Sway Bars - How They Work and How to Tune Them!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 พ.ย. 2024
- This week we're taking a look at how sway bars work, how they can improve the handling and performance of your car and how to tune them to achieve the best results! Special thanks to Whiteline for sending us a bunch of visual aids for the video!
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this channel is simply the best. I hope you guys keep doing this. there are folks out there such as myself who value the scientific and technical analysis you share so willingly. you could not put a price on the knowledge shared in these videos. thank you all!
I'll second that x1000
@@jackswanson1723 this is one of the major upsides to the crazy technology we have today, is getting access to all this information that would’ve been stuck in textbooks before
I'll throw in on this one. Thank you thank you.
Came along just as I was struggling to figure out what suspension mod would be best for a beginner like myself. Please keep doing these 😅
@@Bumblebeewrxthey have a suspension video on their black WRX project. ST coilovers with some whiteline goodies. definitely check it out it’s about as good of a street suspension setup as you can get for a GD WRX
There's three things that might be nice to cover when discussing sway bars.
One, a sway bar is a spring that has no damping. This spring force is only damped by the main spring damper on the car. So a big sway bar on a softly sprung car will often be exceptionally twitchy in behavior and very sensitive to steering inputs. It can be very easy to get a twitchy car that can snap oversteer if you go too big on the sway bar size on a car with a softer suspension setup.
Two, aligning with number one, you can specifically choose dampers with high low speed damping, specifically digressive style damping profiles that will offer a lot of chassis motion control on even a relatively soft spring setup. This in turn allows you to gain a lot of damping control for bigger sway bars and prevent the twitchiness that often comes with larger sway bars. Even on moderately sprung cars, most the damping is being used to control the chassis and the main springs. There's often not a lot left over to handle sway bar spring effect too. It's almost always good to get a digressive style damping profile.
Three, a sway bar limits independence of the suspension. You will reach a limit of stiffness that will work on a given surface roughness/unevenness. Too rough of a road surface, you might find yourself lifting a tire off the ground. A softer setup (springs and sways) caters better towards a rougher surface. Higher stiffness caters towards smoother road surfaces. There will be a design limit where you can go too stiff.
Good points!
@@Xmvw2X I can attest to this. I have a fwd car on street coilovers (6k/8k rates with linear dampers) so I got an upgraded rear bar with 3 adjustment holes. At first I set them to max stiffness thinking that would be best to minimize understeer but it was just too twitchy. Setting the sway bar on a softer setting still gave me the same cornering ability but without the twitchy behavior. It didn’t even seem to understeer more like I was anticipating. I’ve never actually timed my car on track and mostly do canyon driving, so I have no way to show data for that, but it felt much better.
@TheRyansLion I like to balance roll stiffness with the sways, but I tend to tweak handing balance with the springs primarily. For me it's springs first, tune the position for bump and drop and squat and dive. Damper setting follows Spring and I do NOT see dampers as an "adjustable" tuning device unless you've at least got a 2-way or greater damper (most don't so it has exactly one right setting, period). To tune, I'll play with tire pressures or even chassis bracing, not dampers. Sways to me are solely for roll stiffness, and I just match squat and dive angles. I don't tune handling with the sways. I'm mostly looking at body roll angle and bump and drop travel, especially under load mid corner so I don't bottom out and upset the car.
@@TheRyansLion i just got some sway bars for my 93 SHO, which is also FWD. The sway bars are actually from the Gen 1 SHOs, they are just about twice as thick as those on the Gen 2. I dont think there is a huge difference in the spring settings from the Gen 1 to the Gen 2, but would you have any suggestions?
One of the best teachers I’ve ever seen. Addressed all my questions before I could even ask them. Master class in a short video. Thank you sir.
Yeessss! More suspension guides by Mike!
May God bless this man. So many topics taught that the internet forums can't even fathom.
i was just thinking the same thing, hes needs more recognition for his efforts!
Awesome! A suspension series is always welcome. Hopefully you eventually get into things like squat in multi link rears and roll center and how to improve them for trackday use.
There's a lot of info out there but almost all of it is for solid axle cars at the drag strip so it doesn't really apply to a lot of us sport compact guys.
Noted
Not sure if my opinion matters, but I track only with a solid rear axle....and not the drag strip lol.
