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Re: [FOT] Sway Bars

To: "Kramer, Robert" <RKramer@rdoequipment.com>
Subject: Re: [FOT] Sway Bars
From: Bill Babcock <billb@bnj.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:27:44 -0700
The choice of swaybar or no swaybar is really associated with where  
the roll center is. If you have a high roll center then you might not  
need one, if it's low then you probably do. In solid axle cars, even  
with a panhard bar, the roll center is somewhere close to the  
centerline of the axle. So a swaybar isn't really needed to counter  
body roll and will induce undesireable oversteer without  
substantially changing roll stiffness. If you have a rear bar and  
it's set for zero tension at rest, then it's probably not doing much  
since the rear end doesn't roll that much.

The front end probably has a roll center either at or below ground  
level unless your front suspension is highly modified, so it rolls  
like the dickens without a swaybar.  Cars with different front and  
rear roll centers roll along a diagonal line drawn through the roll  
centers unless there is a sway bar. It can make for a lot of  
confusion as to what the steering and the back end are or should be  
doing since low roll (high roll center) induces higher amounts of  
lateral deflections while high roll (low roll center) changes camber  
a lot.

The pretty thing about this is that it's easy to visual and explains  
a lot of things, like why people like stiff front springs if their  
suspension isn't working well.


On Oct 24, 2006, at 2:15 PM, Kramer, Robert wrote:

> I also run the Goodparts swaybars on my TR4A and so far so good. I  
> have
> not seen any more tendency to oversteer than I had on the TR4. I have
> them set for no tension when sitting ground level.
>
> Bob Kramer
> Sales Manager
> 16415 North IH35
> RDO Equipment Co.
> Pflugerville, TX  78660
> 800-775-3838
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-fot@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-fot@autox.team.net] On
> Behalf Of Charly Mitchel
> Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 1:09 PM
> To: Gary; fot@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: [FOT] Sway Bars
>
> I race a 69 TR6 and have uprated (anti) sway bar on the front as  
> well as
> an
> adjustable bar on the rear.  These are both 7/8" bars that I purchased
> from
> Goodparts (www.goodparts.com).  The only concern I have is to caution
> you to
> not have the rear bar to stiff as it creates incredible oversteer!!
> Charly Mitchel
> TR6 #44
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Gary" <vintage.racer@comcast.net>
> To: <fot@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 8:47 AM
> Subject: [FOT] Sway Bars
>
>
>> Hello:
>>
>> How many of you TR racers use a rear sway bar on your car in addition
> to
> one
>> on the front?
>>
>> Gary
>> '62 TR4
>>
>>
>> ===  Help keep Team.Net on the air
>> ===     http://www.team.net/donate.html
>
>
> ===  Help keep Team.Net on the air
> ===     http://www.team.net/donate.html
>
>
> ===  Help keep Team.Net on the air
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