12mm Sway Bar Install

[RX1Frank]

I have an '04 Warrior LE with Ohlins on the front and have just purchased a 12mm sway bar to try to eliminate some of the ski lift and to help with the overall stability and flat handling that I want. My question is this, how much tension (preload should I put on the bar? I know that it has a line on the face of the splines but where is it supposed to line up? I understand if I do not preload it it will not work properly? Any thoughts? The sled is amazing but I want to tune the handleing some more. I also am running dual carbide runners which plow somewhat in the corner. I hope that a good combination of sway bar and front suspension set up will help

 

[MrSled]

raise the sled and put the links on and line the other side the same...and that all I did....

 

[RX1Frank]

I was told that there is to be some resistance when you put it on, like some twist?

 

[MrSled]

there will be some...as you try and hook the link back up...and when you let the sled back down it will have set in that will load the bar..

 

[RX1Frank]

Will the bar help eliminate the push through the corner that I get with the dual runner carbides?

 

[MrSled]

no...it will only help the body roll and ski lift....you need a good single runner ski and carbides to help fix that...

 

[JD]

Install and what it.....

Unless there is something I am missing here….There is no preload on the links at all…..with both skies off the ground (machine level)….Just slip in the new bar…. hook it up. The only slight resistance you may have is trying to find the correct spline so that all is even.…..

To try and simplify what the bar does for handling…..It connects the two skis so that when the outside ski is getting pushed up it is pulling up on the inside ski….thus giving it more stiffness as it travels up…Also at the same time because the inner ski is getting pulled up it helps to keep the inside of the sled down….Keeping the sled leveled………JD

 

[MrSled]

JD, thats the same thing I found...., but you will load the bar when you set it back on the ground.

 

[Roadrunner]

and when you let the sled back down it will have set in that will load the bar..

How can you be loading the bar if when you put the sled back down on the ground both sides are pushed up the same amount ? There is no twisting of the bar until one ski is either raised or lowered in comparison to the other ski.
That is the whole purpose of the bar. If you hit a bump equally with both skis the front end will not even know the bar is there. This gives you a better ride. You can use a lighter spring but have the benefit of a "heavier" spring when cornering. As JD explained it, it comes into play when you go into a turn and one ski is loaded more than the other.
The down side with a real stiff bar is if you hit a bump with just one ski when driving straight ahead, the side that took the hit will act like it has a very stiff spring and that can cause that side of the sled to be launched upward rather than the spring absorbing the hit with the sled staying flat.
Bigger is not always better, like a lot of things you loose something to get something. On a groomed flat trail a heavier bar is great if you do a lot of high speed cornering. On a moguled up trail with uneven bumps from side to side, too heavy a bar can cause handling problems.

 

[MrSled]

I guess I stated that wrong, that when you lift the sled it easier to get the bar changed and when you lower it, it looks like the bar is loaded as I could not get the links off and so on...sorry if I miss informed you.

 

[RX1Frank]

Maybe that is what he ment by loading. If the sled is raised up the 2 lines on the end of the bar will line up with the link. When the sled is lowered then there will be a load if the surface is uneven.

 

[Red2003]

No load on a sway bar guys. The only load there could be is if one ski was higher then the other when installed, and that would be load you WOULD NOT want. No preload on a sway bar. You might be thinking of a torsion bar. Just make sure you line up the splines on each side and your good to go! I have also found that the dual runner skis make the front end push and the stiffer bar only makes it worse as you are taking away side bite from the reduced body roll. But, the stiffer bar does make it corner flatter. The straight rate springs help more on the 03 then the bar does. Go with both and you'll see a tremendous improvement over stock.

 

[sledheadgeorge]

This is what Pioneer says.......

"No you want to install the arms on the bar so they are as neutral as possible.

Thank you,
Bruce Schrader - Pioneer Performance"

Hope this solves the debate.