[DeTomaso] Things that make you go, "Hmmm...."

[Charles Engles]

Dear Mike,


             You wrote:

> 
>> Why not just throw the other one away?
>> 
> 
> Uh...then I would have no front sway bar.   The car would tend to oversteer 
> and would have terrible body roll too.
> 
> Swaybars are a good thing, when they are properly balanced.
> 
> Running without a front swaybar is fine if you're an autocrosser who's 
> trying to snap the rear end around a cone at 20 mph.   But flat-out through a 
> high-speed sweeper?   No thanks!


          FWIW:

      1)  Bob Woodhouse campaigned his Pantera without a front sway bar.   Now most of his racing was autocross, but I saw his eat up the field of Shelbys at Hallett with his red Pantera.    Bob advocating removing the sway bar to *improve* Pantera handling.  I know.   I found it hard to believe, too, until.......

      2)  Todd Reid here in Oklahoma was brave enough to do exactly that.   He reported notable improvement in handling on his secret test track.    Our own John Taphorn was a passenger in Todd's Pantera at the last Italian Car Fest track event.   John reports that Todd's car handled very well  (see one of my Profiles articles a few years back for the reference)

      3)  You're half way there.   I am sure that you have a secret test track like Todd and could do some field studies.........


                            Warmest regards,  Chuck Engles