# Larger front sway increases understeer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Shift518 Automotive\ **Created:** [January 17, 2009, 1:38pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439 "2009-01-17T13:38:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cazwrx187](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/cazwrx187/32/6388_2.png) [@cazwrx187](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/cazwrx187)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 1:38pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/1 "2009-01-17T13:38:27Z")
Bitches ---
**Author:** ![tdi\_logik](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tdi_logik/32/6310_2.png) [@tdi\_logik](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tdi_logik)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/2 "2009-01-17T13:43:22Z")
i think you guys both suck and who cares. ---
**Author:** ![K20power](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/41988e/32.png) [@K20power](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/K20power)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 1:45pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/3 "2009-01-17T13:45:48Z")
Who got the larger rear sway bar? :facepalm ---
**Author:** ![tdi\_logik](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tdi_logik/32/6310_2.png) [@tdi\_logik](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tdi_logik)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 1:47pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/4 "2009-01-17T13:47:23Z")
these motherfuckers handle soooooo good. it was prolly faggi rammi ---
**Author:** ![cazwrx187](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/cazwrx187/32/6388_2.png) [@cazwrx187](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/cazwrx187)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 1:47pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/5 "2009-01-17T13:47:51Z")
> [@K20power"](#): > > Who got the larger rear sway bar? :facepalm dkid’s civic si ---
**Author:** ![K20power](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/41988e/32.png) [@K20power](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/K20power)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/6 "2009-01-17T13:52:31Z")
:facepalm:nono ---
**Author:** ![Boxersix](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/boxersix/32/6327_2.png) [@Boxersix](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Boxersix)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/7 "2009-01-17T13:53:34Z")
It’s a question with an answer based on more variable than just spring rates and general information. However on most front suspension designs, adding a heavier sway bar to the front will increase understeer(cause car to push) as it will typically cause an effect of reduced tire grip. Heavier sway bars are added in combination with other suspension modifications to make use of their effective force. Most cars who have had stiffer sway bars added will have an illusion that the car handles better, but in fact when pushed to the limit the overal grip mostly likely has been compromised. Just the same for those that dump the car 3" or add 1000lbs spring rates to their DD… It’s why in the wet most IMSA lights, FSR, DSR, etc will back off rear sway or disconnect/remove it completely, as a softer suspension yields more grip when all else remains the same(and too a certain extent). Same goes for the front, typically, and again really depends on what your running up front. You’re front suspension tuning could be so whacked that heavier bars would increase grip, but then again you’d have other problems that need attending… ---
**Author:** ![bennyfizzle](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/bennyfizzle/32/6291_2.png) [@bennyfizzle](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/bennyfizzle)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/8 "2009-01-17T16:39:54Z")
Your ignorant friend was right, retard. You have alot to learn about how a sway, or anti-roll bar works. [http://www.houseofthud.com/cartech/swaybars.htm](http://www.houseofthud.com/cartech/swaybars.htm) ---
**Author:** ![LKSi](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/lksi/32/6316_2.png) [@LKSi](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LKSi)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/9 "2009-01-17T16:40:37Z")
I’d be more worried about getting real Vtec than sway bars ---
**Author:** ![K20power](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/41988e/32.png) [@K20power](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/K20power)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/10 "2009-01-17T16:57:14Z")
> [@My old dorm room from college . . .](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-old-dorm-room-from-college/12668/10): > > Your ignorant friend was right, retard. > > You have alot to learn about how a sway, or anti-roll bar works. > > [http://www.houseofthud.com/cartech/swaybars.htm](http://www.houseofthud.com/cartech/swaybars.htm) :rofl I’d say cazwrx here, got owned. > [@got a bike!](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/got-a-bike/12679/36): > > I’d be more worried about getting real Vtec than sway bars :rofl 🆙up ---
**Author:** ![JClark](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jclark/32/6309_2.png) [@JClark](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JClark)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/11 "2009-01-17T17:07:53Z")
O dear god, there is some SERIOUS fail in here. :rofl Edit: BTW, there are 4 zillion things that determine how a sway bar affects a car’s handling. This needs to be in Epic. ---
