Is it safe to disconnect the antiroll bar?

oscarloco · Post by **oscarloco** » 05 Apr 2005, 22:12

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by oilyspanner

The steering rear end on ZXs can make the car feel like its oversteering if the rubbers are a bit soft, perhaps its that sensation your mate is feeling?
Stewart
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He says that the car doesn't turn, it only makes the fronts squeal and continues straight. I too think that he is going too fast or his suspension has some sort of problem. Maybe shot dampers?

ItDontGo · Post by **ItDontGo** » 06 Apr 2005, 00:58

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Kowalski

Anti-roll bars don't adjust the weight distribution to the wheels, they adjust the suspension load distribution on the suspension elements i.e. the springs. The weight distribution to the wheels is fixed by the height of the centre of mass, the cornering speed and the track of the car. This is fairly basic physics.
All an anti roll bar does really is to passively firm up the suspension on one side of the car when the suspension on that side is compressed more than the other side, you can think of it as a torsion bar spring really.
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Sorry but you are either wrong or being picky. I dont know what point you were making there. But when I said it affects weight transfer I was talking about the transient state the suspension finds itself in whilst the loads are being varied in the corner (you could argue there is no 'weight transfer' during this stage or at least not initially). The anti-roll bar does affect the 'weight-transfer' during this as does the damping and inertia of the mass of the car.
What you are refering to is during steady state cornering when I said the roll-bars do nothing. They certainly dont affect weight transfer then and as you say its not difficult to predict this with simple high school physics. However when you first start to steer there is no weight transfer and it then increases during loading of the suspension components to the steady state condition. The roll bar affects this period. You could argue weight transfer is the wrong term but the roll bar controls loading of the suspension in this state.
You would hope the 2004 National Institue of Mechanical Engineers 'Best Student' and winner of multiple prizes from the University of Liverpool Engineering department understands basic physics. [8D] [<<What a prick I am!]

adamskibx · Post by **adamskibx** » 06 Apr 2005, 01:47

Yes I wouldnt think disconnecting the anti roll bar is a good idea-it will just roll a lot more because all of the rotational force on a bend will heave to be dealt with by the rear anti roll bar on its own. Disconecting a front anti roll bar will increase the chance of oversteer and making it less likely to understeer and even if it did stop the understeering problem that maybe inherant to that car, the disadvantages of extreme roll would outweigh any advantages. The reason a week anti roll bar on the front in realation to the rear will increase front end grip and reduce understeer is that the car is ridid so the front will never roll more or less than the back so a weeker one at the front will allow the wheels to adjust to bumps ect more than the back. Removing an anti roll bar completely will just mess it up though I think.

LeFrog · Post by **LeFrog** » 06 Apr 2005, 02:03

To help reduce the understeer, I suggest upping the front tyre pressures a tad and decreasing the back ones. I used to have a 306XSI and could change the balance of the car with a couple of PSI. Of course, this assumes that everything else with the car is as it should be.

fastandfurryous · Post by **fastandfurryous** » 06 Apr 2005, 03:32

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by ItDontGo

You would hope the 2004 National Institue of Mechanical Engineers 'Best Student' and winner of multiple prizes from the University of Liverpool Engineering department understands basic physics. [8D] [<<What a prick I am!]
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[<<What a prick I am!]
I woudn't have said so. It irritates me when you have a Degree in Mechanical Engineering, proving that you might have some idea about what you're talking about, and people still either disbelieve you, or tell you that you are wrong, simply because they don't understand. It is very true that a lot of people who call themselves "engineers" are in fact mechanics (and often not very good ones). Thus when someone who ACTUALLY IS an Engineer comes along, our image and credibility is tainted (or even completely non-existent.)
I'm also a Mechanical Engineer, in case you hadn't noticed!
PS. I am NOT specifically referring to people on this forum in the above. It's just a general crappy state of affairs for Public understanding of Engineering, and what actually goes into the design of a mechanical system.

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 06 Apr 2005, 22:40

Re the comments on engineers: I have been an optical, a mechanical and an electronics design engineer, in each case for prestigious companies. Now I am working putting things into boxes in a warehouse. It pays £7000 more per year.
Re anti roll bars, the following thoughts occur to me.
1: Hit the child, not the car. People are squidgy, cars are hard.
2: Remove the ARB. The man obviously drives like a **** so the planet doesn't need him wasting the oxygen.
3: Club rally cars have stronger Springs, meaning that they don't need ARBs.
4: With unmodified suspension, the car would be very dangerous to drive without it and you can be just as dead in Guatemala as anywhere else.
5: If the car drives so badly, then it is knackered. If it is Knackered, what sort of fool would encourage it to go fast?

FrenchLeave · Post by **FrenchLeave** » 11 Apr 2005, 01:47

I always understood that the right to call oneself an engineer did not depend upon having a degree - you can get by with an HNC. The important thing is to be able to write the letters C.Eng after your name.

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 11 Apr 2005, 02:24

I'm well on my way to gaining those same letters myself but I'm not quite there yet.

FrenchLeave · Post by **FrenchLeave** » 11 Apr 2005, 04:48

What's the expression? Way to go, Dude!

oilyspanner · Post by **oilyspanner** » 11 Apr 2005, 05:02

Just a humble BSc hons meself, nowadays I make a crust with my hands again, far healthier

Stewart