Quote:
Originally Posted by JFP in PA
The lower bar prevents outward movement of the uprights, so the bar above is under tension.
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Can you explain your reasoning behind this more? It's the opposite of what I'd expect geometrically given the location at the bottom of the suspension. When cornering hard the major force is from the tire on the outside of the turn pushing to the centerline of the car, which would tend to compress the bar. Wouldn't this compression cause any bar pre-loaded with tension to just go slack in a turn, and then do nothing at all? Pre-loading with compression should be necessary to prevent suspension deflection in turns.
It makes sense to me to apply tension pre-load to something at the top of the strut, and the opposite to the bottom of the strut, to counteract chassis flex in cornering, which is a twisting force on the entire suspension assembly (clockwise on the right, counter-clockwise on the left of the car).