Sway Bar Question Options

[Osnabruck914]

Well, the other day I noticed my '74 2.0 had something dangling underneath. Sure enough, those cheap nylon rear sway bar downlink bushings had failed again. I did not have any replacement bushings on hand, and with a car show coming up the next day, I just decided to remove the whole rear sway bar assembly until I could order and receive new bushings.

Driving without the rear sway bar, I was surprised to note that the car felt lighter and more responsive at the wheel. What's going on here? I thought having both bars was always a better option. Is it a psychological thing or is it real. Should I leave the rear bar off? I do not drive that aggressively nor do I autocross or rally.

I have read that it is not Kosher to drive with only a rear bar installed, but OK with just the front. Is that true?

Osnabruck914

[Superhawk996]

Complex answer.

It is partially psychological. To the extent that what you are feeling is how body roll relates to weight transfer and how that relates to steering response.

Contrary to popular belief, a car that has no body roll generally isn’t fun to drive. I’m excluding the extreme ends of the spectrum here like F1 / race cars with aerodynamic aids, etc.

Removing the rear bar is going to bias the vehicle more toward under steer as you push the vehicle harder. A vehicle that under steers generally is the safer default and is the way OEMs tend to tune towards.