How to "level" Sway Bars

[MtnBiker]

Lowered the car and read several comments that you should "level" your sway bars. Does anyone have a picture of a properly "leveled" front sway bar? I'm not sure which part of the bar would be level. I'm thinking that adjusting the front sway on a loaded suspension would result in the end link attachment point being parallel with the centerline of the sway bar where it sits on the bushing. In other words, don't look at all the funky angles on the bar, just look at where the sway bar attaches to the link and where it comes out of the chassis into the wheel well. And then level those two points. Or am I thinking of that wrong?

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[Niz55]

Unless you are running adjustable EndLinks you just reconnect your EndLinks to your factory sway bar.

 

[MtnBiker]

Yes, running adjustable end links.

 

[avocet]

That's what I've been trying to find out, how to you set it up with adjustable endlinks?

 

[Steid6G]

What you are trying to accomplish is to have zero preload on the swaybar when the car is on the ground sitting on a perfectly flat surface. So you should be able to have one endlink attached to the bar and tight. The other endlink should be able to easily slide into the mounting hole. Adjust the length if needed so the endlink will slide in without pushing or pulling on the bar.

Not the easiest to do on the ground in your driveway. Best time is when your car is on an alignment lift or getting corner balanced. Set the endlinks to the same length to start and you'll be close enough until you can get the car someplace to make easier adjustments.

 

[timd38]

What you are trying to accomplish is to have zero preload on the swaybar when the car is on the ground sitting on a perfectly flat surface. So you should be able to have one endlink attached to the bar and tight. The other endlink should be able to easily slide into the mounting hole. Adjust the length if needed so the endlink will slide in without pushing or pulling on the bar.

Not the easiest to do on the ground in your driveway. Best time is when your car is on an alignment lift or getting corner balanced. Set the endlinks to the same length to start and you'll be close enough until you can get the car someplace to make easier adjustments.

I did them on a 4 post lift on my Vette. You really only need one front and one rear to be adjustable, because one stays fixed and you adjust the other.

 

[qtrracer]

You want the arms level - not angled. So, set the arm level and then attach one adjustable end to hold it there. Then attach the other as described above.

I raise the car on wheel cribs - 10" work well - to get under the car. The cribs need to be level with each other so that the car is level. You also need to make certain the front suspension is allowed to "relax" from raising the car onto the cribs. I use a couple of floor tiles with grease in between so the wheels slip a bit as weight is placed back on the suspension. You will need to place the same thickness on all four to maintain level.

 

[MtnBiker]

You want the arms level - not angled. So, set the arm level and then attach one adjustable end to hold it there. Then attach the other as described above.

You have seen these sway bars right? There are several different angles on the bar itself with the bar ends about 30deg pointed up. I don't think we'd be asking the question if the thing were straight.

 

[SteveW]

I tried some Google-fu on this the other night and the only tips I found were to try to get a 90 deg angle between the bar and end link and align the joints so that they articulate equally top and bottom.

Since the front bar is not straight I gotta imagine you'd want to envision a line from the pivot point at the bushing and attachment point at the end link as what you'd line up with.

Now, I've seen the comment about the arms being level as best but can't find any reference to that anywhere else online. In a way that makes sense because the car sits on the ground and as the suspension moves it is in relation to the ground. So perhaps having the bar parallel to the ground, reacting to the suspension moving vertically up and down makes most effective use of it.

Trying to envision the difference in performance between a bar setup with end links at a 90 deg angle to the bar vs just a bar parallel to the ground is making my brain hurt.

 

[Rebellion]

I tried some Google-fu on this the other night and the only tips I found were to try to get a 90 deg angle between the bar and end link and align the joints so that they articulate equally top and bottom.

Since the front bar is not straight I gotta imagine you'd want to envision a line from the pivot point at the bushing and attachment point at the end link as what you'd line up with.

Now, I've seen the comment about the arms being level as best but can't find any reference to that anywhere else online. In a way that makes sense because the car sits on the ground and as the suspension moves it is in relation to the ground. So perhaps having the bar parallel to the ground, reacting to the suspension moving vertically up and down makes most effective use of it.

Trying to envision the difference in performance between a bar setup with end links at a 90 deg angle to the bar vs just a bar parallel to the ground is making my brain hurt.

In theory, at 90 degrees is where the sway bar rates are most effective. This is not always possible, but try to make them as close to 90 as possible, with the car loaded on all 4 tires and the driver.

If the sway bar has a lot of turns and whatever...the sway bar " imaginary line" has to be a projection from the center of the transversal portion (center of the bushing holding it onto the body) to the center of the hole which the end links attach to. I think this is the simplest approximation (actually, the end links must both be perpendicular to plane which contains the links' mounting holes and the center of the bushing). It's sort of hard to put on words...:frusty:

 

[xXANCHORMONXx]

You want the end links to be as vertical as possible.

 

[MtnBiker]

If the sway bar has a lot of turns and whatever...the sway bar " imaginary line" has to be a projection from the center of the transversal portion (center of the bushing holding it onto the body) to the center of the hole which the end links attach to. I think this is the simplest approximation...

That was my going in hypothesis. Thanks for the data point. I have the 12" race ramps. Will report back when I get time to tweak this stuff.

 

[Mootang]

Sub'd

 

[BMR Tech]

Place the car on a drive-on lift. Or, ramps/blocks that have a flat top surface that are all the same height.

Have a friend, with you in the drive seat...OR place your weight of stuff (sand bags, etc etc etc in the driver seat) - and do the following:

Install ONE end link (pass side) on each bar.

Measure the centerline of the mount on the chassis (height from ground)

Measure the centerline of the mount on the suspension/LCA/Strut (height from ground)

The goal is to lengthen or shorten the links to make those heights match.

The rear will be tough and may not be possible. Not alot of length on the links to work with before bottoming out the adjusters.

Once you have ONE link installed on each bar...and your heights as close as possible.....simple snug the link down, and install the opposite side link...and snug it.

Yup, it's that easy. ;)

 

[wildcatgoal]

I drive my car to Gran Turismo East in Chamblee, GA and say... do my end links, please.

And leave happy.

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