OK, I bought this car slightly used and the guy I bought it from said it had an adjustable sway bar.... I've never thought about adjusting it becuase I've always enjoyed how the car drives, but now that I'm doing track time all I seem to do is understeer. It's VERY VERY difficult to provoke oversteer in the car and I want to adjust the sway bar. So I look at the thing and I'm not sure if it's a new one or if it's just stock. Help!






I've had the car for more than a year now and I've never thought to look

And if it is adjustable, how do I adjust it?

 

Look at the end of the sway bar. If it has more that one hole, then it is adjustable. The hole closer to the end of the bas is a softer setting. The holes farther from the end are stiffer and will help reduce understeer.

 

You need to load the pictures into the NAM gallery first or they won't show.

Check how many holes are in the bar and if possible choose the middle hole if there are three. You can also choose to adjust tire pressures to help reduce understeer. Try higher psi in the front by about 4 to 6 psi.

If you tires are very sticky that will help you but if you are using worn street tires then understeer might be difficult to minimize. Your driving style is also a factor in how much understeer you may experience. The slower your hands move and the less you steer the better.

 

OK! Got photos! In the gallery now, so I hope this works

 

Come on, somebody has to know

This is a real question here!!!

 

Sure looks adjustable to me. Looks like a sliding clamp system.

 

I think mini-mania used (or still does) to sell something similar to that.

The "infinitely adjustable" swaybar. Hope you like customised set-ups! That's just another way to say "take good measurements!"

 

Your rear sway bar is a fully adjustable one from Mini Mania.
The current setting appears to be fairly stiff. You can further tune it firmer by sliding it a little more toward the bend (looks pretty stiff already though) or more soft by sliding the end link joint closer to the end of the bar. Small adjustments of 1/2 to 3/4 inch make a big difference. Make sure that the adjustments are the same on both sides of the bar.

Here's the common problem with this type of bar.-
The tightened nuts can come loose so check them often and you'll need to do some tuning to get the correct position for your needs. It's almost better to be simple and have a three hole rear bar and choose the center hole.

Understeering-
You mention that you feel that understeering is still present. Since you have a stiff setting on the rear bar you will have to look at your entire suspension from the springs to wheels and tires (pressures) and to the alignment settings.

Things that cause less understeer:
Front spring rate decrease
Softer Front anti sway bar
Front tire pressure higher
More negative camber on front wheels

Things that cause more oversteer (and hence less understeer):
Rear spring rate increase (lowering springs)
Rear anti sway bar stiffer
Rear tire pressure lower
More positive camber setting at rear

 

Awesome guys! Thanks for all the help

I've got a ton of negative camber in the rear because of my lowering springs - I'm going to play with air pressure next time I go the track, maybe put even more pressure on the rear sway bar. Thanks again for the tips!