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Thu Dec 26, 2013 1:23 am

I did an extensive search on the front anti roll bar. Seems everybody is dropping it with the reason "the front end of a buggy is so light you don't need it".

I understand the buggy doesn't NEED it. But call me crazy, I like the look of it. SO the question basically is. Does it harm the ride if I put in on? I figured it only would make the front stiffer. I don't mind that.

Thu Dec 26, 2013 1:34 am

On hard corners, it will lift the inside wheel up off the ground. They do tend to make a bump on one side be felt through the entire front suspension.

I am going to run one on my Manx when I make the run across the US to Big Bear in July, but will remove it once back home. My theory is if I have to make a quick steering adjustment at high speed on the interstates we will be traveling, it can help the buggy handle the quick lane change better/safer.

Try it, don't like it, remove it.

Thu Dec 26, 2013 9:19 am

I run one (heavy duty) and will not take it off.... I love the handling .....

On extreme off road and rough and tumble driving you probably do not need it....

It all depends on where buggy will spend its life and how you punish it....

Dale

Thu Dec 26, 2013 10:23 am

She's gonna be a tarmac queen.I don't think she'll ever touch dirt :roll:
And the roads over here are quite good, so I'll go for it then.

Thu Dec 26, 2013 10:29 am

911,
What kind of driving will you be doing with your buggy? Street, dirt, or?
On pavement a sway bar works great, but does stiffen the suspension some. It you end up with sand or something else on top of the pavement it going to make it push when you go into a corner (not turn) because each tire is not working independently. This happens because there is very little weight on the front end of most buggies.
Add more weight to front end (lead filled bumper or extra tube mounted to front axle) and problem with pushing becomes less.
If using buggy with a stock travel front end off road removing the swaybar helps makes the suspension work independently for better handling through the rough terrain.
With the longer travel suspension on off road buggies installing a swaybar has become more common now for traveling on pavement. On my own Dual Sport Manxter I installed a Speedway Engineering 3/4in because I was getting way to much body lean on the pavement.
Mendeola has a swaybar setup that uses a 4x4 locking hub to disengage the swaybar for off road use and reengage it for driving on pavement.

Thu Dec 26, 2013 10:31 am

I frequently drive my Manx on the road and at least once a year I will drive it 225 miles to Silver Lake sand dunes for a week of playing in the dunes then I drive the 225 miles home. I have been doing it for years and haven't seen a need for an anti sway bar.

Thu Dec 26, 2013 10:33 am

I have a stock bar on our manx clone. (63 pan) Also have a Sway away style compensator on the rear. LOVE the way the car handles and its a street only car. Like to drive it like I stole it. Not sure where you see everyone running without one.

Thu Dec 26, 2013 1:29 pm

Over here there aren't that many dedicated street buggy's so over here everybody runs without it.

Still like I said, mine's going to be a street machine. Lowered front end (dropped spindels and adjustable front beam) my plan is to put her on 18" 8J wheels in front, so I think with the anti roll bar I could go around 90 degree turns steel doing 60m/h :lol: .

Thu Dec 26, 2013 1:36 pm

lostinbaja wrote: I frequently drive my Manx on the road and at least once a year I will drive it 225 miles to Silver Lake sand dunes for a week of playing in the dunes then I drive the 225 miles home. I have been doing it for years and haven't seen a need for an anti sway bar.

I am running a camber compensator on the rear swing axle.

Thu Dec 26, 2013 4:30 pm

Joe can you post a picture so I know what it looks like and what you are describing , thanks Marc

Thu Dec 26, 2013 9:52 pm

This a picture of a Mendeola Manxter with the sway bar on the front end. Under the left front fender you can see the 4x4 locking hub on the sway bar arm. You can see the link which connects to lower trailing arm. There is a thread here on the Samba that goes into more detail about the whole buggy.

Thu Dec 26, 2013 11:28 pm

jsturtlebuggy wrote: This a picture of a Mendeola Manxter with the sway bar on the front end. Under the left front fender you can see the 4x4 locking hub on the sway bar arm. You can see the link which connects to lower trailing arm. There is a thread here on the Samba that goes into more detail about the whole buggy.

Something that high with as much weight as it has on top, really needs an anti sway bar.

Fri Dec 27, 2013 12:56 pm

You can run a sway bar without making it overly stiff if you do somehting to soften up the front end. I only run one set of springs in my front end with a sway bar and it rides nice and soft on the street but still handles like a slot car autocrossing.

brad

Fri Dec 27, 2013 2:22 pm

I got to ride in the Mendeola Manxter Dual Sport sister car to the one pictured above at the 2009 Lake Tahoe Manx Club event. It was great off road, but on the way back to the campground on the pavement at speed with the sway bar disconnected and the tires aired down, it was a handful!

My old FiberFab buggy had 3/4" sway bars front & rear. Great on smooth pavement but brutal on bumps & potholes. Very rough ride. The Bilstein shocks probably didn't help much either. Tom

Fri Dec 27, 2013 9:57 pm

This is my setup I put together using a Speedway Engineering (Sylmar, CA) 3/4in bar and there universal arms. Links are 3/8" from Speedway Motors (Lincoln, Nebraska). Delrin bushings from Kartek (Corona, CA).
I use a piece of tubing with 1.250" ID for tube to hold the bar.
Arms were to long for where I mounted the sway bar in front. I had to shorten them. They are now at 10in from center to center. Holes for other mounting points are at 1in apart.
I found that at the 10in is the best all around setting for still having a soft suspension and eliminating most of the body roll. Setting it the links closer to sway bar really make the suspension stiff without any body roll. It was not comfortable to drive long distances with it.
If you have never driven a mid to long travel vehicle on the street is kind of hard to compare it to anything else.
The Mendola buggie is not top heaving. Having a spare (approx. 70lbs) on roof is not going to change the handling. The rack does no weigh much of anything.