Generally it's better to run higher rate springs all around, remove the rear sway bar, installing a higher spring rate front sway bar to control sway. Don't want too much anti-squat and a long instant center, past the nose of the vehicle.
Raise the front roll center by installing a longer ball joint. Correcting bumpsteer using a bumpsteer kit.
Would be nice to understand multi-link or double wishbone rear suspension.
I agree with everything you said.
Whiteline makes great stuff. I have a full kit of adjustable swaybars/links on my 15 VA STI. Now, I will say the links started squeeking not even 6 months after install but I live in a frigid tundra state and winters / salt kills anything nice. Also admittedly, I did not know to set the preload with the vehicle on the ground and did it on my lift. Rookie mistake and I learned from it, That being said I asked whiteline about it and they sent me out both a front and rear set of adjustable links under warranty (even though it was my fault) no questions asked. GREAT customer service. I picked up the anti-lift / bumpsteer elimination kit at as well due to that stellar service.
Great video! If you guys ever started an "HP Academy" / "EFI 101" type school for suspension, and have Mike and Dave write the curriculum for the hands on experience at a small track like WS Horse Thief Mile or VIR Patriot Course, with some older Miatas or Zs (350, G35) I would be all in!
Like say level 1 class is just adjustable anti roll bars / end links and rebound tuning for some Öhlins DFVs or KW V2s. First some classroom time then run around a track learning how the different settings affect the cars. Then work through the levels to the top tier class which can be a few days long were we go all the way to setting up adjustable multi link arms, four way dampers, front/rear spring ratios and subframe spacers, kind of like how EFI 101 sets up their class structure.
Hopefully folks like SPL and Öhlins USA would be all about helping with setting up a school like this with the Moto IQ name on it!
This is a fantastic video. Good teachers get their students to imitate results. Great teachers get their students to fully understand the concepts behind what's happening. You are a great teacher. I didn't know any of this, and i appreciate the simple explanation of how to tune your adjustable sway bars.
Funny note. Increase the video speed to 1.25x and Mike will start talking at a normal speed.
that actually work 😂
I went 1.5
2.0
Lol
Us V8 Miata guys use a BMW E36 front bar for engine clearance. Fits perfectly. I upgraded my bar with a bigger Whiteline last year. Quality stuff.
as someone who has current goals of building a V8 Miata, what have you found to be the best powerplant option for the money? I assume most go with LS variants
@@kyleharrison2286 For the weight savings, an aluminum block LS is preferred. So LS1 or other LSx variants. Some use the L33 which is hard to find. There may be other aluminum block engine codes as well, but not all are easy to find and I'm sure prices are higher than when I snagged my LS1 drop out for $2k about 8 years ago.
I love MotoIQ , best and most in depth information out there
I put my rear sway bar on last week. WOW . im happy. 03 rcsb 2wd silverado. Rides great will only get better with new shocks and front end rebuild
This was the first and best suspension modification that I did on my S13 hatch back in 2005. It instantly made that car handle 200% better than stock. I could control the car better in grip and drift scenarios. It was a far more impactful modification than just getting cheap coilovers back in those days
This is the type of information I wish I had before I bought my Whiteline for the focus. I'm going to change the setting when I install coilovers
What was wrong?
@@Carlos.Rivera nothing. Might be a tad too much oversteer. Won't know until I can get some camber adjustment. Feels fine with lowering springs and shocks, but it can be better
Good to hear it
This dude always looks happy
😂 that’s his natural look, he look happy while he sleep.
I have absolutely zero knowledge about this topic. I have to put coilovers on my C6 Corvette because the leaf springs are bad. I thought maybe I should do sway bars at the same time. This video is the best explaining. Thanks for the hard work and video.
Absolutely enjoy your videos.. Keep up the good work.
Really glad you're explaining sway bars and where a guy should get them so I can get it right the first time.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge ,your experience hope you can keep doing this.
Whiteline RSB on Gen 4 Legacy made the biggest single difference.
In combo front bar and new King springs and kyb struts transformed the car.
Thanks Mike. Always learn a lot and get reminded of a few things with your videos.
Great information. This broke it down to better understand the need and use of these parts
Sway bars and tyres are the cheapest and easiest way to improve a stock car handling.
