How Sway Bars Work - Complete Explanation

In this video I think I do a decent job of explaining how a sway bar works and only briefly get into suspension setup philosophy. Any constructive criticism or questions, please leave them in the comments section below. Thank you!

[llibanim]

One good way of demonstrating how sway bars function is by standing straight with legs slightly apart. When you bend one knee, you tend to become off-balanced as the other leg is still straight. Now if you have a sway bar, that is connected to both legs, if one knee is bent, the sway bar would force the other knee to bend too, thereby keeping you balanced and your body upright.

[vizcarraawd]

When making a hard turn, outside suspension compresses and the sway bar compresses the oposite side and Squats the Car keeping both tires on the ground

[metaphysicalmedicine]

This is the first video that actually broke it down simple enough for me to understand. Thank you!

[richardmijail]

You are the only one who made me understand how it works, and I don't even speak English very well and I still understood you, there are other videos on YouTube where they only show how it works on one side of the stabilizer bar, thanks for sharing the video, it helped me and It's what I was looking for.

[JamesJones-xbbx]

Great explanation in less than the six minute mark it becomes clear how the bar works 👍

[mindaugas]

Thank you so mutch! So far it's the most clear and best to understand video on sway bars I came acros. I'm trying to deep down in the theory of vehicle dynamics for sim racing, and this video helped me the most in understanding sway bars and how they work. Thank you! :)

[thejose]

Finally got it. Thanks! Can't believe there are so many here on youtube who can't explain it the way you did. Sometimes even straight up not true lol

[DaveBowman]

Had to have both sway bar end links replaced today due to worn bushings. It eliminated a clunking sound that I had had for years but never understood where it was coming from. The new end links fixed the clunk... and after watching this video I now understand how sway bars work and why they are needed. Thx for the info. 👍

[DonPatrL]

Really well done. Thought out and well delivered. Thanks!

[duhan-yzc]

thank you so much for the explanation, between all the videos I have seen so far, this is the one I finally got the working principle.

[quartfeira]

I lked you explanation. Just a little confusing, but for us being able to visually see how it's working, how and why the components behave in that particular way was really helpful. Thank you

[deBussyLicker]

THANK
YOU!


Finally some good, simple explanation

[thgenmcgee]

Thanks man, never really knew what these were for, always thought it was to keep everything secure structure wise.. now I understand, thanks again 🙂

[trumanhw]

The outside suspension compresses as inside suspension gets lighter (expands).
Sway bars are engineered to resist & balance asymmetrical compression to more desirable amounts via a twisting force as a feedback-loop.

A turn transfers _x % of load:_
The CoG-change + centripetal forces' sums to dynamically spread across an axle transferring more load to the outer wheel.

The law of conservation requires that (on avg) the sum of weight across an axle be equal to the weight over the axle.
The center of gravity's transition however, can be mitigated; this is to maximize PSI over the inside-tire.

While the PSI over a contact patch determines friction between most materials, tires are different:
As force increases over a tire, it will provide a lower 'ROI' of the weight's investment.
As force decreases over a tire, it provides a HIGHER 'ROI' to the weight's investment.
(this is one way a sway bar can be helpful).

You want roll, squat & dive; you just don't want all its travel consumed (except F1 who use bump stops).
Tires also act like shocks; higher PSI = stiffer 'shocks' and lower = softer.

A sway bar thick enough to resist all torsion would cause both side's suspension to compress equally.
But apparently, it can also make the inside wheel lift in some circumstances (rumor?).

A sway bar's utility is increases agility: Stiffer suspension + sway bars TRADE stability for peak traction.

The weight experienced by either side is a function of Physics Laws, and:
THE LAWS OF PHYSICS ARE NOT SUBJECT TO REPEAL NOR SUSPENSION <-- see what I did there?

They can improve AGILITY at the expense of peak acceleration (turning) forces, excluding dynamic tire performance TLS "tire load sensitivity."

They're also engineered to flex instead of cracking within the range of motion that suspension is designed for while not becoming a paperclip.

[vanessaifrah]

Exactly what I was looking for 👍 Clear and explained well how it works!

[james]

Good basic, understandable information. Thanks.

[waitawhileexplorer]

Thank you for your time This has explained a lot to me.

[dalerobert]

I did not realize that the sway bar causes the vehicle to squat! Nicely done, 👍

[dandymcgee]

Super approachable explanation for a total noob. Thanks.

[SIDEKICKONYOUTUBE]

in the most simplest explanation... when the car turns to the left, the left side of the vehicle starts to LIFT UP and the right side starts to press down. which causes potential roll.
with the sway bar, when the car turns to the left, the left side of the vehicle starts to LIFT UP but the sway bar tries to keeps it from doing that because its solidly connected to the RIGHT.
pressure from the right help keeps the left side down through the sway bar.