Stabilizer bars go by a number of different names. They are sometimes referred to as anti-roll bars or anti-sway bars, but really they are all describing the same part of the suspension on a vehicle. So how do stabilizer bars work?
When you take a sharp turn in your vehicle what happens? Once you are in the turn your body will actually get pulled to the outside of the turn. This is the exact same thing that happens with your vehicle and all of its parts as a result.
When your vehicle is in the midst of a sharp turn all the parts of the car on the outside of the turn will be pushed or forced downward and the parts of the car on the inside of the turn will be forced or pushed upward. This is what is known as roll and roll is not a good thing. Why? If you have too much roll you will actually roll or flip your vehicle. That’s where stabilizer bars come into play.
Stabilizer bars are what helps make sure that a vehicle maintains a more flat level when driving through a turn and thus keep the weight of the vehicle more evenly distributed on all four tires. As the name implies the stabilizer bars keep the car stable and will not allow for too much roll to occur.
To get an idea of how this works picture a metal rod that is about two inches or so in diameter. Say your front tires are six feet apart. In order to let the stabilizer bar do its job you would make it about five feet long. Now you take this five foot long rod and attach it to the front frame of the vehicle but install it using bushings so that the rod cannot rotate. Now attach arms that go from the rod to both sides of the front suspension members. Now enter a turn.
Once you are in the midst of turning the suspension member in the front that is on the outside of the vehicle gets pushed or forced upward and this also pushes or forces up the arm of the stabilizer bar and puts torsion on it. This torsion will then move the other end of the bar’s arm and also force it upward. The end result is a flatter car with more evenly distributed weight in the turn.
What is important to remember when it comes to stabilizer bars is that you have to have the right balance of stabilization. If you have too little then you will experience too much roll. If you have too much then you will experience a loss of the independence in each wheels suspension and this will make for a much rougher ride.
Most of the time this is not a problem as vehicles usually come with the amount of stabilization set by the automotive manufacturer. However, if you are modifying your vehicle or planning on building a vehicle to race then this is an important factor to keep in mind. Always remember; too much roll is a bad thing.
