What Does A Sway Bar Do?
Source: Pixabay
For uninitiated car owners, a peek under their vehicle might as well be a glimpse of an unfamiliar mechanical world. Underneath, many critical car components work tirelessly and in harmony with each other to achieve the complex task of delivering the perfect ride quality.
Your car’s suspension system is one of the most critical sets of components underneath and is responsible for smoothing out your ride and keeping you in control of the vehicle. The sway bar is one suspension system component that doesn’t get talked about more.
What is a sway bar? What does a sway bar do?
Today, we’ll give the sway bar a much-deserved highlight. We’ll discuss what a sway bar is, what does it do, and other things you need to know about this component.
What is a Sway Bar?
Before we answer the question: “What does a sway bar do,” Let’s first explain what exactly this component is. The sway bar is a tubular metal component that connects to the frame and parts of a suspension system. These metallic bars are designed to handle turns and prevent body lean, which is the last thing you want when operating a larger vehicle like a truck or RV. The sway bar goes by many names, including anti-sway bar, stabilizer bar, and anti-roll bar.
The U-shaped metal piece is typically connected to the control arm or strut, found in each car’s wheels. Not all sway bars have the same look and may vary with their curves and kinks based on the car’s design and fitment.
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In essence, the sway bar acts like a torsional spring that reacts and adapts to any twisting motion. Therefore, the bar minimizes the tilting sensation you experience when you clear a corner too fast whenever the vehicle turns.
Regardless of the vehicle, you’ll feel a certain level of tilting or sway – the sway bar mitigates to a certain extent and keeps your wheels on the ground.
What’s the Purpose of a Sway Bar?
What does a sway bar do? As per the laws of physics, your car will naturally incline and want to tip over to the other side when cornering. The force is distributed to the outside, which causes the outside tire to lift higher than the inside.
The suspension systems were engineered to minimize the natural swaying movement to keep a vehicle safe and planted – the sway bar plays a significant role in accomplishing this task. Acting like a torsion bar, the sway bar twists on its axis to react to the twisting motion that happens when turning and keeps the vehicle stable and grounded.
The most crucial purpose of a sway bar is for control, stability, and safety.
The bars distribute the whole weight of the vehicle into all four tires. The resistance generated by the twisting motion helps keep the car planted, improve cornering, and prevent it from rolling over. The sway bars also prevent the wheels from losing grip, leading to skids.
However, you should know that sway bars are not used on all vehicles or if they are, they’re not applied in the same fashion across all vehicles.
Take, for instance, powerful sports cars like a Dodge Charger or Ford Mustang have thicker anti-sway bars on the front and rear. Sports cars are typically driven on smooth, flat asphalt roads at high speeds, so the more stiffness in the bars enable them to clear those hairpin turns without losing grip.
What are the Signs of a Bad Sway Bar?
It’s relatively rare for a sway bar to fail or go wrong. However, you’re more likely to have issues with the sway bar links or bushings to wear out over time. Below are some of the tell-tale signs that your sway bars are going bad:
Popping or Knocking Noises
Suspension bushings are cushions made of rubber and polyurethane and are mounted on the steering joints to absorb road bumps and minimize vibrations and noise. One of the primary causes of a faulty sway bar is a worn-out bushing, which may create popping, squeaking, or knocking noises near the front tires. These sounds are more pronounced when you’re driving over bumps.
With a terrible case of worn-out bushings, you may even hear strange noises while driving on a flat surface.
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Poor or Unpredictable Handling
A broken sway bar link means that the metallic component isn’t connected to the vehicle’s chassis. This means your car is more likely to exhibit more body rolls when making turns. With a worn-out or broken sway bar link, you’ll have difficulty controlling your vehicle due to poor handling.
Unpredictable or twitchy handling is a classic sign of a broken sway bar link or damaged/missing link bushing. The change can be evident right from the get-go or subtle enough to remain unnoticeable.
Visible Wear or Damage
We can’t stress enough the importance of Inspecting your vehicle on occasion. The best method to evaluate any issues with your suspension system is through visual inspection.
A broken link is relatively apparent because one end may not correctly connect with the suspension or the sway bar itself. Damaged or worn-out bushings or nuts are also apparent because you’ll see that they’re either missing or worn out. In this case, you’ll have to replace the worn or missing bushing as soon as you can.
A bad link or bushing will cause your steering wheel to feel loose or handle erratically.
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Can You Drive With a Bad Sway Bar?
What does a sway bar do? Hopefully, this guide has answered your question. Now, you’re probably wondering if you can drive a car with a bad sway bar.
Technically, yes. A bad sway bar doesn’t make your car “un-drivable.” However, you’ll probably notice how your vehicle handles and corners differently. The difference can be either pronounced or subtle, depending on the car you’re driving.
Once you’ve confirmed that your sway bar went bad and needed a replacement, we highly recommend driving slower than usual and navigating turns more carefully. Have your sway bar serviced and replaced as soon as it’s practical.
Sway Bar: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a sway bar and what does it do?
A: A sway bar, also known as a stabilizer bar, is a component of a vehicle’s suspension system that helps to reduce body roll during cornering.
Q: How does a sway bar improve handling?
A: By connecting the left and right sides of the suspension, a sway bar helps to maintain balance and improve traction, reducing the likelihood of understeer or oversteer.
Q: What happens if a sway bar is too stiff?
A: A sway bar that is too stiff can result in a harsh ride and may cause the inside wheel to lift off the ground during cornering, reducing traction.
Q: Can I drive without a sway bar?
A: While it is possible to drive without a sway bar, it is not recommended, as it can significantly affect the vehicle’s handling and safety. But you can do so in a pinch, like driving home or to a mechanic.
Q: What are the signs of a faulty sway bar?
A: Common signs include clunking/popping noises, poor handling, and uneven tire wear.
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