Front Sway Bar Kit >>> Are many folks running them on the streets?

[GoDadGo]

Hey Gang,

Can any of you tell me if you are running the "Front Sway Bar" on your street driven MK-3, MK-4 or Type 65's?
I'm buttoning up loose ends prior to the installation of my drive-train and wanted to see what is going on in the "Real World" and not just my garage.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks-N-Advance,

Steven >> aka: GoDadGo

[CraigS]

Way back in 05 when I got my MkI it had no bars and it felt pretty darn good to me. Then I started autocrossing and was shown some pics of my car mid-corner. Ordered a front bar the next week. Forte has fronts in 3/4, 7/8 and 1 inch. For the street I would go w/ the 3/4. BTW, if you put some car specs in your signature line that would help. Right now I would want to know which rear suspension you have. A next step upgrade would be a 7/8 front and a VPM adjustable rear.

[GoDadGo]

My car is a standard MK-4 with the standard KONI coil over system. The rear end is a 3 link set up. My car will be more nose heavy than most because it is set up for a Small Block Chevy with iron heads and a ZF 6 Speed transmission. The car has a 50/50 weight distribution because the engine was moved forward a bit to clear the distributor and to fit my 6 speed transmission. Since the car is more nose heavy than most (50/50 weight distribution) do you think the sway bar set up would help or hurt? I'm about to have the engine built so the car was scaled when we did the initial mock up which was a lot of fun. Any insight you can share will be greatly appreciated. Basically I Don't Know What I Dont Know!

[mikeinatlanta]

Swaybars allow control of body roll with softer springs. They also allow dialing in how loose the car is without changing springs. That said, they are not a must have. You can dial the car in quite nicely without them. Up to you.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Usually the bars are needed to correct a problem. If the car is not having a problem you need to fix you don't need any. A front only bar will generally increase understeer.

I would expect most all street driven cars don't use the bars.

[GoDadGo]

I want to thank you all for the replies. My game plan is to address this issue upon the completion of Go-Kart testing. Thanks Again!

[Jeff Kleiner]

Usually the bars are needed to correct a problem. If the car is not having a problem you need to fix you don't need any. A front only bar will generally increase understeer.

I would expect most all street driven cars don't use the bars.

Exactly, and thank you! This is akin to the "which bump steer kit should I use?" question that is often asked before the builder has even measured bump steer. With the factory spring setup these cars understeer; adding a front bar without a corresponding change to the rear spring rate will exacerbate that condition.

Jeff