Sep 26, 2000 at 11:20am

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Swaybar, Front, Removal of (fwd)

I saw a discussion on the M-List about swaybars, and I couldn't find the thread again.

Hey, just for amusement's sake, I removed my front swaybar for today's rallycross (actually, I just unhooked one end - one bolt). WOW. Insano oversteer. Strangely enough, I barely noticed it driving around town (smooth driving?) but on gravel it made a huge difference. I've never had my Impreza so consistently sideways.

What do I think about the average person doing this? Probably not a good idea. Turning and lifting (or worse yet, turning and braking) causes the car to lurch like a VW, keeling over to the outside of the corner. Solution? Power power power. If the car isn't on the front end, it doesn't roll, no? And - I didn't get a chance to try emergency braking while turning at 55 mph or higher. Might not be so fun.

At the rallycross, in first and second gear, I could get sideways with the tap of the throttle. The front of the car just bit down and held, while the back went every which way. I did have a tank slapper situation when I missed shifting into second gear (I had to get my hand back on the wheel for the corner, and then I couldn't find the stick), but I'd run another rallycross like this.

I'd like stiffer front shocks to curb some body roll, and maybe a tiny front swaybar, but I'm so addicted to oversteer. Of course, the only place this really is useful is on gravel at low speeds. I don't think you want to get quite that sideways at higher speeds without a lot of practice, and probably adjustable shocks and stiffer springs for good measure. I'm probably going to look for a quick release pin and a smaller bar, so that I can disconnect it at rallycrosses, yet still have a nose happy car for daily driving.

Nah, I'm gonna put bald tires on the rear and go do doughnuts.


Jesse Mullan
'96 Subaru Impreza LX AWD 2.2l F4 (no front sway bar, stock rear bar)
1999 SCCA LOL Region U4S Rallycross Champion

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Sep 4, 2000 at 05:28am

  • Mon, Sep 4, 2000 at 05:28am:
    by jmullan

    Well, I've been trying to update the sites that exist on this server, with a certain amount of success. I have installed php4, albeit without proper gd support. argh. I've been working towards the end goal of making this website more dynamic. I can now enter these server notes over the web. It's a small thing, but it involves php and mysql. I've gotten the SELECT, INSERT, and UPDATE syntax figured out, but it's not over yet.

    I suppose I should also mention that over on rallymn.com I updated the schedule page to pull from MySQL tables. Woo hoo. Of course, I didn't do a sweet-ass entry page for that like I did for this- this was easy since there's only one table (so far).

    Server issues:

    your sysop (Jesse Mullan) :)

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