Ditching the rear sway bar. Good or Bad.

[Tom M.]

Has anyone taken out the rear sway bar on their 1st gen explorer? Any pros cons? Is a second shock needed? Can any more drop travel be obtained by pulling the sway bar? I am running adjustable Ranchos so can I stiffen the rear for roll? Thanks ahead of time.

 

[Alec]

Many members have removed their rear swaybar with no ill effects. Removing it does help flex offroad. However, you can just disconnect it when you go offroad instead of removing it. A bunch of people have bought or made quick disconnects, or they just undo the endlinks when they go off the pavement.

If you want to try it out, just disconnect it and bungie the swaybar up to the frame so it doesn't move. Then see how it feels, and maybe adjust your shocks. If you think it's ok, then you can remove it alltogether. Good luck!

 

[xplorer101]

well Tom i put a 4 inch suspension lift on mine with 35 inch tires and i took off my sway bar and i coul not tell a bit of diffrence in body roll at all i can still hang a turn pretty good i mean there was a little diffrence but hell i got alot bigger tires to but its not bad and if your lowering i dont think you will be able to tell

 

[rpenner54]

Just took mine off for good this weekend. I had it disconected for the past two years and just finally decided I am not going to conect it anymore.

 

[mrboyle]

I ditched mine over a year ago and haven't noticed any difference, the thing is so tiny its basically useless anyway. You do gain a little extra droop.

 

[ld50]

I wrestled with the thought of taking mine off my 93
4-door, and recently had to remove it after a mod I did. People suggested it before, but I don`t know if I was scared to or what. I think it was mostly psychological.
I`ll tell ya what though, It`s never going back on!

I noticed a minimal amount of roll which does not outweigh the extra travel I got from taking it off.

I was told I could get those poly bushings for the front swaybar if the extra roll bothered me, but it doesn`t yet, but my whole sway bar was recently replaced so I`ll keep it in mind.

Keep an eye on your e-brake cable if you do it, especially if you get a shackle or any lift back there!

 

[Hartman]

I'm assuming it's OK to take it off if you don't tow anything. If you tow something heavy and high speeds with no rear sway bar, your Ex will more than likely be all over the place. HOWEVER, if you're lowered and handling matters to do, definately keep the sway bar or consider upgrading to a beefier sway bar. It does make a difference.

 

[Xplodor]

I took my front sway bar off to fab new connectors. It rides a little different, and I know I have to take it a little easy, but I might not put it back on.

 

[Tom M.]

Thanks guys, I do tow a small trailer that carries the dirt bikes. I pulled the overloads and there was not a big difference in towing. I am definetely going to take off the rear sway bar for awhile and see how I like it.