handling questions

[quicksilver]

Hey guys/gals.

I just picked up a 87 corolla DX fwd for cheap. Judging from what I have read and the VIN# its an E82 chassis.
I am happy with the way the car runs but is handles very badly. I am sure new struts and maybe springs are in order, but I was curious about sway bars. I did a quick search and didnt really come up with anything related.

My car doesn't have any factory sway bars, so my question is what years got sway bars and what will bolt on my car. A front bar would be great, but I would prefer a rear bar too.
I would like to stick with OEM type stuff, since there are 2 local pull a part yards with plenty of cheap parts available. However I would consider any aftermarket sway bar kits and maybe spring/sway bar kits.

thanks in advance.

[RadRacer3]

Your choice to add sway bars is dependent upon how your car is handling now, how you want your car to handle and how you precise handling.

I am not familiar with AE82's, but I can help with general vehicle dynamics and effects of sway bar contributions. I don't believe it is advantageous to add a sway bar unless you understand what changes will result.

Lets start from the beginning then....

What do you intend to use this car for? Auto-X, 1/4"? circle track? grocery getting'?

What does the car do now? Understeer? Neutralsteer? Oversteer? Squat to much, Dive too much? Lots of Body Roll? etc ....

What do you want it to do?

After you define the above, you need to characterize your vehicle. Get the Total Weight W/ Driver, Corner weights, Weight Distribution, CG location, CG hight, Spring Rates, Damping Ratios, Steering Ratio, Camber Gain, Caster, Toe etc...

Now you can determine if a anti-roll bar is needed, what its contribution should be, if you need it for front, back or both, or if you can fix the problem by using different springs and dampers and not use the sway bar at all!

But if you want to skip all the science, get back to me with what the car can do now and what you want it to do, and there are some rules of thumb that can be followed!!

[REN69]

Don't quote me on this but I think the sway bars on the AE82 FX16 GTS is compatible with the sedans.

[quicksilver]

Thanks for the responses

Not sure if I mentioned the car is FWD, I was curious if the FX-16 stuff would work.

I am familiar with the basics of handling. the car rolls in turns very badly, it also dives under braking. This car is nothing more than a commuter back and forth to work, but I drive it pretty hard. It doesn't have a lot of power, so I would like for it to at least handle decent.

[RadRacer3]

As I am sure you know, the FWD is a understeer on throttle machine, just nature of the beast. However there are some things I suggest you try prior to using sway bars. Reasoning, sway bars are more for *fine* adjustment. Increasing the roll stiffness to the front will induce more understeer, conversely more roll stiffness in the back leads to oversteer (something you don't want for a daily driver) But reducing the understeer closer to neutral is that something sounds like you are looking to achieve...

I would first start with fixing the old suspension, either replacement OEM parts or a aftermarket coil-over system. The later will give you adjust-ability options depending on how much you splurge $$. (ride hight, spring rates, damping rates)

Next once your suspension components are functioning properly, I would look into a suspension tower bar or strut bar (if you don't already have one). Reducing the amount of twist (compliance) in your chassis will allow a more predictable and responsive suspension. Try to stiffen up the front and back effectively making the chassis more rigid.

Now, usually overlooked, but most importantly are your tires. Replacing high side walls with low-profile (low aspect ratio) tires dramatically increases the tires ability to generate lateral forces, thus effectively reducing the required amount of slip angle in cornering. (make sure to always check your tire pressure also)

You could also try....
More Negative Camber (to generate more lateral force in cornering)
High Rate Dampers (to control roll and pitching rates)
Replace that power steering with a rack
Aluminum Wheels (reduced unsprung weight)
Moving weight down (lower CG, move the battery lower, drop the car down an inch or 2)
Toe on the rear, this changes slip angle at high speed cornering, increasing oversteer effect.

hope this helps

[albertmdh]

plus, if its an 87, its an AE92...

[quicksilver]

Vin tag on the dash and the door clearly read E82.

this is the old body style... boxy, I even have the pimpin' hood ornament.

[albertmdh]

you're right, my bad.