Thread: To use or NOT use a rear sway bar?

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How many of you deuce or 30-31 Abone owners are running rear sway bars? I am trying to determine if I need to use a sway bar on my rearend. I am using parallel & not triangulated bars on the rear. I'm running a 9" Ford rearend with Aldan adjustable coilover shocks. My engine is a roller BBC. I just want to make sure my roadster handles as well as possible. I am running a Heidts swaybar on the front end, but was not sure whether or not to use a rear swaybar. I know someone here will have some input to help me out! THANKS!

I am using a TCI one on both my 32's ...
But I am using a trianglulated 4 bar and I ride on coil springs ... not coil overs ...



The sway bar is not installed in this photo.

Are you asking about a sway bar or panhard bar?

A sway bar controls body lean and sway.

A panhard bar locates the front or rear suspension transversely.

I am inquiring about a sway bar. I am using a panhard bar now. I just need to know IF I really need a rear sway bar to make the roadster handle as good as it possibly can.

You should.

I run a Deuce Factory sway bar in the rear and feel that it contributes a lot to my 32 roadsters good handling.
Especially so on twisty mountain roads.

The DF sway bar is small and fits most Model A, Deuce style cars with no problems.

When I had the sway bar disconnected to replace the bushings, I was surprised at how much the body would rock when you gave the roll bar a couple of good back and forth shoves.

Not so with the sway bar hooked up.

I haven't driven it without the sway bar nor do I want to.

Roy Fjastad of the Deuce Factory commented in one of the rodding mags a while back that they'd found a rear sway bar was sufficient in the A's & 32's and a front sway bar was not required.

Originally Posted by stylingZ

I am inquiring about a sway bar. I am using a panhard bar now. I just need to know IF I really need a rear sway bar to make the roadster handle as good as it possibly can.

You say, "to make the roadster handle as good as it possibly can". With that criteria, you do need a sway bar. Whether you have coil overs, or springs the sway bar is the final opportunity to fine tune the suspension to improve handling....

It depends alot on your rear spring rates, if it is already pretty stiff, the rear bar can cause varying amounts of oversteer depending on bar stiffness. I have a nice rear bar on my road racing car with a solid rear axle, and disconnected it after the first practice session 3 years ago and haven't used it since, way to much oversteer. I am sprung pretty stiff though. I am probably 1 to 2 seconds a lap faster with the thing disconnected. If you have a comfy riding setup, the bar would probably help.

I have never used a sway bar on an early style hotrod with coils and 4-bars and a Panhard rod.---And never seen any reason to. My cars all handled fine. I think on the heavier cars that were built after 1936 that sway bars were a necessary thing, because of the high center of gravity, and higher roll center, but on the pre 36 cars which were much lighter, I don't think you need them.---Brian

I called Heidts and asked them about a rear sway for their IRS on my 32. The dude took offense to me asking this question. He asked what I was going to do with the car and I told him I just wanted it to handle as good as it possibly could. His response was that with their dropped open wheel IFS and their IRS that my car was too light and had too low a roll center to bother with a sway bar.

And oh BTW they don't make one for their IRS rear

One of these days I'll get her going and let you know .........

Kitz

Do any of you guys happen to have a couple pics of your rear sway bar installed? To me a photo is worth a thousand words...guess I am more visually oriented! Thanks

For your viewing pleasure - TCI setup on an "A" chassis

Had some camera card problems so photo quality is crummy - sorry, new card for next time

Originally Posted by kitz

I called Heidts and asked them about a rear sway for their IRS on my 32. The dude took offense to me asking this question.

Kitz,

How DARE you ask a logical question . . .

Originally Posted by DennyW

I don't have a deuce, but, I'm cheating on mine. I'm using a gyro for the curves.

Spins you right up then, Denny

Originally Posted by DennyW

Like a top.

I have one of them oldies that goes over the rear wheels. It works super. My big test was to simply lay it in the trunk of a full size car, and take the same curves at the same speed as without it, and it seems as though you are not on any curves at all. Works very good.

Shades of Popular Science in the '50s. I had totally forgotten those gadgets.
Denny - you gotta be ancient to still have one of them