Does a Sway Bar Affect Comfort?
2 Answers
Sway bars can reduce the comfort of a car, and the thicker the sway bar, the worse the comfort. Sway bars can decrease body roll during high-speed cornering, and generally, the front axle sway bar is thicker than the rear axle sway bar. Sway bars connect the shock absorbers on both sides of the same axle, which helps reduce body roll during high-speed cornering. More details are as follows: 1. Some car enthusiasts modify their vehicles with thicker sway bars to improve handling, but this reduces ride comfort. 2. Some large luxury sedans are equipped with active sway bars in the rear suspension. These sway bars are split in the middle and feature an electric motor. Cars with such sway bars exhibit almost no body roll during fast cornering.
As an ordinary driver who has owned several different cars, I must say that sway bars do affect comfort, although many people think they're only about handling. My old car had its anti-roll bar replaced, and after installation, there was significantly less body roll during turns, making it feel more stable at high speeds. But the trade-off was noticeably increased vibration on bumpy roads, with loud thuds when going over speed bumps that made passengers complain about discomfort. Especially on urban roads, driving over potholes made the car feel much stiffer than before, not as smooth as it used to be. This is mainly because sway bars strengthen the suspension system, directly transmitting road imperfections into the cabin, reducing daily driving comfort. If you mainly commute in the city or drive with family, I'd advise against installing overly stiff bars—otherwise, long trips will leave everyone with sore backsides. My neighbor's car had this modification, and his wife kept complaining about back pain until they finally removed it and reinstalled the factory part. Overall, you need to find a balance between handling and comfort.
