Rear Stabilizer Bar

[Patrick Washburn]

While this is the "boilerplate" solution to most FWD understeer problems, 
note that no single thing acts alone when it comes to setting up a balanced 
car.  Sring rates, damper compression and rebound rates, roll bar rates, 
alignment, all add up to the total package.  

Example:  My SCCA Solo2 Neon.  Conventional wisdom had everyone putting 
smaller front bars, or none, on.  Eventual better solution?  (As determined 
by multi-National Champion Mark Daddio)  Stiffen the front with the bigger 
bar, as well as valving the Koni's off the charts on rebound stiffness.  
Understeer eliminated by creating better contact patches through better 
camber curve.  We run 3 degrees neg camber however, so I would not suggest 
this as the only solution.  For most, I agree that a stiff rear bar with a 
softening of the front will help most people's understeer, assuming tire 
pressures and alignment the same.

> David Coleman wrote:
> 
> Actually, understeer is corrected at the rear axle, especially if it's a
> front-driver.  I race an ITC Scirocco, and am running one big bar in the
> rear, and NO bar in the front.  The car used to push like mad, until, at 
the
> advice of about the entire field, I removed the front sway bar.  Some
> fwd'ers are using TWO rear bars.  Also, no top strut tie bar is used,
> although that's due to rules constraints.
> 
> Essentially, it's the car's tendency to "fall over itself" that lets the
> front bite.  Although I haven't taken the time to try to comprehend the
> higher physics of it, I can tell you it's much faster that way (2-3
> seconds).  It seems that by reducing sway in the rear, it bites less, and
> has more of a tendency to float around toward the front.  I suppose an
> ultra-stiff suspension helps matters too.
> 
> -dave


Patrick Washburn
C-Tech Trailor Cabinets
Wausau, WI
www.racecabinet.com
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