Sway bar mod

[NW_Merc]

Found on http://www.club202.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13931

The sway bar is from an ML500 Part no: 163 323 17 65 Torsion bar

It's been fitted to a W202, one question, is this possible to do with no future problems say with the regular sway bar mounts?
According to club202, the guy who's had it done says that he can corner at faster speeds with much less body roll.

 

[whitenemesis]

It's a thicker bar so obviously stiffer, but the ultimate cornering factor is tyres.

This thick bar will affect ride and comfort and quite probably ultimate adhesion as tyres loose contact with the road through lack of compliance

 

[bolide]

It's a thicker bar so obviously stiffer, but the ultimate cornering factor is tyres.

This thick bar will affect ride and comfort and quite probably ultimate adhesion as tyres loose contact with the road through lack of compliance

It'll tend to make the car understeer more, and the effect will be worse in the wet when the tyres have less mechanical grip, but I wouldn't expect it to affect ride and comfort much, if at all

It will be rougher over assymetric bumps, though

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[NW_Merc]

So not a justifiable and safe modification then?

 

[GrahamC230K]

Fitting uprated, stiffer ARBs is a great mod. Will reduce body roll and really sharpen up the feeling of the handling (because it will corner more flat).

I should imagine upraded ARBS on a W202 sport with fresh suspension would make for a great handling saloon without comprimising ride.

HOWEVER. The effects on handling are not sutble in my experience with a kit specifically made for the car. So taking a much bigger stiffer ARB from another car, could have quite an extreme affect on handling. You may like it, you might not. It may go too far into the extreme and make it unpredictable or on the edge in normal conditions.

If you try it, tread carefully.

I am not sure if that is front or back.

I'd say adding a much stiffer rear bar would cancel understeer/suggest oversterr and much stiffer front bar comapred to the rear (proportionally) would introduce more understeer.

EDIT:I read it is front. The front does look pretty weedy. I'd expect it to make the front tighter but without touching the rear, I still think it would be more likely to understeer more.