In this article, we will discuss everything regarding Sway Bars: what they are, their use, their application, pros & cons, maintenance, and frequently asked questions regarding them!
Sway Bars vs. Strut Tower Braces
Strut tower braces and Sway bars are often confused with one another as they help with similar aspects of handling. Sway bars are located low on your vehicle and help to stabilize your suspension system whereas Strut tower braces are located above your suspension connecting the strut towers to one another to improve the rigidity of your chassis and suspension system.
What are Sway Bars?
Sway Bars, or Anti Roll Bars, are devices used to help distribute the force exerted on one side of your suspension through to the other side. It does this by connecting one independent suspension system to the adjacent side with a solid bar. The Sway Bar connects to your suspension via endlinks and fastens to your chassis with sway bar bushings and mounts (See Image below).
What do they do?
Sway Bars distribute the force from the side under load onto the other side of your vehicle, whether you are going over a bump or cornering. The distributed force helps minimize body roll and aids in more predictable handling. The correct Sway Bar system helps dramatically with traction during cornering by distributing the force and weight of your vehicle being exerted on one side evenly among all four corners to maximize the friction (traction) between all your tires and ground.
Kinds of Sway Bars
Summary:
- Solid.
- Hollow.
- Adjustable.
- Tubular.
There are a variety of sway bars each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Here is a list of the most common kinds of sway bars you will find in the market:
1) Solid sway bars
Solid Sway bars are the most common kind of sway bar. They are typically manufactured from steel making them relatively cheap to manufacture and they are durable. However, because of the material and solid build, it is common for these bars to distribute more noise into the vehicle’s cabin. The solid structure of the bar also makes this one of the heaviest on the list.
2) Hollow sway bars
Next is a Hollow Sway Bar. Hollow bars provide a good combination of durability and weight savings. However, Hollow Sway bars are more expensive to manufacture and have a higher chance of breaking if you live in a humid or wet climate where rust occurs because they are not a completely solid structure (Thin walls).
3) Adjustable sway bars
Adjustable Sway Bars incorporate an adjustable torsion spring. This allows you to tune your Sway Bar for your specific vehicle and driving habits. Adjustable Sway bars tend to be more expensive but offer the most flexibility in performance and tuning.
4) Tubular sway bars
Tubular Sway Bars are much like hollow sway bars, their key difference is the quality of manufacturing. Tubular Sway Bars tend to use higher-quality materials than Hollow Sway Bars. Tubular Sway Bars are very common as an aftermarket or performance Sway Bar. They tend to cost more than Hollow and Solid Sway Bars.
Not all Kinds of Sway Bars are manufactured the same and not all kinds of vehicles will have the same kind of Sway Bars installed. Many vehicles are equipped with two sway bars, one on the front suspension and one on the rear. (Hawley, 2023).
How do Sway Bars affect Performance?
Summary:
Get the stiffest sway bar possible without losing traction. Front Sway Bars promote understeer, and rear Sway Bars promote oversteer use the opposite to correct your handling issue.
1) Front Wheel Drive (FWD)
For front-wheel-drive vehicles to transmit power to the ground it uses the front wheels. It is most common for front wheel drive cars to understeer while cornering hard. To minimize understeer on a front wheel drive car you can install a stiffer rear Sway Bar. However, a front sway bar can be very beneficial as well, since the weight of a front-wheel-drive vehicle tends to sit over the front two wheels. If you install too stiff of a front Sway Bar you can promote more understeer and the tendency for the inside of your wheel to lift off the ground, which can negatively impact your cornering speed and grip.
2) Rear Wheel Drive (RWD)
Unlike a Front-Wheel-Driven vehicle, Rear-Wheel-Drive vehicles tend to oversteer. If you install a stiffer front Sway Bar you can help mitigate oversteer. But just like an FWD vehicle, adding a sway bar to the opposite end of the vehicle will reduce body roll and increase traction while cornering, but if taken too far you can promote the original handling problem. A slightly upgraded rear sway bar will be beneficial, but if you install a rear Sway bar that is too stiff you will likely see an increase in oversteer.
3) All Wheel Drive (AWD)
All-wheel-drive cars can either oversteer or understeer. In simple terms, if your All-Wheel-Drive car oversteers, then install a stiffer front sway bar, and if it understeers, then install a stiffer rear sway bar. As previously mentioned in the article adjustable sway bars are also available, so depending on what needs to be adjusted you can do so without having to purchase a new sway bar to achieve the desired stiffness. (PartsAvatar Blog, 2023).
Which Bars for What Style of Driving?
