no stabilizer bars, what;s d implication. | Ford Explorer Forums
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no stabilizer bars, what;s d implication.

G

gideon tawari

New Member
Joined
October 28, 2006
Messages
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City, State
london
Year, Model & Trim Level
98 xl
just bought a 98 xl 4wd 2 months ago and always noticed it was a bumpy ride, but d dealer said dats d problem with explorers, but it got worse and out of curiousity i checked d front suspension and noticed there was a bolt missing, which i later found out 2 be d stabilizer link rod, so would like 2 know what
damage has been done 2 d other parts in d course of d 2months of driving with 1 stabilizer and how much risk i was xposed 2,
 



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i would just take off the front sway bar....the ride would actually get a little better. Because with no front swaybar the front end actually moves independintly as apposed to one whell afecting the other when driving.
 






Unlikely you have done serious damage. Lots of offroaders unhook the sway bars for better suspension articulation (bad on pavement, good for off road). Some people on the site have removed the sway bars completely and still drive them on the street. However, I would not do it myself.

The anti-sway bar is a crutcial suspension component for handling in turns. Without a anti-sway bar the body will roll excessively in turns, which will result in much slower cornering speed, and an increased posibility of vehicle roll over. You can compensate for the lack of a antisway bar with performance shock absorbers.
 






SkanlaxJMO said:
i would just take off the front sway bar....the ride would actually get a little better. Because with no front swaybar the front end actually moves independintly as apposed to one whell afecting the other when driving.
Click to expand...

How would the ride get better? Under what conditions? Removing the stabalizer bar will increase front end roll, which for most people is undesirable. Leave it on.
 






the ride gets better because the sway bar connect both wheels kinda together so they dont move exactly independintly. yes you get a little more body roll but if you dont drive your truck(which is what it is) like a sports car it wont roll. Anyway ditching the front swaybar actually enables a "smoother ride" because it allows each front wheel to move independintly of the other. As apposed to with the sway bar on the wheels effect eachother so it is no trully independedt.
 






Unclemeat makes the point perfectly. Leave it on. Change your shocks if you want a softer ride - don't remove your swaybar. Bad advice. In an emergency situation (say someone walks out in front of you), do you drive your Explorer like a truck or a sportscar?
 






Thanx 4 D Inputs, I Would Take D Other Sway Bar Off And See How It Drives, If Not Ok , Will Put Them Back, Just Remenbered Another Problem, At 50-70 Mph There Is An Annoying Sound From D Rear, I Suspect D Axle But Not Sure, It Sounds Like A Low Toned Horn, It Only Does Dat From 50 Mph. Any Sudgestions.
 






Delicate balance between ride and handling.

Don't run the explorer without a sway bar. You'll regret it if you have to do an emergency manuever.
 






Yeah... Sway bars are a pretty cool thing to have when driving on the pavement. However... for those who like more travel when off road a quick disconnect sway bar installation is ideal. You have the best of both situations. Safety on the road and suspension travel off.
 






Please read all stickys at the top of every forum before posting. The New Member Forum is not for tech questions.
 






I removed my front sway-bar and left the rear on. The front sway bar removed has made some bumping situations smooth out. I would take the front off, drive it for a day or two and see if you like the difference.

-Drew
 






The engineers at FORD put a sway bar on an Explorer for a reason. Knowing that most folks will be driving on pavement and knowing that we aren't all pro sports car drivers.

Think. IF, FORD could have eliminated it, to save $$$$.........you think that FORD would have included it on your vehicle??

Aloha, Mark
 






Driving an Exploder on the street without

both sway bars invites a quick and painful death. I had the uncomfortable experience of snapping an end link bolt in a very ordinary curve, and the "no front bar" increase in body roll scared the "*" out of me. "ma" is right, Ford didn't spend 2¢ on these cars unless absolutely necessary, and they put front and rear bars on ALL of them. I not only repaired the broken bolt, I got thicker bars for front and rear. The handling is now superb. Frankly, I'd worry about the motives and/or sanity of the people who advised you to remove bars. Off-roading is one thing, but no-bar driving on the street is frankly suicidal.
 












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