Actually that's not always true since I have 4 strut bars on my 00 Civic. Front upper (in the engine bay), front lower (connecting the lower control arms), rear upper (in the trunk attaching the shock towers), and rear lower connecting the lower subframe).

A sway bar (anti-roll bar) prevents the car from leaning (or swaying). There's two schools of thought of adding a front sway bar to a car. Some say if you make the front bar stiff enough it can negate the understeer to make the front tires BITE better hence decreasing understeer. The other school of thought is that a front sway bar will make a car understeer more. *shrugs*

 

[QUOTE=CivicSiRacer]Actually that's not always true since I have 4 strut bars on my 00 Civic. Front upper (in the engine bay), front lower (connecting the lower control arms), rear upper (in the trunk attaching the shock towers), and rear lower connecting the lower subframe). [\QUOTE]

This I know I just figured if he did not know the differnce bettween a sway and a strut bar I figured we would start simple.


I have always understood that when you change a sway bar you are increasing or decreasing traction on the opposite end if the car, just like when you up your spring rate, because essitially a sway is just another spring.

 

i'm considering doing the 944 cup through mr dercola's group...i have to get my recent 944 purchase in good running order (need to replace all engine seals, timing belt, water pump, etc.)...rear wheel bearings, drivers rear axle, fix the leaks (sunroof and rear hatch), replace the shocks and springs...lots of stuff

 

Do you have cage and a racing license yet?

 

not yet...wife and kid come first as they have for the past 3 years...i only get to a track 3-4 times a year now...i'm hoping in 2-3 years to have a license and the car in good running order

 

this hold true for the older cars which did had much more twist in the chassis.

in the new cars it's a bit different.

for example in my M coupe, a thicker anti-roll bar actually helps with exit speed. It allows you to get back on the throttle much sooner.

But you are right that anti-roll bar does change the spring rate, but only when one side is loaded. So if you hit a bump with with wheels (front) then the effect of the anti-roll bar is negated. If you hit the bump with one of the wheel, then the impact will be much greater.

Also sway bar is better than a spring because the stiffness can be adjusted easily.