Its like sitting in class and actually getting an education, I like it!
I just like this guy ! Have a nice day
great timing, i just bought some sways for my Gen 2 SHO lol
And I just upgraded all my rear control arm bushings with whiteline last week, lol . And the rest of the car is already polly , that was last for bushings . Now, i guess I need to get their sway bars as well 😅... great job explaining this to make it actually understandable to people trying to diy ... peace and love all, keep it rad, stay safe, and build on..l8r famz and keep having fun all
Absolutely perfect description of a great mod.. I've seen kids go stupid stiff coils or fat rims and rubber and can't understand why it handles like shit.. I've been licensed tech for over 45 years,,,,, and you are absolutely right, sways are the absolute first thing you must upgrade,, the bigger the better, then suspension,,then tires can be almost any size.. incredible transformation..
My sons custom restomod Jaguar xjs, big V-12 2 door car. Had custom made 1 1/4" fronts and 1" rears, compared to original 7/8" front only... Holy shit the car drives on rails now. Then suspension dropped with semi stiff springs to keep that incredibly smooth ride.. and that's another great thing about sways,, they don't had to the ride stiffness, just cornering stiffness..
Tires > sway > spring > coils in that order. It's not always necessary to go coilovers but we live in the age of stance 😂
That is my personal order of what actually makes the biggest change. a great set of tires could make even a Yugo feel good
No front sway bar, and large rear sway bar on my Prelude. Generally the way FWD guys say to set it up. Seems to work pretty good.
Mounting brackets reinforced to avoid the chasis tearing problem that is very prevelent on Prelude rear bars. Companies actually switched to smaller rear bars to keep from ripping the mounts out. But I've got an old stock bar that's still extra thick
Love a suspenion guide
I seriously hope this channel never dies, such amazing knowledge and insight!
Great info here! Nice to have the academic explanation 👨🏾🎓to accompany real world experience 🏁 of making sway bar adjustments!
Mike is the king of tuning
So thankful to God for this content 😢
A bigger rear sway bar is the cheapest way to transform the handling of FWD cars and make them truly fun
Correct!
Except when the driver is inexperienced and experiences oversteer for the first time and lifts 😂
@@tone_deaf_pirata You'd have to be driving extremely hard (at the limit) for most FWD cars to experience a dangerous amount of oversteer. For the vast majority of FWD cars it'll just remove a lot of under steer.
@NathanaelNaused my point was it isn't always truly fun. We can get into many variables, but experiencing oversteer in fwd for the first time is usually panic. 😬
i just picked up some Gen 1 SHO sways for my Gen 2 (they are about twice as thick). Unsure why they changed it so much for the second gen, but Im looking forward to installing them soon. Im accustomed to severe oversteer, I used to drive (heavily lol) a 91 MR2 Turbo for about 6 years, occasionally on track. This car (my 93 SHO) is the first FWD "performance" car ive owned. Should I expect the handling to change drastically? As of now it has pretty noticeable understeer at high speeds
Wanted to see if there was anything I did not know about this but I guess I have it covered. thanks guys. When I lowered my Mazda I had to add adjustable link rods. I just kept the stock bars and torqued them a little bit. My car is so light that it worked pretty well. Took me a while to tune it all in but it does really well now.
Dude…. I love you guys. Thank you for the education!
Great informative video ! You know your tech; unlike the vast majority of internet clowns. Many thumbs up !
👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
I have a Nissan 370z sport coupe 6MT and one of the first suspension mods I did was to install a set of Hotchkis anti-roll bars on the front and rear. The bars have polyurethane bushings with grease zerk fittings that I shoot grease into every other oil change. The bars made a big improvement in turn in responsiveness and reduction in body roll. The ride is harsher but that was a worthwhile tradeoff for the handling benefits. I think the bars have also helped to even out tire wear at the corners.
From the factory, the z34 has awful understeer. By just installing the rear anti roll bar, the car suddenly starts following steering wheel inputs and all of a sudden it handles well. Installing both will also work well and allow further suspension adjustment.
@@rideepicdriveepic Replacing the forged aluminum wheels with a set of forged magnesium wheels shaved off about 9 lbs of unsprung rotational mass from each corner and that further improved suspension responsiveness and steering response.
