Sway bar removal

[ckomai]

even with people saying there would be more roll if I took off my sway bar I did it anyway. I figure its not that hard to put back on. After I test drove it, I didn't feel much more roll if any at all. I did notice that when I went in the driveway at an angle, the back and forth bouncing was no longer there. It articulated better and went up smooth. Does this mean my sway bar bushings were so bad that it wasn't working anyways? If not then I dont know why everyone doesn't do this.

 

[Kevlar7R]

I run disconnects for wheeling. I had to drive home without it and it was sketchy. Semi blows by you on the freeway and damn near sucks the truck in to the other lane. Also, high speed corners are creepy, because the inside tire gets super light and actually skids a little. Sway bars are designed to improve traction in corners at speed by keeping all 4 tires flat on the ground (reduced body roll is a beneficial side effect).

Depending on how you use the truck, I would put it back on, and build disconnects. I just posted a thread with directions and parts to build them.

 

[wood1]

Running without the sway bar is all good until you get a little sideways on an uneven surface. Things can get interesting with one front wheel unloaded like that. Discos are the preferred way to run.

 

[wood1]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35219

this is rear but front should be the same

 

[ckomai]

yeah I guess I did only drive around the housing track a bit but I was trying to take turns hard. I guess im just gonna keep driving it all over and if I feel anything sketchy like you guys are describing ill run disconnects. The freeway will be my deciding factor.

 

[Kevlar7R]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=375438

Do it.

 

[wood1]

You know how when your Dad heard you swear and told you not to, then when he smashed his thumb with a hammer and you were treated to a veritable cornucopia of interesting words? (AKA do as I say not as I do) well, I don't run a front sway bar...

I'm very aware that it's a terrible idea though! I am going to build extended links some time. They are different for the first gens, threaded rod won't work.

 

[DominicanX]

Ive been running without front or rear sway bars for about 3.5 years now. It warrants a driving style change but that's about it. And I'm ridin high on 35's.

 

[ckomai]

I didn't even know there was a rear sway bar until this post. Took that off today and can now definitely feel the sway. It feels so much better taking dips and bumps that theres no turning back now. Just gonna drive safe, but how gnarly can you really get on a stock v6 anyways.

 

[cloaked_chaos]

I ran without any sway bars for a while, but my passengers didn't like the massive body roll when I go around corners (I LOVE IT) so I put my front sway bar back on. It is a lot easier to tell when the tires start to lift off the ground now which is a very good thing to know since I have a 5.5" lift and 33" tires. I am known for driving on two tires around corners. A few times I have driven around a corner with one front tire planted on the ground and one rear tire touching but powersliding instead of planted.
WARNING: I do not recommend this activity in any way, and it is nearly impossible to do anyway. YOU WILL ROLL YOUR EXPLORER IF YOU TRY IT! I have tons of experience doing this in my explorer. I started small and worked my way up to this level. Another thing to keep in mind is that I have a locker in my rear axle. If you do not have a locker, you will lose power as soon as one side comes off the ground.

 

[swshawaii]

I am known for driving on two tires around corners. YOU WILL ROLL YOUR EXPLORER IF YOU TRY IT!

What you're saying is you have TONS of experience, and STILL
drive like a maniac with riding passengers? :roll:

Bottom line. Leave the sway bars on driving on the pavement.
They could save your life in case of an emergency maneuver.

 

[cloaked_chaos]

I do not drive like a maniac when I have passengers, but some of my friends ride with me because they are adrenaline junkies like me so they tell me to push it further. I know my limits when it comes to this stuff. I don't do it on anything except the best condition pavement. I also check and grease/replace my bearings regularly as this kind of driving is murder on them. I also check most of the suspension and drivetrain regularly. I do all my own repair and maintenance so I don't have to trust whether or not some random guy put the proper torque specs on every bolt (which is part of my checks).

To recap: I drive normally unless my passengers specifically request me to drive crazy. Seat belts are required 100% of the time in my car, sane driving or insane driving.