Rear Sway Bar

[Patrick Austin]

Speaking from Watercooled Golf/Jetta VW experience: 
Biggest rear bar possible with a slightly smaller front bar.  I've had
three setups:  large front, no rear.  Large rear, small front. Large rear,
large front.  The best setup was DEFINATELY the biggest front and biggest
rear bars that I could find.  This was with Shine Racing springs and
Bilstein HD's.  

Running a big front and no rear bar reduced the amount of available
traction coming out of corners.  Turn in wasn't great, but the car was
fairly neutral initially, with understeer coming out of corners.

Running a large rear bar and small front bar gave great traction coming out
of corners at autocrosses, and great turn-in, but the car would get pretty
tail-happy in lift-throttle or decreasing radius corners.  Basically, it
understeered in, and oversteered out.  It was fun, and maybe great on a
rally car, or race car with really stiff front springs (800lb or so) to
make up for the lack of a front bar, but no good on a street car.

With the big front and big rear the car was very neutral.  Great turn-in
but the car didn't put power down as well coming out of corners as with
just the big rear bar.  However, while just the front bar made the car plow
out of corners, and just the big bar made the car oversteer at bad moments,
the combination of big front and big rear cancelled out their bad habits.  


At 07:44 PM 1/16/01 -0500, Alexander van Gerbig wrote:
>    I've been yapping around with folks about a rear sway bar for my car.
>Some have said a smaller rear sway bar than the front will be the best,
>others say the exact opposite, some say it isn't needed.  I notice when I
>push the car hard I do get noticeable understeer.  I am running very stiff
>coilovers, 380 front and 340 rear with Koni Sports dialed in the middle.  I
>have a stock 22mm front sway bar, though I can upgrade to a 26 or even a 28
>if need be.  I have run into a Blau rear sway bar and there is a Suspension
>Techniques bar that will work as well.
>
>What would be best for a hard driver, occasional track use, and I love
>cornering quickly:
>
>Front: Stock 22mm  Rear: Blau 12.5mm
>Front: Stock 22mm  Rear: Suspension T 27mm
>Front: V6 26mm  Rear: Suspension T 27mm
>Front: V6 26mm  Rear: Custom 22mm
>
>I always thought the rear bar should be smaller, but I gather this isn't
>true for FWD cars.  I noticed Ti Kan runs a 23mm bar up front and a 25mm
>rear on his 4k.  Another fellow lister runs a bigger bar on his VW autox
>car.  I gather this will "neutralize" the car, but make the rear end very
>skittish.  How can I compromise and kill some understeer.  Stock bar up
>front and a small rear bar like the overpriced Blau bar?
>
>Thanks!
>
>Alexander van Gerbig -- '88 80
>
>The Audi  80 Pages-----------------
>http://surf.to/the80pages.com
>
>North Ferrisburg, VT 05473
>
>
>
						**************
						Patrick Austin
						paanta at bu.edu
						(617)782-9115
						**************

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