Technical Improving the handling with sway bars. Any tips?

[gt alex]

I am thinking sway bars would be a good addition to the standard Fiat 126P suspension.
Has anyone fitted sway bars and how did it affect the handling?
I have some Fiat 850 coupe sway bars would they look like I may be able to get the mounted what do others think ?

 

[bugsymike]

Many years ago it was popular to add an additional anti roll bar/sway bar using clamps to stiffen an existing standard version, I tried it on a boy racer Ford in the early 1970s and found it handled better as original, so removed it and lowered the car along with wider wheels etc.
The other thing I found on my front engine rear wheel drive car was the addition of a little negative camber on the front suspension, this reduced tyre squealing caused by "tuck in"of the tyre/wheel on the inside of a tight corner, I was surprised how much difference it made on that vehicle.
It may be possible to see if that could improve things by standing by a bend as someone drives your car fast around it, providing you trust them.
With the 126 there isn't the large mass being thrown around when doing "spirited driving" as you get with a large car.
These are just my opinions, others may make other suggestions.

 

[gt alex]

Many years ago it was popular to add an additional anti roll bar/sway bar using clamps to stiffen an existing standard version, I tried it on a boy racer Ford in the early 1970s and found it handled better as original, so removed it and lowered the car along with wider wheels etc.
The other thing I found on my front engine rear wheel drive car was the addition of a little negative camber on the front suspension, this reduced tyre squealing caused by "tuck in"of the tyre/wheel on the inside of a tight corner, I was surprised how much difference it made on that vehicle.
It may be possible to see if that could improve things by standing by a bend as someone drives your car fast around it, providing you trust them.
With the 126 there isn't the large mass being thrown around when doing "spirited driving" as you get with a large car.
These are just my opinions, others may make other suggestions.

Thanks, My experience is similar to yours with the odd win adding sway bars. The one success that sticks in my my was adding a light duty rear sway bar to a MK1 VW golf diesel (it made it a new car).
The thing with the 126 is, my wife loves it as is and on some roads I think it's dangerous so I'm trying to make the simplest change to help.

 

[bugsymike]

Thanks, My experience is similar to yours with the odd win adding sway bars. The one success that sticks in my my was adding a light duty rear sway bar to a MK1 VW golf diesel (it made it a new car).
The thing with the 126 is, my wife loves it as is and on some roads I think it's dangerous so I'm trying to make the simplest change to help.

Maybe she drives at a speed she considers safe and has no problem, whilst you drive at a speed you consider safe . This is a problem I have found myself as even with a slow car I like the challenge of cornering faster than some shall we say more conservative drivers.

 

[gt alex]

Maybe she drives at a speed she considers safe and has no problem, whilst you drive at a speed you consider safe . This is a problem I have found myself as even with a slow car I like the challenge of cornering faster than some shall we say more conservative drivers.

The problem is some of the 80 kph roads around here have just a one car strip of bitumen down the centre which means when a car comes the other way both cars should move partly onto the dirt shoulders which often have a 2" drop. The car is fine driving off the edge but returning to the road the car seems to dive across the road unless the speed is less than about 40kph(40k can be dangerous with 4x4s flying along slowing for nothing) . I suspect its bump steer, I have seen there is a mod to relocate the upper control arms. But once the cars back spun round on a bend after hits a oil spill so I was thinking sway bay may help both scenarios.

 

[bugsymike]

The problem is some of the 80 kph roads around here have just a one car strip of bitumen down the centre which means when a car comes the other way both cars should move partly onto the dirt shoulders which often have a 2" drop. The car is fine driving off the edge but returning to the road the car seems to dive across the road unless the speed is less than about 40kph(40k can be dangerous with 4x4s flying along slowing for nothing) . I suspect its bump steer, I have seen there is a mod to relocate the upper control arms. But once the cars back spun round on a bend after hits a oil spill so I was thinking sway bay may help both scenarios.

So not quite like a tarmac dual carriageway?
Reminds me of when we used to go on canal barges when the children were young , the clever ones held their course down the middle forcing the newbys into the shallow mud banks on the sides taking ages top pole themselves off again , until the next time.

 

[gt alex]

So it doesn't seem like anyone has fitted sway bars (anti roll bars) to a 126?

 

[StevenRB45]

Doesn't look like it.

Only thing I can add would be the relative stiffness the front and rear sway bars impacts the balance of the car.

So a soft bar on the front and hard rear would give more of an oversteer balance, the opposite understeer.

Depending on what you're aiming for fitting just one, or the other or both could have quite a different impact on the balance of the car.