#1.Everything is stock here - Springs, shock, swaybar and bushings.
What I was attempting to do is understand how Mercedes Benz designed this front suspension. All said and done, whether I preload or not, the ride height is still the same. But the swaybar us now preloaded by the twist lock action.
After some trials during the week, I have found some things that are very interesting.
1. How do you ensure a 4632 lbs. SUV handles quick and tight?
2. How do you get a soft smooth supple ride while attaining #1?
3. how do ensure that the sway bar does not slide around?
4. How do you get a...
Jay, Greg, Brian - thanks for the information.
Interesting, if you delve a bit deeper, you can see this design should provide an infinite/analog amount of preload(add to spring rate) depending upon how high the car was WHEN you tighten the bushing to the rod & clamp - right from nominal load...
This is the first one I have seen like this. Interestingly, if I were to replace these bushings, would I be replacing them with the vehicle up on the lift or on the ground? In others words, would this need to be preloaded? In conventional sway bar bushings, I'd replace them with the vehicle on...
That is what I was thinking too. Like an engine rubber mount. Which also means that the sway bar is not relaying the roll motion to the other side as it is restricted/terminated at the clamp, as if the middle section of the bar did not even exist.
I recently purchased a Mercedes ML350 (W164) and as usual I started to see how to tweak the handling and was very surprised with what I saw. Attached are pictures of the Sway bar and the bushing used to connect the sway bar to the body. How would this sway bar work? In all my other vehicles, the...
