Quote:
Originally Posted by robnolimit
OK, I am assuming (hate to do that) that you are looking at company "X" that has these bars. These are probably a larger version of the O.E. bar (it's a guess). and they will probably help to reduce the body roll.
The O.E. has a lot of factors to cover, and their goal is to make $$ for the share holders. I didn't say 'to sell trucks' or 'to make the best product they can'. The big three are beholding to the share holder first. So, they build a vehicle that will suit the largest segment of a particular market, have some cross-over sales, and make a profit. So, they can't build the best handling truck (even if they wanted too) because too many people would be cut from the market group. - harsh ride, too low, to responsive...... So, the aftermarket is there to 'shape' a vehicle in a certain direction. - towing, performance.... ALWAYS keep this in mind.
Real swaybars are rated in Lbs force per twist amount. And, they don't all use the same scale. It could be lbs per inch (one side vs. the other) or lbs per degree of twist, some use lbs per 5 degrees. To get a grip on this you need to understand which part of the swar bar twists (like a torsion bar or spring). Three piece bars are easy to understand, that the center bar twists, and the arms are the levers to twist with. So, add this in to the equation.
Sway bars with longer 'Arms' are softer than the same bar with a shorter 'arm'.
Sway bars with a shorter center 'bar' are stiffer than sway bars with a longer center 'bar'.
With this in mind, it is easy to understand that a 1 1/2" dia bar, with a long center and long arms could yield lower "lbs/degree resistance" than a 1 1/4" bar with a shorter center and shorter arms. Or, any combination there of. Next would be mounting points, like how far out on the A arm.  |
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your guidance and appreciate your willingness to share your expertise with us. Based on what I've read I think I'm at a point where I have to find a way to evaluate each modification on my own.
Spit balling, in general I believe (may not be the actual truth) that late model hydroformed frames are generally stiffer than say, old C10 frames. So as a starting point there may be some benefit there. On the other side of the coin I think truck weights have steadily gone up and a newer single cab truck is probably a solid 1000lbs heavier than an older single cab truck. How does this relate to my question? My truck came with a hollow 1 1/4" front sway bar and no rear sway bar, I purchase (from company X-wig) a solid 1 1/2" front sway bar and a solid 1 1/4 rear sway bar along with some lowering springs (company X-tech), along with stickier speed rated rubber (from company X-oyo) in an effort to increase handling and stability. What I've learned is that the front springs are most likely rated at 800lbs, which for spirited driving is probably a little under sprung considering truck weight/aggressive driving............on the other hand the sway bar upgrade may be a little on the aggressive side based on material (solid 4140) and size. With that said, I may get lucky and this large bar/small spring combo may work well together.......maybe not......thoughts?
On a side note (my opinion), in our search for better performance, in a lot of ways we are handicapped, even by the aftermarket, in using whats available because that's what sells vs actual engineered performance.........realistically I believe it would be so incredibly cost prohibitive to custom engineer everything in what would probably be 9 times out 10, trial and error engineering because "for example" the lowering springs I bought were sold for the sole purpose of a look with a cultural implied performance benefit vs actual benefit, yet even these springs are only readily available for the most popular trucks.............maybe I'm rambling..........
bottom line, is that it's a lot to wade through when your trying to only spend your money once! Which is why I/we appreciate your help such as it is.