Posted: Wed May 12, 2004 4:18 pm
Did a bit of a search on the net and here is what I came up with. They refer to strut braces as anti-roll bars. It is interesting the point they make that for vehicles with a tendency to understeer (as most FTOs do), it is better to have a strut brace at the rear.
Tuning the Suspension of a Completed Vehicle
When the suspension is designed, certain handling characteristics are targeted. However, mechanical compromises, errors, or limitations of the art may result in a vehicle that does not handle precisely as intended. Even after the vehicle is finished, the suspension can be tuned for different cornering characteristics. The variables available for tuning the suspension include changes in tire and rim size, tire inflation pressure, and the stiffness and location of the anti-roll bar.
The anti-roll bar is essentially a transverse-mounted torsion bar designed to reduce body-roll during turns. It exerts no influence on the suspension when wheels bounce in unison. If vertical movement on one side exceeds the vertical movement on the other, the anti-roll bar exerts an opposing force. Along with its primary function of reducing body-roll, the anti-roll bar will also reduce the combined cornering force and the adhesion limits of the side-by-side tires that are being acted upon. Consequently, the location and stiffness of the bar can be modified to influence the oversteering or understeering characteristics of the vehicle.
An oversteering tendency will be reduced by locating the anti-roll bar at the front where it will reduce the cornering force and adhesion of the front tires. If the vehicle understeers, the anti-roll bar should be located at the rear. If an anti-roll bar is already required at both ends of the vehicle to achieve adequate roll stiffness, use an anti-roll bar of greater stiffness/diameter at the end of the vehicle where reduced cornering force is desired, and use a less-stiff/smaller-diameter bar at the other end.
Tuning the Suspension of a Completed Vehicle
When the suspension is designed, certain handling characteristics are targeted. However, mechanical compromises, errors, or limitations of the art may result in a vehicle that does not handle precisely as intended. Even after the vehicle is finished, the suspension can be tuned for different cornering characteristics. The variables available for tuning the suspension include changes in tire and rim size, tire inflation pressure, and the stiffness and location of the anti-roll bar.
The anti-roll bar is essentially a transverse-mounted torsion bar designed to reduce body-roll during turns. It exerts no influence on the suspension when wheels bounce in unison. If vertical movement on one side exceeds the vertical movement on the other, the anti-roll bar exerts an opposing force. Along with its primary function of reducing body-roll, the anti-roll bar will also reduce the combined cornering force and the adhesion limits of the side-by-side tires that are being acted upon. Consequently, the location and stiffness of the bar can be modified to influence the oversteering or understeering characteristics of the vehicle.
An oversteering tendency will be reduced by locating the anti-roll bar at the front where it will reduce the cornering force and adhesion of the front tires. If the vehicle understeers, the anti-roll bar should be located at the rear. If an anti-roll bar is already required at both ends of the vehicle to achieve adequate roll stiffness, use an anti-roll bar of greater stiffness/diameter at the end of the vehicle where reduced cornering force is desired, and use a less-stiff/smaller-diameter bar at the other end.
I started my response before you had posted your comments twistea, but then got interrupted, so ended up hitting submit after you had posted yours. Great minds think alike! 
