So on my 98, the ride is pretty rough. And the roads out here are awful. The car just feels loose and unresponsive if that makes sense. So I replaced my front sway bar end links and then replaced all the shocks with OEM ones. Not a major difference. I've heard great things about the Rancho Rs9000 shocks and am going to upgrade to those. I have also seen a lot of people talking about explorer express sway bars. But it seems they aren't available anymore in 2021. So does anyone have any recommendations for new front and rear sway bars?
Which is more of an issue, the poor ride quality or the handling? Do you desire more comfortable ride or better handling? Unfortunately, as others have mentioned, the anti-roll bars that you have are pretty much it.
If a softer ride is desired, the easiest answer is to use "soft" sidewall tires with a lower than max pressure. Warning, do not go too low in tire pressure and monitor how much weight you carry or the tires might fail. The detractor is that, while setup this way, the handling quality will be poor.
For better handling, adding adjustable leaf helper springs will allow you to "play" with the setting and find a suitable stiffness. Increased tire pressure will help as well. Warning, do not exceed sidewall pressure.
If you are running over-diameter and/or over-width tires, you need heavier duty shocks to "manage" your heavier tires. Higher performance shocks will, typically, result in a rougher ride unless other modifications need them to function correctly.
Another question is does the vehicle handle well at highway speeds or does it feel loose and "jumpy"? If it feels loose, have an alignment done before making any other modifications. This will allow you to better feel the results of your fixes and know if the results are what you were looking for.
