Sway Bar

Sway Bar – Essential for Stabilization

These days, it's not surprising that many people don't really know much about the cars and trucks that they drive every day. Cars have become more sophisticated, with onboard computer systems that cleverly illuminate a light or sound a bell when they need attention from a mechanic. Many people have given over every last bit of car maintenance to professionals, and few even know how to change oil or a tire any more. However, a little bit of knowledge about car parts and what they do is always helpful, especially when the mechanic is trying to explain to you why the sway bar repairs will be thousands of dollars more than you thought.

If you've never heard of the sway bar or stabilizer bar is a part of the car or truck's suspension system that will prevent the vehicle from rolling when the vehicle takes a sharp turn. If you don't understand how this could happen, you just have to imagine how your body reacts when you take a tight right hand or left hand turn. No matter how you try to resist it, you will feel your body being pulled toward the outside of the turn. This is why the person riding in the middle of your backseat typically braces for the impact with the passengers sitting next to them.

If you and your passengers can feel this force pulling on you in a sharp turn, imagine how much more force is being exerted on the vehicle as a whole! The only difference is instead of a little shift in the center of gravity, the whole care is pushed down toward the ground on the outside of the turn and lifts up on the side that's on the inside of the turn. This is what is known as roll, and it usually only occurs when you take a turn at abnormally high speeds. The sway bar is the part that keeps roll from happening every time you turn.

Generally, roll is thought to put too much stress on the tires that are on the outside of the turn, which absorb the weight of the car during the roll. This reduces traction, which is dangerous, and can also have a negative effect on your steering. In order to avoid unnecessary roll, cars are fitting with a sway bar, which helps to keep the car body flat and stable during turns by transferring force to the other side of the body.