@@videomaniac108 True, and also - 10x more expensive than just an antiroll bar.
Great video and explanation. I have whiteline on my car and they are amazing.
This guy explains the engineering very well.
Mike is a national treasure!
Thanks Mike! White line products are the best!
Awesome info. You guys are my favorite channel. Big ups Mike! Whiteline for my 86 ASAP ❤
on a 2017 Civic SI i broke the rear mount with my aftermarket bar. I did not realize it for a couple autocross events. I then saw it changing tires, fixed it, them on my first run at the next event, I immediately spun the car due to all the new found rotation I was not used too haha.
Brilliant information. Thank you
We love you Mike, keep the great content coming!
I know a GD rear end when I see one! I love those Falkens too, got em on my GD & VB!
Good video ! Great explanation on how these things work !
Thanks for all the good info and detailed videos! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Always good info.
Lets us know whats going on with that toyota pickup build!! Looks bad ass
Ok. off topic, but that exhaust is gorgeous!
THANKS I JUST SUBSCRIBED!!
Just put a whiteline front swaybar on my AU ute, got their a arms on it too.
Great video. Great channel. So much knowledge shared. We appreciate you.
Watching anyway cuz i love this guy
Excellent video Mike!!
Yep, upgraded stock 17mm rear sway bar on 09 Civic Si to 22mm Progress: much better cornering, rear will even slip in rain or ice
I’ve got the 24mm progress on my Si and it’ll get sideways in corners if you’re off throttle and throw it in hard enough
Yeah! White Line!
Great stuff, Mike! Perfect timing, too. I haven't done new bars since my B13 SE-R in the '90s (and other cars before that), and I'm thinking of a thicker set for my '18 Mazda 3. After watching this, I may now look at White Line after first considering Racing Beat (which my springs are from). Thanks!
Can you do a video on EGTs and intake temps? I am looking into upgrading my car’s intercooler and fitting a slightly larger catback exhaust. Wondering what the improvements would be like without getting rid of the DPF or EGR (it’s a diesel). Ideally want to keep things running smooth and not cook my turbo
Why so few views?!
Love the channel
Keep it up Mike
Thank you, hopefully you have a video going in depth about roll center! imma look now!
We will do one sooner or later
I bought an antiswaybar kit in 96 for my car that a vendor used for track day. 35/24 solid. I didn't know any better. That 24 was great for drag, horrendous for autox.
Learned something new today 👍
Please make a video on strut and braces . I was looking into purchasing ultra braces for my civic .
That is coming
Thank you so much for this. I'm looking into getting a Honda Fit Sport as a daily, & my thought as far as mods was:
First; Anti-sway bar in the rear
Then
Upgraded wheels & tires
Then upgraded brakes
Then, quality coilovers like
Fortune Autos, Ohlins Road & Track, or KWs
Might need one in the front too.
@motoiq why is that? I ask because friends of mine have RWD cars, and have deleted their rear anti-sway bars, and upgraded their front anti-sway bars & the handing & controllability was night-and-day
Also, y'all need hats. I absolutely love what y'all do & the invaluable information y'all privide. I bought a shirt, but now I need a MotoIQ hat! 😂
I don't necessarily agree with that, I think that might make the car easier to drive for drivers that don't rotate the car. Fast drivers get the turning done quickly and on the gas sooner.
@@motoiqsorry to butt in, but I hope this isn’t a stupid question. In your reference to a “matching set” for the anti sway bars as a beginner. Were you speaking solely in regards to brand or sizing of the bars? I have a 21’ Sti and want to improve the driving experience, its my daily but I track it sometimes 😅
A set of bars that was engineered to go together from a reputable company that actually does engineering. A lot of times people get themselves in trouble by removing bars or lashing combinations of overly stiff bars. They are the ones who are lifting wheels in turns or wildly oversteering thinking that's good.
I like how he's always smiling
It should also be mentioned if go to firmer springs + thicker sway bar, you WILL need a considerably upgraded shocked, the sway bar is a spring after all, it MUST be damped and that is handled by the dampers. I went to stiff lift springs on my subaru and had a pretty thick rear sway bar and the handling was rough and ride quality was poor. I went back to the factory rear bar and it's miles better in handling and ride quality. I used to have one of my rear wheels lift slightly in corners and it's no longer the case. I am also a street/mild off roader build, so your mileage may vary. I also have Bilstein B6's in the rear to compensate for my thicker springs.
