Rear sway bar on a first gen

[firebob]

yes or no? I know every car, every setup, is different but I have run back to back runs on course ( one with the bar connected and one without) and I don't know if it was just my imagination but the car just felt more stable to me with the rear bar hooked up. Some say the rear bar will create more pressure on the front and try and push through a turn creating oversteer. I didn't notice it.
Opinions?

[CSG]

For me I find that bars almost always make the car "feel" faster and more controllable unless you really go too big. My lap times did not align with the feeling though. Too much rear bar (rear wheel rate actually) will cause oversteer as it takes grip away from that end. When I was less experienced I would put cheap Nitto 555 tires on the car for testing. You can really see how the car is balanced that way and learn a lot about how things effect the handling when the tires give out before your talent does. Not saying you are inexperienced as I have no idea your driving level.

[79T/Aman]

that's part of tuning the car, it has to feel good to you the driver not what other's opinions are on the internet.

[David Pozzi]

Every first gen I've worked on has been helped with a rear bar. If you have too much rear bar, the rear will be fishtailing and it will be difficult to apply power on corner exit. In extreme cases the inside rear can lift off the pavement.

A lot depends on front to rear weight balance and what size tires you have front to rear. Ideally the front and rear tires should be the same width. One size smaller front works very well but if your front tires are more than one size smaller front, it is difficult for sway bars to make up for it.

Whichever end of the car you stiffen with a bar, it is handling more of the total cornering "load".
If front is pushing, more rear bar takes cornering load off the front and applies it to the rear. This relieves the front tires of some cornering load and the front becomes more responsive. The driver likes this feel because the front steers better and faster. It's always nice to have the car go where you steer it.

A stiffer rear bar makes the rear tires carry more lateral load. This makes the rear more active (higher slip angles) which is helpful in an autocross as long as it isn't excessive. It can hurt traction on corner exit if you have too much rear bar, but it helps you on corner entry. Adding a rear bar won't push the front end.

I like to have a 3 hole adjustable rear bar so I can tune the handling balance for the tires and track I'm running. Even better is to have a 3 hole front bar to do the same. It isn't available for a stock front sub but is on some aftermarket subs and allows you to increase or decrease total roll resistance, plus adjust front to rear balance. Slippery surface: back off both front and rear bars. High grip surface: car will roll more so increase front and rear bar settings. You can also soften shocks softer on slippery surfaces to increase grip.

You can "tune" front bar stiffness by swapping stiffer or softer end link bushings. Also by what material you use for front bar mounting, poly or rubber. You want to restrict chassis roll to 2 degrees or less in a perfect world. Often you can't get it that stiff.

[firebob]

That kind of confirms what it felt like to me. My rear bar isn't excessive. Only a decent quality 3/4" bar. I got out there today and installed the new rear end girdle/diff cover and now the bar doesn't fit. Par for the course. Replace one thing and then something else has to be changed to accommodate it. I guess I'll have to start shopping for a replacement rear bar now.i cdont know why I thought this one might be easy. What's the definition of crazy?

[David Pozzi]

If it clamps to the rear axles, you can loosen the clamps and push the bar rearward. Keep an eye on the front links though, it may generate too much angle on the links.

[firebob]

Got it back on and hooked up. Had to space it a little further from the axle to get enough clearance but the links are at a better angle than they were before so that worked out. Thanks for all the advice.

[David Pozzi]

Cool!