Wheel Stander

Recently, I decided to take my 92 C4 off the street and dedicate her entirely to drag racing. The only exception being when I drive her to and from the track (60 miles round trip). My local Corvette tech, who is not an expert when it comes to drag racing, suggested that in conjunction with a suspension conversion planned for this winter I should also consider removing the front sway bars. Question --- How much (or how badly) will doing that effect my ability to drive the car to the track?

Thanks ..... WS

PatternDayTrader

You wont even notice is my guess.

Wheel Stander

If that's true, what would be the advantage to removing them?

GREGGPENN

Obviously, your "guy" was thinking about weight.

GREGGPENN

....as long as you don't "lose it" and need to recover.

PatternDayTrader

Like GREGGPENN said, weight is the issue, but personally I think its a stupid idea.

PatternDayTrader

Well yeah but the assumption is that wont happen. Plus, if the only difference between a total wipeout, and driving home safely at the end of the day, is the front sway bar then the OP best take up golf.

Aardwolf

Quite awhile back there with posts with removing the bar and gaining some track time. I don't remember anyone having issues driving to the track. Try search for more!

ddahlgren

Driver tires and shocks will make a wildly different change than a front sway bar.

BOOT77

Mono springs act like a sway bar, but honestly I removed them in my c3 and foxbody and drive them on the street. Just don't drive like a dork but you'll prob have skinnys up front anyway sooner or later.

ddahlgren

There is no way the spring is a sway bar each wheel can do it's thing without affecting the other. Run into me with skinnies up front I will insist the cop cite you for defective equipment unsafe to use on a public road. and will win easily. My neck and back will spasm for the next 30 years and you will pay for it so choose carefully as those are the choices many will offer.

bolling

I would think he told you that so you would have a little more lift under acceleration and I don't think you would have a problem driving to and from.

ddahlgren

You could make a couple passes then remove the left front sway bar link and make a couple more. A 10 minute test.

Kevova

As long as you run front transverse leaf spring you should be ok. If you move to coil overs you will need to drive smart. When stabilizer bar is removed it frees front suspension, increases weight transfer, and can increase free travel. Rear bar can help with how car launches it really depends on what your goals are.

QCVette

I thought the improvement for drag racing was due to the removal of the sway bar to allow the front to rise easier.

That is only from the force it takes to rotate the bar in the frame bushings.

So removing one side end link will not be a good test since it will still be acting on one end link to try to rotate the bar.

The overall effect of removing the sway bar or disconnecting/removing the end links is a very slight change and you may not notice it very much.

The weight loss may also be a slight factor, but that also is something that you won't notice much difference either.

As for driving it on the street without a sway bar, it is not a problem if you take it easy. It will not corner like it should, but it should not be a problem in normal driving. I have had some failures like a broken bar and broken/loose end links before and it is not a huge change to normal driving.

ddahlgren

So put some decent low friction bushings in. While at it change the 8 others on the A-arms. I never lose track that a drag car becomes a road racer if it gets out of shape.

383vett

Serious drag cars don't run a front sway bar.

BOOT77

The sway bar connects the wheels together and is also connected to the chassis, now go look at a mono spring and tell me it's different. In fact a sway bar is a spring.




LOL Lower mass wheels accel faster and anything that accels faster decels faster as well. It's upon the user to use common sense n not lock it up, most vehicles the brake ratio is more forward bias and the corvette is less.

ex-x-fire

Make sure the bar rotates freely in the bushings.

ddahlgren

The article was unreadable as would not magnify to a useful level but what little I got a blurb from GM engineering to explain away a cost saving measure. The diagram was hilarious suggesting that sort of movement at the center that still did not do the same as a well designed anti-roll bar system. In essence it is 2 semi-elliptical springs from before the 50's. If they are so good why does DRM and others make coil over kits that make the car wildly better and why with the cross spring do they go so far as to offer a 32mm anti-roll bar?