Sway bars are essential components in a vehicle’s suspension system. Have you ever thought about how a sudden sharp turn makes your car lean towards a side, but there is something that prevents it from rolling? Yes, that is the sway bar. Its other names are stabilizer bar and anti-roll bar. It is a vital part of vehicle stability and life safety. A vehicle is really risky if you have a bad sway bar in it.
Sway Bar Function – How It Works
A sway bar is a metal rod connected to the right and left arms of the wheels. When you turn the steering of a moving vehicle, the sway bar resists instability and balances the car, preventing it from rolling. It acts as a spring that keeps both sides of the car down. Its twisting force balances the car in corners, ensuring smooth turns and movement of the wheels.
It has many other components that are attached to the sway bar. Without these components, the anti-roll bar never works well. Sway bar bushings are placed on the stabilizer bar, which ensures the grip of the bar to the chassis or frame of the car.
The sway bar is attached to the arms with end links. If the rubber or end links have a loose attachment, it will create knocking or bad sounds. These are the components of the anti-roll bar that ensure a safe and smooth drive of the vehicle.
Common Sway Bar Symptoms of Wear or Failure
If your anti-roll bar is poorly working, you will notice a few symptoms, then it’s a stabilizer bar issue. Don’t worry mechanics guide will help you. Here some symptoms described below:
- When you drive the vehicle over a bumpy road, it will create a knocking noise.
- During a sharp turn or regular turn, your body will roll more.
- At higher speeds, you may notice your car is not in your control, giving you an uncontrollable feeling.
- Grinding or striking noise is an indication of a worn bush or rubber.
- Wheel bubbling is an indication of a loose end link bushing.
Replacing and installing sway bars
If your sway bar is worn or broken, you need to replace it with a new one. Here is the process of replacing the anti-roll bar. Here are the steps:
- First, you need to lift your car; you can use a jack.
- Remove the old sway bar. For this, remove the end links attached to the arms.
- Remove the mounting brackets to separate it from the frame of the vehicle.
- Place the new stabilizing bar in the right place.
- Secure it with mounting brackets and clips.
- Connect the end links with the bar and the arms of the wheels.
- Check if it’s placed right or needs further adjustments.
- Tighten all the bolts and nuts.
- Now drive slowly and listen for noises coming from the anti-roll bar.
- Make turns to check the working of the anti-roll bar.
Types of Sway Bars and When to Use Them
Solid Sway Bars
These are the common and basic forms of sway bars. They are made of solid steel. Solid steel is a heavy substance. No doubt these anti-roll bars are strong, but still, they are very heavy. They make great noise on bumps and can cause the suspension to wear out early.
Hollow or Tubular Sway Bars
It is clear from the name that these are hollow from the inside. It means they are lightweight and durable. Racers and drift lovers opt for these types of bars. They make less impact on the vehicles.
Adjustable Sway Bars
These are capable of adjusting to different road conditions. These bars have multiple mounting holes to change the stiffness. They are an advanced type of anti-roll bar.
Splined Sway Bars
These are more advanced and are built for high-performance cars. It’s a hollow, straight, and solid rod with multiple splines on the ends. It is connected to the splines of the arms, which are further connected to the suspension through end links. You can adjust the stiffness just by swapping the center bar only. You don’t need to open the full set of the suspension.
Blade-Type Sway Bars
This bar has blade-like sections at the end of the bar. These bars are used only in Formula racing cars. It is the finest-tuned suspension in modern times. These are a bit expensive compared to other sway bars.
Active Sway Bars (Electronic or Hydraulic)
These are the modern and most advanced forms of sway bars. These bars have hydraulics or motors for adjustment of stiffness. You can have them in electric vehicles like Tesla, BYD, Mercedes, or Toyota Land Cruisers.
Maintenance Tips for Long-Lasting Performance
To keep your anti-roll bar long-lasting, you should keep it in top condition. Always clean the lower section of the vehicle. Along with this, do the following actions to keep it reliable and durable:
- Inspect if there is a slight sound coming from the bushings, end links, or arms.
- Always grease the sway bar bushings when they get dry.
- Check if all the bolts and nuts are tight.
- Consult an expert mechanic if you notice strange complexities in the sway bar.
Conclusion
Sway bars have a crucial role in making your car safe and reliable. They control the leaning in sharp turns. Any defect in a sway bar can disturb your driving experience. Defects in a sway bar can be identified by the noise coming from beneath the vehicle. Always keep supervision if any issue is detected. Markets have all types of sway bars you can buy, whichever you prefer to have in your car.