Just what I wanted to hear about since I’m looking to install a thicker one in the rear.
Thanks Mike!
Excellent explanation!!
Great to know.
Shame the whiteline bar for my car seems to rust very quickly in the first few months so needs to be resprayed before even putting it on the car.
Hearing Mike Kojima talk about stuff is so soothing lol
love this video, thank you!
Awesome video. What if you have really stiff springs. Can you get away with not having sway bar, cut out the excess weight ? They weigh a fair bit the old sway bars.
sway bars control roll typically at a 3:1 ratio
Keep up the great videos.
Great content as usual! Only missing information for me would be hallow va not hallow ones.. obviously will be lighter but thicker if hallow.. any other benefits or drawbacks? Thx
Hollow can't be bent too tight and has to be a bigger diameter so they might not fit in some applications.
Hello, I just saw your channel and you have very good videos. I want some advice from you: I have a 2025 Mini Cooper F56 and I want to modify the engine with forged pistons and a more powerful turbo. What brands do you recommend for me to buy everything I need? Thank you very much.
I've got white lines sway bars on my EK civic. They feel great but only have two adjustment holes on the rear only. Wish it had front adjustment.
What is your take on hollow vs solid antisway bars?
Hollow is great if you have the room for them.
Listening to Mike is car nerd asmr.
Can you put sweet bars on any car ?
This was really interesting.
I have a 1j swapped fc rx7. Its always been said just remove the bars on them and go to a stiffer front spring.
I tried the front but had to make some diy brackets to space it down for clearence.
It felt alot better but ive always wondered if the mounting location of a sway bar matters and what effect the angle of the links at the arms has
Yes, and that is generally wrong. The swaybar contribute more to the cars balance than the springs by a ratio of around 3:1 on most cars.
What's your opinion on hollow bars? I'm guessing you prefer solid bars?
Hollow if there is room and the shape allows it
What is better for drifting ?
To have swaybars
Thanks Mike :)
You’re the man
I want him to write a book so bad!
Should the sway bar + endlinks be mounted/angled in the neutral (straight/flat) position? How do you determine sway bar preload?
If it can be done, yes. We said how to do it in the video
Hey Mike, any tips in regards to drifting setups with sway bars front and rear? Thank you!
I always use them and actively tune with the rear to compensate for changing track conditions.
@@motoiq it's confusing when people say tighten up the front loosen up the rear with spring rates...but how does it work with the away bars?
Thanks for your tips as always🤣🤙🏼
About the same although the bars make more of a difference than springs. A lot og drift guys dont run bars. I always do, I design the front bar to clear with angle.
Back in the early 2000s I bought a white 92 Civic CX hatchback, it was a Canadian base model so it came with no sway bar. I swapped in a B18c and it was great but it over powered the breaks immediately, I almost rear ended a lady who was merging onto the freeway. I upgraded to Integra brakes and they were great, but when I put in a sway bar in the back, it was a completely different experience. I felt the difference before I got off the driveway, literally I drove 50feet or maybe 15 meters and already felt a huge difference.
Is there a video to show how to tune out pre-load and how to choose a system as an ecosystem
Timing of this video release couldnt have been better as i was just looking for this information
What is your insight on a hallow thicker sway bar vs a solid thinner sway bar?
If there is room and the bends allow it hollow is better.
so if your racing asphalt circle track, car is tight, would it be smart to stiffen the right front adjustment and loosen the left front? or should the hole setting stay the same on both sides?
That doesnt matter but you can preload the end links differently
With an Outback XT, many people talk about removing them to go over rocks. Is that something you have seen? Is it the right decision?
It helps articulation for pure technical offroad. Hurts everywhere else.
It’ll make the car feel like a boat on the pavement but definitely gives you a lot more articulation. For my sporty application I went with a stiffer rear bar and the inner tire will lift off the ground going up driveways
MORE SUSPENSION!!!!
Do rally cars run Anti-sway bars? are they smaller? @motoiq
Generally yes
I've been thinking of upgrading my rear swaybar, but is there any extra wear on the rear control arm bushings or struts?
No