SWAY BAR END LINK LENGTHS, does it matter

[Camry98racer]

I noticed how the rear sway bar end links are longer than the ones in the front. Do they do this to make the rear sway bar less effective than the front, making the car umdersteer. Does changing the position of the sway bar make if more/less effective? I'm just wondering if this could be true.

[cruisn76]

Its the way they engineered it. There is specific pressure where the RSB attaches to the middle of the strut. I guess that mounting point gives the RSB the least amount of stress but mind you the stress n RSB is very great. The strength of the RSB determines most of the understeer/oversteer On the gen3 a thicker RSB would reduce some of that understeer.

Hope that helps, I think...

[73sport]

When the car is at ride height (with load if ya wanna go anal) look at the anti-sway angle. If bar ends are level, as in parallel to the ground, the bar is most effective. Lengthen or shorten the end links to make the bar level while ensuring the range of body motion does not make the bar collide with anything.

Hard to describe without a picture, so I'll draw you one. Picture a torque wrench on your wheel stud. Ratchet the wrench to 3'Oclock position (or 9'Oclock postion and stand on it with your feet. You can apply as much pressure as you weigh thus you have applied maximum torque to the end of the wrench to tighten/loosen the nut.

Now picture the wrench at 1'Oclock or 11'Oclock and stand on the end of the wrench. Assuming you are up right, there is NO LONGER a 90 degree angle and pressure you apply to the end of the wrench is the same yet, it applies less torque to the wheel stud.

The same is true of that bar. Look for a 3'Oclock/9'Oclock position on the end where it meets the link.

Just don't do it while its jacked by the body. You'll get the wrong view of where it is in use.

Note: the end link length doesn't matter from front to rear. The angle of the bar relative to the ground (clock) does.

Did that help?

[Camry98racer]

OH!! That makes sense. I will have to look to see if the sway bar ends are parallel to the ground when under load. Thank you very much!

[cruisn76]

Nice, I get it too

Originally Posted by 73sport

When the car is at ride height (with load if ya wanna go anal) look at the anti-sway angle. If bar ends are level, as in parallel to the ground, the bar is most effective. Lengthen or shorten the end links to make the bar level while ensuring the range of body motion does not make the bar collide with anything.

Hard to describe without a picture, so I'll draw you one. Picture a torque wrench on your wheel stud. Ratchet the wrench to 3'Oclock position (or 9'Oclock postion and stand on it with your feet. You can apply as much pressure as you weigh thus you have applied maximum torque to the end of the wrench to tighten/loosen the nut.

Now picture the wrench at 1'Oclock or 11'Oclock and stand on the end of the wrench. Assuming you are up right, there is NO LONGER a 90 degree angle and pressure you apply to the end of the wrench is the same yet, it applies less torque to the wheel stud.

The same is true of that bar. Look for a 3'Oclock/9'Oclock position on the end where it meets the link.

Just don't do it while its jacked by the body. You'll get the wrong view of where it is in use.

Note: the end link length doesn't matter from front to rear. The angle of the bar relative to the ground (clock) does.

Did that help?