NEW RideTech Modular Front Sway Bar

[darren@ridetech]

Rodney just finished development on the new MuscleBar sway bar for the front of the 78-88 GM "G" Bodies (Monte Carlo, Cutlass, Malibu, Regal, GN). This bar uses a modular design similar to out Imapla, Chevelle, and Camaro Musclebar. It also utilizes the PosiLink enlinks to eliminate freeplay associated with conventional poly bushing endlinks.

http://www.ridetech.com/shop/index.p...roduct_id=6477

[JRouche]

Originally Posted by darren@ridetech

Rodney just finished development on the new MuscleBar sway bar for the front of the 78-88 GM "G" Bodies (Monte Carlo, Cutlass, Malibu, Regal, GN). This bar uses a modular design similar to out Imapla, Chevelle, and Camaro Musclebar. It also utilizes the PosiLink enlinks to eliminate freeplay associated with conventional poly bushing endlinks.

http://www.ridetech.com/shop/index.p...roduct_id=6477

Nice looking bar.. Is it a splined bar? Cant tell how the arms clamp the bar. Arms look pretty beefy. Should fit the need. And the price looks good too. I like to see you guys always looking for new ideas. JR

[G/A-body]

I was just at the RideTech website last week wishing they made a sway bar for the G-body. I realize there is probably a lot more R&D into it. Are there many advantages over the "traditional" designs? If so I think it might make a great addition to my project.

Robert
https://lateral-g.net/forums/gara...e_view&id=3628

[darren@ridetech]

Similar design to a splined bar, but the arms are bolting to a flange that is welded to the tube.

R&D is perpetual on all of our products. But at this point we are going to use the same 1.5" .188 wall tubing that we are using on the A Bodies. Should have some production stuff within a few weeks.

[JRouche]

Originally Posted by darren@ridetech

Similar design to a splined bar, but the arms are bolting to a flange that is welded to the tube.

Ahhh, got it now. I cant see the welded flange from the outside pics. I gotta ask.. Why not go with splined bars and arms? Is it to keep any difficulties out of the picture for the customers mounting it up? Makes sense, its a purpose built unit for a certain car. No need for splined bars.

Welded flanges? Hmmm. Spring steel bar, alloy flanges too right? Not second guessing the designers, just curious... JR

[skatinjay27]

Originally Posted by JRouche

Ahhh, got it now. I cant see the welded flange from the outside pics. I gotta ask.. Why not go with splined bars and arms? Is it to keep any difficulties out of the picture for the customers mounting it up? Makes sense, its a purpose built unit for a certain car. No need for splined bars.

Welded flanges? Hmmm. Spring steel bar, alloy flanges too right? Not second guessing the designers, just curious... JR

heres what brett said when tyler asked about the flange design.
The arms bolt to the flanges that are welded to the mild steel DOM main bar. The reason there are 3 bolts instead of 4 is simply tire clearance. I am running a 245/40-18 tire on a 18 x 8 rim. The tire just kisses the subframe at full lock under severe cornering...just enough to wear off the paint. Sitting still there is no contact at all.
I was concerned a bit about the strength of the flange connection but after running this setup in Velocity since May for over 6000 miles I am comfortable with the flange design. The splined connection is great, except I have a plasma cutter and I don't have a broach, hence the flanged connection!
The hollow bar has a wall thickness is .134". The bar is not rate adjustable, although that is not a bad idea. It is also not heat treated. While common wisdom says you gotta have a heat treated bar, I've been running a mild steeel DOM bar on my C10 truckfor over 2 years. I take it off every 4-5 months to see if it has taken a set or twisted in some way, but its still good. So is the one on Velocity.
The main bar is contoured like the original and will clear an LS1 in a stock subframe. I am confident that it will clear normal SBC and BBC applications as well, but I have not personally tried them.

[JRouche]

Oh wow!!! Ok.. Never heard of using mild steel for a sway bar. New to me. My opinion? Not a good idea.

A sway bar is a spring. A torsion bar. It sees alot of loading and unloading. And a properly designed sway bar ( I dont like to call them that, I like to call them roll bars but it can get confused) will be loose and get very tight. Spring steel can handle that.

Mild steel doesnt have the flex thats needed for a roll bar. Mild steel will resist the twisting but at a different rate. And the rate will change over time, it will get softer.

We use alloy steel for springs for a few reasons. One is the ability to hold its shape through constant motions. And the other is durability.

Anyone can take a piece of mild steel wire and see the diff. Bend a piece of mild steel wire. It will succumb to the bending and stay in the as bent shape. You can bend it back and forth a few times. Then it breaks.

But thats one of the high qualities of mild steel. It is malleable. More so than alloy (spring) steel.

So you can get away with making a part from mild steel when it should be made from alloy. But it wont live up to the needs of the alloy, and will fail IF the conditions are correct.

You would NEVER make a suspension spring with mild steel, for that matter, any spring. Why start with a roll bar..

And a roll bar, sway bar or whatever you want to call it is a spring.

I would never buy a sway bar that is made from mild steel. And anyone trying to sell one should go back to the engineering department to find out why they are trying to sell it. Stinks of money issues.. JR

Originally Posted by skatinjay27

heres what brett said when tyler asked about the flange design.
The arms bolt to the flanges that are welded to the mild steel DOM main bar. The reason there are 3 bolts instead of 4 is simply tire clearance. I am running a 245/40-18 tire on a 18 x 8 rim. The tire just kisses the subframe at full lock under severe cornering...just enough to wear off the paint. Sitting still there is no contact at all.
I was concerned a bit about the strength of the flange connection but after running this setup in Velocity since May for over 6000 miles I am comfortable with the flange design. The splined connection is great, except I have a plasma cutter and I don't have a broach, hence the flanged connection!
The hollow bar has a wall thickness is .134". The bar is not rate adjustable, although that is not a bad idea. It is also not heat treated. While common wisdom says you gotta have a heat treated bar, I've been running a mild steeel DOM bar on my C10 truckfor over 2 years. I take it off every 4-5 months to see if it has taken a set or twisted in some way, but its still good. So is the one on Velocity.
The main bar is contoured like the original and will clear an LS1 in a stock subframe. I am confident that it will clear normal SBC and BBC applications as well, but I have not personally tried them.