Hi All, wanted to get opinions on sway bar (or bars) on a mostly trail rig, specificly a tj.

I don't have one at all now, and have been considering adding a rear bar (in front of the axle) while I'm doing some other work. My goal would be to add some stability to drive to local trails. I don't have room at my house for a trailer big enough for the jeep (not to mention that I don't have a trailer that big yet), and will have to store it a friends house a few miles away. While this is not a big deal, it would be great to be able to drive it short distances without the trailer.

If you don't mind posting what you're running (front, rear, none, antirock, etc), and your opinion on them, I'd apreciate the feedback. If it makes sense to do it, I rather add one now while I've got it apart and can't use it anyway.

Thanks in advance.

Great question. You will have people from a few camps on this. I ran with them then with non in the front, then antirock in the fron,t and then non at all. Wasnt a huge fan of antirock cost vs what it did. I daily drove mine with none for about 3 years. I liked it with none.
If you want a little more stability on the road I dont think its a bad idea to have it in the rear but I am not one to say add it.

I never felt a difference worth talking about on leaving the front sway bar on the Jeeps disconnected. I imagine if you had super crazy flex up front you would get your lean considerably on, especially paired with no rear.

You usually hear, "keep the rear for towing." I believe it has a lot to do with how soft your suspension is. My vehicle is pretty solid in the back with a little bit stiffer shocks so I don't notice my lack of sway bar back there.

Thanks for the responses, you're right, I posted something similar at VJC, and got almost an opposite reponse. I don't think it drives badly now without one, but I wondered if I was missing anything by not installing one. With out any sways, how did yours feel in off camber situations on a trail?

As far as flexy, I bought Lenny's old rig with the 3 link front, 4 link stretch rear (I don't know if this helps the discussion or not). With the single upper link in the front, it does seem like it likes move more in the front then in the back, but I haven't used it enough to know yet. Most of my experience with it has been on road, as I tore the coilovers apart before I'd had it a week.

That jeep is a flex monster. Its a lot of seat time that will tell you when things are getting bad off camber. The pic below I knew that the jeep was way over but not near the tipping point yet.

On my XJ I ran without front or rear sway bars on the road. It was funny going around corners with the kids yelling "whooooooooaaaaa" was we listed, but it wasn't unstable or scary, just funny. Many people will make the argument it is unsafe... but then again, my entire XJ was unsafe with me driving. Of course, I wasn't going 100 MPH either. Just putting around the surface streets kinda stuff.

On my TJ buggy, I have no sway bar in front (3 link like yours) and an anti-rock setup in the back (wishbone style "4 link" in the rear). To quote Mike West "it flexes like a boneless hooker". Before I spooled the rear, I drove it on the highway just fine. It was a little "boaty" when turning, but the oversize tires and linked setup had a bigger impact than a sway bar every will. LOL

My 2 cents: leave it like it is. It crawls great and the swaybar isn't going to impact it offroad that much. With a more stock jeep with stock suspension, removing the swaybar helped me off road to flex better, but that was it. j I often forgot to reconnect it when highway driving. Once you're built, it doesn't matter so much. As far as on highway, your suspension and tires are enough of a challenge that a sway bar ins't going to "fix it". LOL

Bob, that picture is crazy, I can't believe it didn't go over. Nice climb.

LOL, your comment about your kids got me laughing; I took my wife around the block and she kept saying "it's tipping, it's tipping!" I said no babe, it's "tilting, tilting is fine..." I think your advise about it not being a "fix" for anything is good; I'll finish the current work so I can get it on a trail, get some seat time and see if there is anything that actually needs a fix. I know I need a fuel sending unit...ask me how I know, and how far away a gas station feels carrying your gas can....

Last question then, do you guys usually trailer to the trails?

hybridpower wrote:Last question then, do you guys usually trailer to the trails?

i think I'm the only one that trailers it, but again, that's because I spooled the rear so it's always locked and the pavement eats up my tires (and Lord knows I am rough enough on tires...).

Geoff drives his to the trailhead, as do others, and I did in mine right up until the spool and full on race rig modification.

A trailer is certainly a nice luxury after along day of wheeling and it's always good if you broke something, but there have been many a day I drove back slowly on the shoulder of the road from Table Mesa because I broke something and had to get home. (I'll find the thread of me driving home on three wheels once...)