We know what Sway Bars do, the different kinds, and how they affect performance but what would be ideal for different kinds of driving scenarios? We’ll discuss the ideal Sway Bar setups for various kinds of vehicles and driving types below.
1) Street
If you plan on driving your vehicle on the street and want to know what kind of Sway Bars to use, here is what is commonly suggested: for overall comfort keep your factory sway bar installed. It will provide a more cushioned feel around corners and while driving over bumps, however, if you want a more sporty setup for the street you can install a stiffer Sway Bar to achieve the gains you are looking for; reducing body roll and increasing traction. 20 Best Street Racing Cars.
2) Track
Track cars looking to corner hard at slow and fast speeds will benefit greatly from an appropriate set of stiffer sway bars. Try to install the heaviest sway bars possible without losing traction or creating excessive understeer or oversteer. If you find yourself at the track a lot trying to set records or simply faster lap times, opt for installing adjustable sway bars, as this will allow you to dial in your suspension setup finding the perfect balance of speed and traction around the track.
3) Drift
For the drifters out there, ideally, you want to promote a level of oversteer, and as such, it is recommended to fit a much heavier rear sway bar allowing your back tires to break traction much easier. Some drifters also opt for a double rear sway bar in the rear to stiffen up the back as much as possible. Having a stiff enough front sway bar to control the handling without causing too much understeer is also very helpful in the sport.
4) Drag Racing
In a drag race, it is very helpful once again to have a stiff rear sway bar but for very different reasons. A stiff rear sway bar will help to keep your vehicle in a straight line while accelerating quickly. As for the front, using a soft sway bar is helpful as it reduces suspension binding and weight transfer to the rear it is common on many drag cars to completely remove the front Sway Bar system completely to reduce weight as it serves very little purpose on a drag strip.
5) Rally/Rallycross
Rally racing or Rallycross is much different than other kinds of racing. Depending on the modifications allowed in your class using a soft front sway bar or removing your front sway bar for Front-Wheel-Drive cars is recommended and using a soft rear Sway Bar or removing the rear Sway Bar for rear-wheel-drive cars is recommended. As for all-wheel-driven vehicles, how you tune your suspension and sway bar is tricky and should be adjusted depending on the track you race on.
6) 4x4 (Offroad)
For the average offroading enthusiast who doesn’t plan on racing or extreme climbing, using a stock or soft sway bar is ideal; it will still allow you to have some traction cornering while at speed and ensure enough play in the suspension to climb over and dig through various terrain. You can also use a sway bar quick disconnect system.
Pros & Cons of Performance Sway Bars
Summary:
Aftermarket Sway Bars are ideal for track-oriented builds or cars with excessive body roll, whereas a performance sway bar can be harmful to comfort and some styles of race cars like drag cars or rallycross.
There are a few points to consider before purchasing a sway bar for your vehicle. Sway bars are great devices but may not be the most practical or useful for every application.
Pros of an Aftermarket Sway Bar
1) Increased stability and traction
One of the main reasons people choose to install aftermarket sway bars in the first place is to increase the stability and traction of your vehicle. This is most important if your vehicle has a drastic body roll to the point where your suspension cannot properly align itself for traction when under hard cornering or load.
2) Enhanced Steering response
Sway Bars play a huge role in the overall feel and handling response of your vehicle by minimizing the time it takes for your suspension to load and unload while entering and exiting corners. The added rigidity allows for your steering inputs to be more precise and accurate. The added stiffness also helps to make your vehicle more predictable so you can adjust your speed and steering input in response to how your vehicle is moving around corners.
Cons of an Aftermarket Sway Bar
1) Increased noise and vibrations
For those looking to improve the comfort of your vehicle an aftermarket Sway Bar will likely have the adverse effect. Because of their rigidity, Sway Bars allow for more vibrations to transfer into the cabin of your vehicle making it noisier and bumpier. Aftermarket Sway Bars can also produce more noise if your bushings and endlinks are not properly greased.
2) Added weight
For those who drag race their vehicles, there is no need to increase the weight of your vehicle by adding an unnecessarily big front sway bar. There is also no need to add the biggest sway bar you can find on certain track cars because it not only adds unnecessary weight but will also increase the likelihood of wheel lift and the increased likelihood your car breaks traction by not allowing your shocks and springs to properly dampen bumps and grooves in the road. Full weight reduction guide.
Sway Bar Maintenance
How to tell if its Broken (Or Worn)
It is not common for the sway bar itself to break but more likely you have worn-out bushings or endlinks, any metallic clunking or knocking sound when going over bumps or traveling at higher speeds is sometimes a good indication of a broken sway bar or worn-out sway bar components.
