In a front-wheel drive car, all of the steering and power comes from the front wheels. The usual result is that the typical front-wheel car has a tendency to understeer. If the car is going to fast, or turned too abruptly when entering a corner, the car will push ahead in a straight line, rather than turning to follow the direction of the front wheels. Understeer is what occurs when a car steers less than (under) the amount commanded by the driver.
Understeer is a good thing for the average driver turning the average corner, since the car is less likely to swerve or skid, should the driver turn the steering wheel too far or too fast. In fact, even most modern rear-wheel cars are engineered to have a little understeer.
However, since we want to get around the corners faster than the average driver, and we’re willing to invest some time and practice in learning to drive the car better, reducing that understeer seems like a good idea. Though it seems counter intuitive we can reduce the understeer on the front wheels by altering one component of the rear suspension, the rear “sway bar.” (Click the link for the complete article http://www.minimania.com/MINI_Cooper_Sway_Bar.)