Sway bar endlink links and being set at 90*

[MrBottleneck]

I have read that you want your links set at roughly 90* to the bar.
Is there a exact reason why that is?
Also, when installing adjustable sway bar endlinks to get zero preload is it best to set a 90* then weight driver side to your weight then set endlink to have zero barrel turn resistance while still achieving that 90* bar to endlink ratio?
Thanks in advance for the input

 

[Norm Peterson]

I have read that you want your links set at roughly 90* to the bar.
Is there a exact reason why that is?

When the endlinks are at any other angle to the bar arms, the bar's effective rate (what the car "sees") is lower than the bar's advertised (or calculated) rate, and this effective rate falls as the angle moves further away from 90° during suspension movement. It's probably some sort of cosine thing in 3D.

Also, when installing adjustable sway bar endlinks to get zero preload is it best to set a 90* then weight driver side to your weight then set endlink to have zero barrel turn resistance while still achieving that 90* bar to endlink ratio?

If you're shooting for zero bar preload with the car loaded and at rest, it's probably simpler to simulate the weight(s) first. Then set one endlink to as close to 90° as possible, and adjust the length of the other such that the last endlink bolt drops through its attachment hole without involving force on the bar to line things up. On the matter of weights, this could be driver only or driver + passenger depending on which condition would be the more common situation when you're driving hard. Even at the track, passengers (either students or instructors) is a fairly common situation. Or you could just set for driver + half a passenger and call that a "good enough average" (not a bad choice for a street-driven-only car).


Norm

 

[MrBottleneck]

Thanks for responding Norm. Now I can go about this with a better understanding on set-up.