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Old 02-25-2010, 04:58 PM   #69 (permalink)
Bicycle Bob
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Swing Axle Trivia

Quote:
Originally Posted by Arragonis View Post
I think the VW had a "Z-bar" rear suspension but the Merc had swing axles as used in their GP cars of the time. I seem to recall the 50s cars had a low pivot swing axle, which was slightly better.

Swing axles = evil.

See Triumph GT6 for a worked example of why it's so bad.
A "Z" bar is an anti-roll bar with its ends turned opposite ways, to decrease roll stiffness. It was usually an aftermarket item to reduce oversteer on swing-axle rear ends. Mercedes did use low, central pivot swing axles for the legendary Gullwing and other racers of the era, but the parts count was almost the same as for many other systems with better camber control and less scrub.
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