How to tell you need an upgrade
If your vehicle rolls excessively during cornering or if your vehicle oversteers or understeers an unnecessary amount while cornering that is a good indication you need to upgrade your Sway Bar. If you understeer or oversteer excessively without much body roll, that could also be a sign you need to downgrade a front or rear Sway Bar or add other modifications like camber or caster adjustment parts.
Bushings
There are other things to maintain and improve the effectiveness of your Sway Bars without changing the bar itself.
1) Endlinks/Stabilizer Links
Endlinks are the components that connect your suspension to either side of your sway bar.
Rubber:
Rubber bushing is most commonly found on stock vehicles as they still keep your bar connected to your suspension but allow for some cushioning and play to increase the comfort of your ride while still providing some performance.
Polyurethane:
One of the performance options for Endlinks is polyurethane. Polyurethane increases the rigidity of the endlink by using a harder material still allowing some play in your sway bar but much less than your factory rubber endlinks which lowers the amount of load required for your sway bar to begin to stabilize your suspension.
Solid:
A solid end link is a solid bar that connects your sway bar to your suspension. This allows for no play which ensures that your sway bar is stabilizing your suspension whenever any load is applied during cornering.
Adjustable:
Adjustable End Links are much like solid end links but with the added option of choosing the length. This is a great option for those who also adjust the ride height of your vehicle allowing you to choose the amount of pressure the Endlink holds on your sway bar. This can become too tight if you lift your vehicle or too loose if you lower your vehicle because the ride height changes the alignment of your suspension when it decreases or increases.
2) Sway Bar bushings
Sway Bar bushings are the bushings that fasten your sway bar to the chassis of your vehicle.
Rubber:
The rubber bushing is most commonly found on stock vehicles as it still keeps your bar connected to your chassis but allows for some cushioning and play to increase comfort and minimize noise while still providing some performance.
Polyurethane:
The performance option of Sway Bar Bushings is polyurethane. Polyurethane increases the rigidity of the mount by using a harder material still allowing some play in your sway bar, but much less than your factory rubber mounts which lowers the amount of load required for your sway bar to stabilize your suspension.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1) Will an Aftermarket Sway Bar Void my Warranty?
Aftermarket Sway Bars tend to be on the fence if they will or will not void a vehicle’s warranty. They don’t directly impact the powertrain or drivetrain of a vehicle which makes it okay to some manufacturers whereas any form of vehicle enhancement that is not factory can void your warranty. For more information or questions about this topic, it is advised you speak to an expert or warranty provider directly to address your questions.
2) What if I can't get one for my car
If you are unable to get an upgraded sway bar for your vehicle, you can have a custom sway bar made or refer to forum groups to see how others with the same car manage this issue. Polyurethane bushings and endlinks are another way to enhance the impact your factory sway bar’s play on handling without replacing your sway bar itself. You can always skip a sway bar and use other suspension modifications to achieve a similar impact as well How to modify your suspension of a Budget.
3) Are they safe?
Yes, generally speaking, if you install a Sway Bar correctly much like many other vehicle modifications you are not going to be sacrificing safety. If you install it incorrectly, you run the risk of your bar disconnecting which will increase the body roll of your vehicle to its absolute maximum which could be unsafe if you are racing or traveling at high speeds when cornering, a disconnected sway bar could also potentially come into contact with other components potentially damaging them which could cause risk to you and your vehicle.
Conclusion
Now you have a full conceptual understanding of sway bars, the kinds, applications, pros and cons, bushings, and commonly asked questions regarding them. Sway Bars are a great modification for many people looking to enhance their handling, stability, and traction. Proceed with caution ensuring to properly install parts and are aware of local laws regarding vehicle modification as well. With this knowledge, you can move forward modifying with confidence. If you have any further questions or concerns feel free to reach out at 74Customscompany@gmail.com, Thanks for reading!
References:
Hawley, D. (2023, July 20). What Does A Sway Bar Do? J.D. Power. Retrieved September 29, 2024, from https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/what-does-a-sway-bar-do
PartsAvatar Blog. (2023). The Ultimate Sway Bar Buying Guide. PartsAvatar Blog. Retrieved 9 29, 2024, from https://partsavatar.ca/blog/suspension/the-ultimate-sway-bar-buying-guide/?srsltid=AfmBOooRhI3Y6losdYlom-wMdS-QuVY6KA3A7aRz3YSRw0__no8etN59
