rear sway bar

[Nissan87]

I've read a couple of threads on several forums where people remove their rear sway bars either for a drift or grip setup, but they never really explain why. I would assume it's to achieve less oversteer, which is common on S-chassis cars (not entirely certain), but I'm guessing there might be other reasons..

[xpertsnowcarver]

:blah:
Okaay... so what are you asking???

[Nissan87]

:blah:
Okaay... so what are you asking???

Basically.. why do people remove their rear sway bars? And if there're any benefits in doing so for drifting or grip racing.

[xpertsnowcarver]

Rule of thumb I guess you can call it. Stiffer rear sway bar is more inclined to oversteer. Leave the stock bars on or removing it is more inclined to understeer. That's about the gist of it. But if you want to grip, leave your sway bars alone and buy good tires.

[mmdb]

Removing the rear sway bar effectively changes the amount of weight the outer, loaded rear wheel receives. The suspension with a sway bar prevents excessive camber change as well. You can achieve the same thing by increasing spring rates, but compliance over bumps is lost.

In contradition to what you noted, a rear sway bar will add rotation, or oversteer. As per road racing, having a rear sway bar is beneficial because it adds stability through transitions and the added benefits noted above. Also, it is a quick tuning method to dial in, or dial out oversteer/rotation. It is also very important to use a sway bar that is balanced front and rear. You want to use the sway bar mainly as a tuning tool after you sort out your spring rates, whether it be increasing the diameter of the sway bar, decreasing its diameter or removing it totally - having too much front sway bar stiffness will add to understeer, too much in the rear will result in oversteer.

Moreover, totally preventing any sort of sway through super stiff sway bars and springs will be detrimental to vehicle handling. This is because the tires will essentially act as springs. Tires become less and less efficient providing grip as they become loaded. And if loaded too quickly they break away suddenly causing massive, sudden oversteer/understeer. Just some things to keep in mind.

[ranger240]

Removing the rear sway bar effectively changes the amount of weight the outer, loaded rear wheel receives. The suspension with a sway bar prevents excessive camber change as well. You can achieve the same thing by increasing spring rates, but compliance over bumps is lost.

In contradition to what you noted, a rear sway bar will add rotation, or oversteer. As per road racing, having a rear sway bar is beneficial because it adds stability through transitions and the added benefits noted above. Also, it is a quick tuning method to dial in, or dial out oversteer/rotation.

thats an awesome post.

i have a pretty hicas bar powerdecoated red if anyone wants to sling like 60-70 bucks (coating stuff is expensive) its theres