Originally Posted by
ExCarpi
Can someone post why you do need to have adjustable links in order to achieve a corner balance?
Because when you install sway bars, you usually have to move them or the suspension to get them connected in the correct spot. And then when you let car off jacks, the sway bars will apply pressure to the suspension equal to lifting up or pushing down on it. In other words, when your sway bars are on, they are applying pressure to the suspension one way or the other, thereby defeating the corner balance. It is rare that attached sway bars are NOT applying some upward or downward force when the car is sitting idle at desired ride height. Unscrew just one sway bar link bolt and watch that puppy fly to see what I mean.
With adjustable sway bar links, you can do the corner balance, then put in sway bars so that the sway bars are not pushing/pulling at all on your suspension when it is idle and set.
I disagree with the "it is better than nothing" statement. An attached sway bar,
without an adjustable link to ensure that the sway bar is not applying any upward/downward pounds of pressure when the suspension sits idle at ride height, can totally negate the so-called "corner balancing" just as much, if not more than a bad height setting from the coilovers.
It's like buying in to a theory and hype. Might as well buy a tornado intake, also.
Even proper corner balancing is not going to be noticed on the street on our cars by 99% of the people driving them. Alignment is more key.
EDIT: And looking at my description above, I can see how it still can be perceived different from my intent. And also that if the sways were hooked up and applying pressure at idle stance, that the added pressure from the sways can be factored in to the corner balance and it all still comes out the same. Which isn't the case.
It's hard to explain because I'm a visual person and can "see" it , but can't "explain" it. But using the first link above that compared corner balancing to chair legs.... I'll try again. Basically, if you understand the 4 legs on a chair distributing equal weight LINKY above: Imagine yourself sitting in the chair now, and you place your feet on the ground, and you push with your legs (and therefore pushing your back on the back of the chair, lifting the front two chair legs off the ground), even if you compensate so the weight distribution is equal from the back two chair legs to your two feet (with front legs even touching the ground a little but not taking weight), you don't actually have an equal distribution to all four chair legs. Your feet/legs in this comparison are equivalent to having sway bars without adjustable links.
Now, if you could corner balance to all four chair legs, then set your feet on the ground, pushing your legs so the chair would come of the ground as above, but then cut out part of your legs and fuze the remainder back together until the front chair legs were back on the ground taking equal weight, and your feet where just resting idly on the ground not taking any weight, that would be like having adjustable links. Your legs in this example, acting as sways, are neutral when all four chair legs are on the ground. But if for some reason the chair tilted front/left/right, then your legs would help apply pressure to straighten it all back out again. You can set the corner balance for the actual suspension, and add the sway bars with no pressure to that setting. Does that make sense? I hope someone can explain it better.
Corner Balance=WOW!
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Wish I uzed werds 'dat gooder. So, in a nutshell, you can't corner balance with sways on or with non-adjustable links because every time you adjust height of one side, you're affecting the other through the sway. So, there never really is a "balance". You move to other side to correct what you just did, and it in turn affects the other side again. Like a never-ending cycle.
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