High Plains Mopars
03-09-2008, 10:36 AM
I'm working on formulas for rear suspension sway bars. I've got the rates for different sized bars figured out, but I've run into a situation where some of the bars mount differently, hence they will produce different motion ratios. My question is which dimension to use to calculate the motion ratio.
Some bars I have are frame hung and the arms mount on the axle housing in line with the springs. In this instance I use the same motion ratio for the springs and apply it to the sway bar rate to get the bar's wheel rate.
The other bars I have are axle hung bars, so they mount off the axle inboard of the springs, and their frame mounting point is also inboard of the springs, but in a differing position than where the axle mounts are at.
So the question is when determining the motion ratio on the axle hung bars, do I use their location where they mount to the axle housing or the location where they mount to the frame?
The difference between which location to use for the motion ratio can alter the wheel rate by around 45 pounds, which would be a significant amount on rear wheel rate.
Some bars I have are frame hung and the arms mount on the axle housing in line with the springs. In this instance I use the same motion ratio for the springs and apply it to the sway bar rate to get the bar's wheel rate.
The other bars I have are axle hung bars, so they mount off the axle inboard of the springs, and their frame mounting point is also inboard of the springs, but in a differing position than where the axle mounts are at.
So the question is when determining the motion ratio on the axle hung bars, do I use their location where they mount to the axle housing or the location where they mount to the frame?
The difference between which location to use for the motion ratio can alter the wheel rate by around 45 pounds, which would be a significant amount on rear wheel rate.