RE: Removing front swaybar improves handling??

[Randy Block <RandyB@E-Risk.com>]

To decide for yourself you need to know what the bars are doing.
I am not an engineer so I can't explain it on that level but here is what I
can explain.

Increase the size of the REAR bar in relation to the FRONT bar (or removing
the front all together)
More oversteer - rear end is loose and wants to come around the front
Pro's: Easy to toss car around, great for autocrossing, less weight,
downright fun to drive
Con's: Twitchy under hard braking or decel through corners, dangerous in the
rain, unstable

Increase the size of the FRONT bar in relation to the REAR bar 
More understeer - front end pushes through corners
Pro's: Stable in corners, corners flatter (less body lean), great for
roadcourses, your girlfriend could drive it in the rain without putting the
rear end into a guardrail.
Con's: Wears out wheel bearings faster, pushes through corners (no fun),
heavier, your girlfriend stuffs the front end into the guardrail instead.

Running Bilstein Sports with Nuespeed linear Race springs I would run the
following.
For the street IMHO the 19/22mm front and the 25/28mm rear makes the car
(mk1) very neutral, best of both worlds.
For autocrossing duties, I'd run no front sway and the 25mm rear.
For the roadcourse (Laguna Seca, Sears Point, etc...) I'd run 22mm front and
28mm rear.

Hope that helps, some may disagree but this is what has worked for me.
It may not work for you, we all have different driving styles. 

Now that you know what the bars are doing you can start experimenting with
different combo's to find out what you like with the type of driving you
plan on doing.

GL

Randy B
Mars 81S - techtonics tuning 1847cc 8V
Cosmos 81S - future project - dreaming of 200-220hp.
87 Jetta GLI 16V - daily driver 

	-----Original Message-----
	From:	Night Shadow [SMTP:soltwede@privateI.com]
	Sent:	Tuesday, December 12, 2000 11:02 AM
	To:	WaspHwy@aol.com
	Cc:	scirocco-l@scirocco.org; mk1gti@egroups.com
	Subject:	Re: Removing front swaybar improves handling??


	> I have bilstein sports and neuspeed sports all around, and heard
on the list 
	> that removing the front swaybar altogether actually improves
handling. can 
	> someone explain why?

	Oh no!  Not this debate again! :-)

	Two different groups exist in the VW suspension tuning world.

	There are the 'Shine Racing' folks that run with no front sway bar
(I am
	part of this group.) Then there are the rest of the world who say
big
	front bar and minimal rear bar.  I personally prefer the big rear
bar no
	front bar approach.  but only for the street, I have seen the other
way
	proven at the track and have talked with guys with plenty more
experience
	racing these cars and have tried it all.  The big front bar is the
best
	for a fully prepped racer for sure.  As for the street, I prefer the
no
	front bar.

	Eric

	80 Scirocco (GF's Daily Driver)
	81 Scirocco S (2.0 16v swap and complete restoration in progress)
	91 Cabriolet (2.0 8v swap and mechanical rebuild in progress)
	97 Golf Trek (Parts car)
	00 Golf GL TDI (My Daily Driver)

	"For Aquarians, the physics of loopholes is a perfectly valid
science."
	-Kelli Fox


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