> Actually, a live axle car can and does exhibit camber change at the rear
> wheels when the roll stiffness provided by the springs is inadequate. A
> rear sway bar can be used on a live axle to adjust roll couple
> distribution
> where needed.
I would tend to agree with that.
>From my perspective, a Spridget does not normally need a rear sway. Bill
Perry of Rivergate assures me that they have tried many configurations in
the SCCA road racing world and keep coming back to a 3/4" front sway and no
rear sway. Others tell me that you only need 11/16" in the front. I am not
an expert; I am a slow learner who tries different things. Right now my
Midget has a 3/4" Winners Circle front sway and a 5/8" Addco rear sway as
well as a Speedwell Engineering panhard bar. I also use the old Rivergate
Nylatron front upper trunnion adjustable negative camber bushings and Spec
Racer Ford castoff 185/60-13 race rubber on 6" Vega rims together with Peter
Caldwell's adjustable Armstrong shocks on all four corners and a Phantom
Grip in the diff.
The reason for this setup is that I autocross my Midget rather regularly
head to head in the same class with the STis, S2000s, M3s, Porsches, Evos,
etc. No, I do not "win", unless I am allowed to count things like beating
all three Honda S2000s as a win. Any modification I want to make up to and
including removing my radiator cap and installing it on a Ferrari are legal.
(No, I do not know whether it would fit, nor can I afford it.) The 3/4"
front bar helps keep the front end flat while cornering. The panhard bar
reduces the rubbing of those 185 tires. The rear sway is adjusted VERY loose
so that it does not affect anything until the car tries to "motorcycle".
Without the rear sway there, a clockwise skidpad would have my Midget up on
two wheels and I did not like that. I thought it was just my imagination
until the corner workers were commenting on it. I did not like the handling
with the rear sway "properly" adjusted, so I gave it about an inch of play
and it stays out of the way until needed. It also adds this lovely little
jingle to fill out the treble while driving down the road.
In other words, if I were intending to build a street Spridget, I would look
for an 11/16" front sway and leave it at that. If I were building a racing
Spridget, I would look at what the Thickos are doing and plagiarize.
David Lieb
_______________________________________________
Support Team.Net http://www.team.net/donate.html
http://www.team.net/archive
http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/spridgets
|