Need Sway Bar Settings Recommendations S550

[Mr2raw]

Hey guys, I have a 17 GT and I will be putting on my Ford Performance Sway Bars this weekend. I am wondering how I should set the stiffness of both the front and rear sway bars.

My car will continue to be my daily driver. I want the sway bar settings to help with cornering mainly during spirited driving while maintaining stability at hard acceleration. I have read that since S550 have IRS, it is actually recommended not to make the rear too stiff because it takes away the characteristics of the IRS.

Therefore, I am thinking

Front: Stiff setting
Rear: Soft setting

Also, I don't have time to throw on rest of the suspension parts; so, I'll be doing them on separate days. Changing sway bars alone will not affect alignment correct?

Appreciate any feedback!

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[kz]

No alignment needed after changing bars. Stiff front, soft rear is probably the way to go, alternatively both stiff.

One thing to think about - if you plan on doing front struts, getting front bar out of the car while the struts are out is little easier than when they are in (rear is very easy to change).

 

[Norm Peterson]

If you aren't autocrossing, a mid setting up front with the rear at full soft would probably be a better starting point.


Norm

 

[kz]

If you aren't autocrossing, a mid setting up front with the rear at full soft would probably be a better starting point.


Norm

I think - Ford bars have two sets of holes each - as least those I've seen were like that.

 

[Mr2raw]

I think - Ford bars have two sets of holes each - as least those I've seen were like that.

Yeah, the Ford Performance one only has 2 settings. soft or stiff.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I think - Ford bars have two sets of holes each - as least those I've seen were like that.

Thanks - I was trying to see how many holes there were on the Ford Performance site but couldn't get enough detail from the catalog picture. If the front bar only has two sets of holes, that would indicate a slightly different approach from what Ford Performance took with their S197 bars, which clearly show three sets of holes.


Norm

 

[TeeLew]

Thanks - I was trying to see how many holes there were on the Ford Performance site but couldn't get enough detail from the catalog picture. If the front bar only has two sets of holes, that would indicate a slightly different approach from what Ford Performance took with their S197 bars, which clearly show three sets of holes.


Norm

The FP bar probably only has 2 holes to accommodate the Magneride cars. The BMR/Steeda bars have stiffer holes available, but, with the Magneride dampers, they won't physically bolt up.

 

[BimmerDriver]

Does anyone know, how does the "Performance" part in the soft hole compare to the original non-PP sway bars?

 

[Biggsy]

Does anyone know, how does the "Performance" part in the soft hole compare to the original non-PP sway bars?

Well here is a chart with the different bar diameters
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/sway-bar-size-compilation.80809/#post-1817592

somewhere in the forum exists a stiffness calculator. Being that sway bar is part of a system, the performance gain/loss would depend on other components such as springs.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Well here is a chart with the different bar diameters
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/sway-bar-size-compilation.80809/#post-1817592

somewhere in the forum exists a stiffness calculator. Being that sway bar is part of a system, the performance gain/loss would depend on other components such as springs.

There is an approximate formula for estimating sta-bar stiffness from the bar's basic dimensions here - Sway Bar Rate Calculator | GTSparkplugs . It's based on Fred Puhn's formula, which typically over-estimates the stiffness by 5% or so, partly because it ignores a number of smaller effects (like the distance between the supports being different from dimension B).

You'd have to approximate your actual bar to the calculator's inputs like this, measuring to the hole pair you're going to check. The effect of the bends being of a radius isn't clear without a full 3-D finite element analysis (that might well provide unexpected results).

I think for most adjustable bars, there's about an inch between the holes.

Norm

 

[thornclaw]

i suspect if the bar only had 2 holes one could have an intermediate setting with one side connected to the anterior hole an the other side connected to the posterior hole.

 

[TeeLew]

i suspect if the bar only had 2 holes one could have an intermediate setting with one side connected to the anterior hole an the other side connected to the posterior hole.

100% correct, but leave my posterior hole alone.

 

[Norm Peterson]

i suspect if the bar only had 2 holes one could have an intermediate setting with one side connected to the anterior hole an the other side connected to the posterior hole.

It's possible to stagger the settings on an adjustable sta-bar, but then the sta-bar starts acting in two wheel bump mode as well as in roll. Like having a normal sta-bar connection arrangement but springs of slightly/somewhat different stiffnesses. Nose dive under pure braking or rear squat due to pure straight-line acceleration would induce small amounts of roll that you wouldn't get with symmetrical bar adjustment settings.

I don't know offhand how significant this crosstalk between two wheel bump and roll might be, though I did once throw this exact problem at a real engineering software back when I had a day job and access to such software.


Norm

 

[TeeLew]

^ This is also correct. Anecdotally, I've staggered ARB pickups probably as many times as I've set them the same (many times). The heave spring effect does not seem perceptible, even by very good drivers.

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