Next up: Warrior "Quick" Disconnects!
Against my better judgment, I ordered a set of Warrior "quick" disconnects. Although I was pleased with my Ex's performance on my last outing, I wasn't thrilled with my flex, so I thought ditching the rear swaybar and getting some disconnects for the front would be a cheaper way to get more flex than buying extended radius arms. I had read some complaints about the Warrior disconnects, including funny noises and disappointing design. But I was uncomfortable using the clevis pin technique since I wasn't sure if the pins' strength was as highly rated as the existing swaybar bolts. When messing with suspension elements, I'd rather "do it right" than discover a clevis pin has a low shear strength at 75mph on the Interstate!
So first, I unhooked my rear swaybar and put it away. I thought there was a noticeable difference in cornering after removing the rear bar. Very slight, but still noticeable. I can feel the rear end wallow more as the body rolls. Then, I took the front swaybar "dog bones" off in preparation for installing my new and newly painted Warrior disconnects.
I'd painted them with blue rattlecan paint because some folks had commented the pins didn't fit well and paint may have helped. Painting them before installation was a bad idea. The end links and the bar are such a tight fit that I had to scrape the paint back off to get them to fit together.
Then the real fun began! The lower end links were about 1/8" wider than my stock ones with Energy Suspension bushings, which were a perfect fit in the axle arm brackets. To make the Warriors fit, I had to pry the brackets apart and pound on the endlink with a block of wood and hammer to get them in place. Also, the bushings on the Warriors are tapered instead of flat, so there seems to be less contact area as well. Anyhow, after finally getting the endlinks in place, I discovered what a b!tch these things are to install! The title "quick disconnect" may be a misnomer here. To detach them, I will have to jack up the front end enough for the bars to clear the endlinks and slide them out. To reattach, the process is pretty much the same except you have to very carefully align the top endlinks so they will slip over the bars. A clevis pin setup would certainly be quicker, if not as safe. And what's worse, just unbolting the lower ends of the "dog bones" and bungeeing the whole bar would probably be faster and less hassle!
I still haven't tested these things out on the trail, so I don't know if they'll work OK in the field. In my driveway, they kinda suck for $100. Also, the bushings, although poly, do not perform as well as my Energy Suspension ones. I get more front end body roll in tight cornering. Still way better than the sad stock rubber ones, but not quite what I expected. Anyhow, here's a couple of pics (note the chipped paint from beating the h@!! out of them to make them fit and figure out how to connect the endlinks to the bars).