Ahem,

Notice the hint of huffiness...

I never said anti-roll bars increase or reduce traction - I merely stated how they affect the dynamics of a car. Anti-roll bars can either reduce or increase traction depending on how the car is set up.

In an ideal world one wants the spring rate of a car as soft as possible (this would include anti-roll bars) and would depend on the dampers to control the dynamics of the car. However, the real world - both street and track - is rarely ideal. Anti-sway bars are part of system that is full of compromises.

As you mentioned, anti-sway bars are used as "balancing items". That is not their only or even primary function. Top heavy, production-based race cars and street cars NEED a lot of roll resistance. This is not because "stiffer is better" or inherently offers more traction, but because the camber gain built into a suspension designed for the street can't compensate for the lean these cars exhibit. As a result the inside edge of the outboard tires lift. The result is overheating, accelerated wear, loss of contact patch and loss of traction. Stiffer IS better and FASTER in this case.

This a particular problem with cars that use a strut suspension like the Volvo, especially as one puts stickier and/or wider tires on the car. One either dials in more static negative camber, puts fatter bars on the car or both.

Most street cars and I suspect all Volvos are "under barred" for fast driving. Contrary to your statement, I bet Allan's car will not only "FEEL BETTER" with stiffer bars, it'll corner faster as well. How quickly Allan wants to drive and how much he wants to compromise comfort will determine how he sets his car up.

Conversely, when racing in the rain softer springs and disconnected bars are a common setup tactic. This is an instance when stiffer ISN'T better and is SLOWER.

Having said that, in racing there are situations when a stiffer setup offers benefits. All other things being equal (meaning the tires aren't rolling over and the dynamics of the car are being well managed) , softer cars offer better traction. However, they're also more difficult to drive. The driver has to deal with greater lean angles, the car experiences greater range of motion in transitional situations, and when the traction limit is reached, it occurs more rapidly and the car is more difficult to "catch". Given my (and most driver's) less-than-Schumacher-like skill, a little stiffness and the resulting predictability is a good thing.

BTW, I never suggested only putting one bar on Allan's car. I was merely explaining how a bar works. One anti-sway bar doesn't connect all four wheels - it connects either the fronts or the rears.

You might find Carroll Smith's books useful reading - "Tune to Win" is especially good. Paul Van Valkenberg's (SP?) book and articles in Racer are worth reading as well.