage (not amount) of
weight transfer from the inside tire patch to the outside. In your example,
the larger front bar transfers more of the weight up front. You haven't
enlarged the friction circle of any of the tires - if the rear could provide
500 lbs of lateral force directed to the inside of the turn, it can still do
so - but you've lessened the amount of weight producing force to the
outside.
If you have extra capacity in the front tires, this is a win-win situation
and you have increased the cornering capacity of the car as a whole. If you
don't, you've just taken the problem from the rear of the car and moved it
to the front.
KeS
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