Sway Bar Link

Sway Bar Link – Essential for Stability

If you've always had the luxury of having someone else be responsible for the maintenance and repair jobs on your car, then consider yourself one of the lucky few. There was a time when it was normally out of the question to seek outside assistance for your car repairs because of cost and time restraints. Now, just the opposite is true, as many car owners don't know the difference between a spark plug and a lug nut. However, if you are interested in being knowledgeable when you bring your vehicle in for repairs, you would do well to know what the sway bar link is and how it works to keep your vehicle stable.

Have you ever been taking a road trip with some of your friends and had the unfortunate pleasure of sitting in the middle of the back seat for the duration of the trip? If you have experienced this, you already know about some of the more important reasons for having a sway bar link that is in good working condition. When the friend that was driving decided to take an unexpected right turn to stop at a rest area, you were thrust into the lap of the friend sitting on your left, which would be the outside of the turn. This motion is known as roll, and it occurs for the whole frame of the car every time you turn.

If you didn't have a sway bar link that was working the way it was supposed to, you would risk having the frame of your car lift up every time you took a sharp turn. In addition to putting unnecessary pressure and force on the frame and tires, this could result in the car flipping in very extreme circumstances. If this sounds like an experience you'd rather not have, you will be sure to check your sway bar and the other elements of your suspension on a regular basis.

The sway bar link is the element of your under carriage that connects the sides of the suspension system to each other, and also connects these elements to the chassis. Working all together, this allows the suspension system to be grounded and to remain more flat as you take turns. While you might still have to brace for the force when you are riding in the back seat, you will be able to rest assured that the car will remain on the ground.