Green Tweed co-engineers thermoplastic roll-bar with Arrow McLaren

Lansdale, PA – Greene Tweed and Arrow McLaren have co-engineered a lightweight anti-roll bar lever for the team’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES race cars using Greene Tweed’s Xycomp® DLF™ thermoplastic composite. The redesigned component reduces weight by 64 grams per car, while meeting the strength and reliability demands of elite open-wheel racing.

The anti-roll bar lever is a critical suspension component that helps control chassis roll and maintain consistent handling balance during high-speed cornering. In INDYCAR competitions, where cars regularly exceed 220 mph and performance gains are measured in fractions of a second, even small reductions in weight and refinements in mechanical balance can contribute to more consistent handling, tire management, and stability.

Working closely with Arrow McLaren’s engineering team, Greene Tweed evaluated the component’s performance requirements, geometry, manufacturing approach, and material demands before transitioning the design from 7075 aluminum billet to Xycomp® DLF™. The high-performance thermoplastic composite material offers a high strength-to-weight profile and is engineered to replace complex metallic components for aerospace and defense, industrial, and other demanding applications.
“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,” said Sebastien Kohler, Senior Scientist, Greene Tweed. “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 car at Barber Motorsports Park and have since been implemented across all Arrow McLaren cars. Beyond the material change itself, the project also reduced internal development workload for Arrow McLaren’s engineering and production groups, underscoring the value of Greene Tweed’s technical support throughout the redesign and manufacturing processes.
“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,” added Kory Drake, Design Engineer, Arrow McLaren. 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.”