Altering drop link length (on sway bars) when lowering (or raising)
 

I have heard that when you lower or raise a vehicle and the sway bar is no longer longer parallel w/ the ground that you should adjust the length of the drop link to make the sway bar parallel again. My question is why? What is the physics that state a sway bar must be parallel to be most effective? The reason I ask is not for my 911, but my Grand Cherokee. I recently lifted it 4" and the sways are therefore no longer parallel but instead aiming downward by a good 20-30 degrees. Longer droplinks would fix this, but is it necessary? But since this could also apply to Porsches (and the Jeep forum guys could care less about handling; all they are interested in is maximizing articulation), I figured I'd ask here.


Colby

With the arm of your sway bar at a 20-30 angle, you are effectively shortening the arm by about 10% -- effectively stiffening your sway bar.

I don't understand how....

If this is true, why wouldn't ppl just shorten their droplinks, get a 60 deg angle downward and have stiffer sway bars. If you think about the extreme, the sway bar is at a 90 deg angle (straight down) you will lose any benefit from the sway bar, wouldn't you?

But assuming you're right, and I would like as stiff of sway bars as possible in the Jeep (its hard to drive that thing after being used to the Porsche), then I should just leave the angle as it is?

Colby

He's right. The reason is because a part of the force from the angled droplink is being "wasted" by being directed along the arm instead of being used to twist it. It's just physics and geometry, nothing fancy.

Who's right, Graham or I?

Colby

Graham is correct.