Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected?
I know that disconnected front sway bars is advantageous for articulation. But what about the rear? I keep seeing mixed thoughts on other sites about whether or not it should be done. Would it be more dangerous on the trail? Would it be easier to roll? I know it would be horrible for on road driving, but I was just curious as to whether or not it would help with trails (aside from smoothing out the ride). The rear bar is tiny compared to the front (about the thickness of a finger).
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
I can't speak to your truck but will share my experience with mine. Long story made short, I removed them a few years ago before heading to Moab and never put them back on and don't notice much change at all. I have a bit more roll on highway interchanges but that's about it. My springs are quite stiff which makes a difference and removing them provides much greater articulation. I know they make quick disconnects for Jeeps and think you'd like the articulation you'd gain and the ease of reconnecting for on road use.
___________
Chris in Florida
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
Why not get yourself some quick disconnects? Be sure to make sure your break lines are long enough. I know I have to get longer lines for the 'burb before I take the sways off.
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
My truck doesn't have sway bars front or rear. Doesn't seem to bother it at all. It isn't a performance vehicle by any means though.
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
Hehe, I didn't run front or rear sways on the Forester either. Does make it tippy on the road, but I didn't drive it fast. Got a FSB on there now.
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
front and rear are gone on mine
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
That's what I was thinking. I have homebrew quick disconnects up front. A clevis pin, a cotter pin, and some washers for less than $10 sounded better to me than $50 or so for the JKS or other brands, especially considering that whenever I get my lift, I'll have to replace the links anyway to accomodate. I'm not sure if I can do this in the rear or not, so I may have to spring for some rear disconnects...eventually. Tippy trails wear on my nerves, but Ashley loves them and loves to torture me by driving on them. Even after rappelling out of helicopters and such, my pucker muscle acts up on tippy trails. I was thinking that with the rear disco'd it might even out the ride in the cab and put me at ease, even if it's a false at ease.
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
Not saying you shouldn't disconnect, though.
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
Most of the people I know who have the rear sway bars on long wheel base rigs never re connect them once they have disconnected them. What I understand on a short wheel base rig such as a Jeep, you will get way too much body sway in off camber situations...the exact opposite of what you want.
Here is a link to what TerraFlex offers for an adjustable rear sway bar for around $90
http://www.tellico4x4.com/product_in...ducts_id/39043
This isn't a bad price for what you get, but it is lift height specific. They don't look like they would be too hard to fab up, but you would need some old shock parts to do it, plus a welder, plus some tubing. In other words, by the time you fabbed or had someone fab a couple up, you would have been better off simply buying the parts. What I would suggest is that you purchase something like this and modify it to fit your lift.
Here are a couple of links for modifying the rear sway bar on a budget:
http://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/...bar_Discos.htm
And here is a link to the JKS adjustable rear sway bars...for $45 bucks, too, which is a steal for what you get:
http://store.fatbobsgarage.com/share...rce=googlebase
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
Well I took my rear sway bar off and threw it away.
But on the 1st Gen Xterra if you leave it on and wheel it, you end up with the bar punching dents in your shocks.
I haven't noticed any difference in on-road handling...but that varies on the truck
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
Most of the folks I know that have similar set ups like yours have done the same thing. I think the big difference is simply the wheel base and weight. You have both, as do Land Cruisers, but what I found on the Jeep forums and other information on the rears, it seems like no one runs with the rears disconnected on anything except the bigger XJs...Gotta be a reason...
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
Yeah those small light Jeeps would probably feel very uncomfortable on-road without sways.
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
i have both MIA on my dodge, i dont notice them gone. I towed about 8000 lbs from arkansas to here with zero issues.
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
You should be fine. Re-connecting the front sway bar for road driving is a good idea.
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
Yeah those small light Jeeps would probably feel very uncomfortable on-road without sways.
My truck doesn't have sway bars front or rear. Doesn't seem to bother it at all. It isn't a performance vehicle by any means though.
i have both MIA on my dodge, i dont notice them gone. I towed about 8000 lbs from arkansas to here with zero issues.
What we need is input from someone with a small, light, short wheelbase Jeep. The handling characteristics, sans REAR sway bars, are going to be totally different. Like I said, all the research I did on rear sway bar disconnects on the smaller, non XJ, non Grand Cherokee, non Grand Wagoneer, Jeeps it seemed that no one was disconnecting the REAR sway bars, but was doing adjustables in the rear.
Bigger, longer and heavier rigs quite obviously do not have an issue with them being removed altogether. Maybe someone from the Land Rover Discovery side can chime in here as this set up is very similar to what is on the shorter, lighter Discos.
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
I dont know what my truck would even ride like with sway bars...
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
Re: Anyone running with rear sway bar disconnected
Posting Permissions
Reply W/Quote