**Author:** ![JClark](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jclark/32/6309_2.png) [@JClark](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JClark)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/12 "2009-01-17T17:10:24Z")
> [@FS: WORK RSZ EWING wheels](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/fs-work-rsz-ewing-wheels/12588/11): > > Ok so my friend recently got a larger rear sway bar for his car so I told him he could make his car handle even better with a larger front sway bar. :up > > My ignorant friend (who is a member on here) told him that a larger front sway bar would make the car understeer more. :facepalm > > This is not true. It would help with his weak spring rates because it adds a lot of rate to reduce the loss of camber curve on the car, thus REDUCING UNDERSTEER. This actually IMPROVES handling rather than throwing on a larger rear swaybar and creating some sort of magical oversteering facade. > > Please let me know if I am right. > > The ignorant person drives an Altima Se-r by the way :rofl Quoted for permanence. ---
**Author:** ![Shady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Shady](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Shady)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/13 "2009-01-17T17:34:25Z")
+1 one of the better setups people use in my platform, is a big front sway bar and or no or small stock sway bar in he rear to help prevent underteer bigger isnt always better 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JClark](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jclark/32/6309_2.png) [@JClark](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JClark)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/14 "2009-01-17T17:37:33Z")
> [@The Fast & The Furious 3 TD](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/the-fast-the-furious-3-td/11302/43): > > +1 > > one of the better setups people use in my platform, is a big front sway bar and or no or small stock sway bar in he rear to help prevent underteer > > bigger isnt always better 😃 Another person who doesnt get it and didnt read the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Shady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Shady](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Shady)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/15 "2009-01-17T17:44:55Z")
I understand how sway bars work (in general) i dont know the right down to it bla bla bla… was just stating something from my platform and that a bigger swaybar isnt always better… well i guess it dpeends on the application ---
**Author:** ![w.tungsten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7bcc69/32.png) [@w.tungsten](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/w.tungsten)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/16 "2009-01-17T18:06:32Z")
Increasing roll bar stiffness of the front roll bar will increase understeer. You friend is right. ---
**Author:** ![cazwrx187](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/cazwrx187/32/6388_2.png) [@cazwrx187](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/cazwrx187)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/17 "2009-01-17T19:19:01Z")
Fuck. Well at least I’m not completely wrong. ---
**Author:** ![redroof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@redroof](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/redroof)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/18 "2009-01-17T19:38:06Z")
Think of it like this. In a hard corner, both front tires will generate a reactive force under load to counteract the force of the vehicle heading outwards. In vector mechanics, you’d have an arrow going inwards cancelled by an arrow going outwards. Both your tires are creating this force in order to keep the car happily on the cornering line. A swaybar basically increases the amount of force transmitted to the outside tire by torsionally resisting the movement of the front suspension pieces when they attempt to move independently of each other. In a corner, the outside arm moves up under compression and the inside arm moves down. The swaybar therefore pushes DOWN on the outside arm (since it’s being squished upwards) and pulls UP on the inside arm as that arm moves downards. So essentially you’re jamming one tire harder than normal and you’re trying to lift the other tire off the ground. In some racecars, you can see the front inside tire come off the ground in the middle of a corner. What that means is that half of your contact patch on the front end of the car is no longer touching the earth. Mathematically, what do you think that does to the peak amount of grip that’s available when you slam the vehicle into a corner? ---
**Author:** ![tougethisDB1](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tougethisdb1/32/6358_2.png) [@tougethisDB1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tougethisDB1)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/19 "2009-01-17T20:18:29Z")
> [@The Fast & The Furious 3 TD](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/the-fast-the-furious-3-td/11302/43): > > +1 > > one of the better setups people use in my platform, is a big front sway bar and or no or small stock sway bar in he rear to help prevent underteer > > bigger isnt always better 😃 dude Jclark is right, you need to READDDDDDD! ---
**Author:** ![JClark](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jclark/32/6309_2.png) [@JClark](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JClark)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439/20 "2009-01-17T20:29:36Z")
> [@FS: 2 Technics 1200Mk5 w/ M447 carts, 1 Vestax PMC-07Pro](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/fs-2-technics-1200mk5-w-m447-carts-1-vestax-pmc-07pro/12693/6): > > I understand how sway bars work (in general) > > i dont know the right down to it bla bla bla… > > was just stating something from my platform > > and that a bigger swaybar isnt always better… well i guess it dpeends on the application No man, you dont understand how sway bars work. :rofl [Next page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/larger-front-sway-increases-understeer/241439.md?page=2)