>>The question is though, would the car corner at even higher speeds with no
>>anti roll bar at the rear and less roll stiffness at the front?
On a smooth, steady-state corner (skidpad, traffic circle) it might
do just that. But; in transitional maneuvers (slalom, lane change, short
quick corners) the time spent rolling back and forth would be a problem.
Anti-roll bars cut down on transition time AND give a more stable feel.
A car that 'feels' more stable is easier to drive faster.
The anti-roll bar also helps keep you off the bumpstops. Allowing the
body to roll enough to get into the bumpstops, then hitting a frost heave
in the middle of that high-speed sweeper can be real exciting.
Years ago I read in a racing book that -one- theory of balancing springs
and anti-roll bars was to select the softest springs that would keep you
OFF the bumpstops on a particular track, then fine-tune with anti-roll bars.
In the street world you'd have to use stiffer springs because you never
know what kind of bumps are around the next corner (or in the middle of it ;-)
and you'd have to compromise on anti-roll bar settings to match those springs.
Ed in NC
"I like cats too... Let's trade recipes." ;-)
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