Greene Tweed and Arrow McLaren have developed a lightweight thermoplastic composite anti-roll bar lever for the team’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES race cars, demonstrating the use of advanced materials in an application where strength, reliability and consistent performance are critical.
Although developed for motorsport, the project demonstrates material characteristics that are also important in aerospace and defense applications, including low weight, structural strength and dependable performance under demanding conditions.
Manufactured from Greene Tweed’s Xycomp® DLF™ thermoplastic composite, the redesigned anti-roll bar lever reduces weight by 64 grams per car compared with the previous 7075 aluminum billet component while meeting the strength and reliability requirements of elite open-wheel racing.
The anti-roll bar lever is a critical part of the suspension system, helping to control chassis roll and maintain a consistent handling balance during high-speed cornering. INDYCAR vehicles regularly exceed 220 mph, making component reliability, handling balance and vehicle stability critical during competition.
Even relatively small reductions in weight can support improvements in handling consistency, tire management and vehicle balance, reflecting the pursuit of incremental performance gains across the race car.
Greene Tweed worked with Arrow McLaren’s engineering team to evaluate the component’s geometry, performance requirements, manufacturing approach and material demands before transitioning the design from aluminum to Xycomp® DLF™.
The high-performance thermoplastic composite offers a high strength-to-weight profile and is designed to replace complex metallic components in aerospace, defense, industrial and other demanding applications.
Sebastien Kohler, Senior Scientist at Greene Tweed, commented, “Projects with Arrow McLaren are the perfect proving ground for Xycomp® DLF™. In this case, moving from a well-understood aluminum billet to a thermoplastic composite for a complex-shaped suspension component that must endure the extreme stresses of IndyCar racing required deep collaboration and trust.”
“Leveraging the properties of our DLF composite allowed us to reduce weight while validating a new design and manufacturing methodology for one of the most demanding racing environments.”
The Xycomp® DLF™ anti-roll bar levers were first introduced on Nolan Siegel’s No. 6 Arrow McLaren car at Barber Motorsports Park and have since been implemented across all of the team’s cars.
In addition to reducing component weight, the collaboration reduced the internal development workload for Arrow McLaren’s engineering and production teams, with Greene Tweed providing technical support throughout the redesign and manufacturing process.
Kory Drake, Design Engineer at Arrow McLaren, added, “Greene Tweed exceeded every expectation. Their expertise in materials, manufacturing processes, and the performance requirements we face made the development and production of this component remarkably seamless.”
“Their team demonstrated a deep technical understanding and a collaborative approach throughout the project, resulting in a true engineering partnership. We value this relationship greatly and look forward to working together for many years to come.”
While the component was developed for motorsport, the project provides a demanding demonstration of thermoplastic composite performance in a weight-sensitive application where dependable operation is essential.
The collaboration also validated a new design and manufacturing methodology for Xycomp® DLF™, a material developed for aerospace, defense, industrial and other demanding applications.
