What Do Sway Bars Do???  [Back to Handling Page] [Links][E-Mail
Me]         Here's a write up taken from the VWVortex that
explains sway bar function quite spendidly.  All credits go to
Mr. Ian ("daemon42" on VWVortex), who had done one of the nicest
write-ups I have ever read about sway bars. Here it is:  Image
comparing body roll between stock-sprung Jetta and one with a
well-worn Shine kit...        Normally, without a sway bar when
the car corners the weight of the chassis shifts toward the
outside of the turn compressing the springs on that side.  The
springs on the inside generally extend a little, or do nothing.
Relative to the chassis itself, it appears that the outside
suspension compresses and the inside doesn't.         A sway bar
couples the suspensions on each side to each other, *AND*
relative to the chassis.  If you could put the car up on a lift
and actually compress the suspension on one side by hand, then a
sway bar makes the compression of one side also try to compress
the suspension on the