Mark Sipe writes:
<snip - good stuff about swaybars>
> The again, what the h*ll do I know; I've been wrong before. Im certainly
> open to opposing arguments.
>
> M Sipe
>
Well, I was about to offer one based on the idea that the torsion in the bar
remains constant even if you vary the lengths of the arms, and that the
reactions at the mounts must be equal. But, after doing some more analysis I
realized that they won't be the same. Using a shorter arm on one side
effectively moves the roll center laterally towards that side, which changes
the reactions at the sway-bar mounts.
So, I have to agree with Mr. Sipe on this one... Adjusting one arm more then
the other WILL result in asymmetric roll stiffness.
Josh, your one-side blade style adjustable bar won't have this problem since
the effective arm lengths are the same.
Thanks Mark, for making me think about this one.
By the way, Phil is 100% correct about the unequal length arms introducing a
roll moment in bump. However, it would be so small that it probably wouldn't
be noticeable. On the other hand, this whole discussion is based on the
theoretical ideal sway-bar, and as Mark pointed out, most bars are far from
ideal, so adjusting one end a little more then the other won't have a huge
overall effect. I suppose you could use this as a tuning aid if the CG of
your car is not at the centerline of the chassis.
Brian Meyer
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