The sway bar connects the left and right suspension. It must prevent the chassis from tipping over in curves.
All VW models are equipped with such a sway bars as part of the front suspension and, as an option, you can also mount a stabilizer bar at the rear (see the related parts tab).
This sway bar is a kind of torsion bar, which will twist if one wheel comes out further than the other, it is equipped with rubber on the suspension. In some models, it is additionally mounted on the chassis, also with rubbers.
If the rubbers wear out or dry out, the bar can ratchet. In the worst case, you will hear a metal-to-metal noise, which you should avoid by replacing rubbers and/or supports in time. During the annual inspection of the car, everything must be in order.
The more you drive on bad roads, the faster they wear out. But even in cars with few kilometers to go, rubbers can break, they are often dehydrated. The rubbers on which the sway bar is suspended have several functions, on the one hand they serve as a flexible pivot point and on the other hand they absorb the vibrations of the suspension to improve comfort in the car.
To change the handling and driving characteristics of a car, you often see the owner or a tuner mount a more rigid stabilizer bar in combination with urethane rubbers. These harder rubbers reduce suspension comfort, but provide more direct handling. Look under the related parts tab to see the possibilities for your Volkswagen.
The parts listed here apply only to the original stabilizer bar and are delivered differently for each model, in complete sets for both sides, in sets for each side or all spare parts.
For the Volkswagen Beetle VW 1200, VW 1300 and VW 1500 and the Karmann Ghia, the kits for the years after 1965 are also available in a cheaper alternative (quality B, listed under the alternatives tab) where the flexibility of assembly and choice of material make the difference. There are also clamps for these models that are mounted with bolt and nut, an improved version compared to the original that can withstand higher forces.
For the Beetle 1302 and 1303, urethane rubbers are available. References to these alternatives are listed under the alternatives tab.
Useful information from Paruzzi magazine and from our YouTube channel :
Look for more technical articles on the page Paruzzi Magazine