Sway bars or no sway bars

[joe_peters]

I tossed the rear, kept the front with quick disconnects.

I have forgotten to re-connect the sway bar and driven home without killing myself or anyone else--so far.

I really can't tell the difference when driving with 4.5 lift coils in front.

 

[redrider2911]

DD, 6.5" lift, 35 w/ 18 PSI in them. Never used or needed sway bars. Never had a problem handling my vehicle when quick reactions were needed to avoid accidents. Plus driving over entrances into parking lots and stuff like that around town is alot nicer when the suspension takes the dips and not your whole vehicle.

 

[MONSTERxbla]

I use to be part of the "cool kids don't run sway bars club" but I finally had to put a sway bar(Currie anti-rock) on the rear (4 link/coils). driving on the street was ok but the off camber stuff was just too scary! but I did run with no sway bar for over a year...just a be a little more careful.

 

[slicklizzard]

I've been DD'ing with no sway bars for four years on 3" of lift and 31" tires. There's all this talk of "evasive maneuvers," but dodging/swerving at the wrong time can get you killed no matter what the vehicle.

 

[SPXJ]

No sway bar for more than 4 years. 6.5" lift and 33' KM2's............No issues....Good shocks valved to my specs.

 

[jeepfreak1020]

i took out my rear swaybar when i first put my lift in, same time, i instlled quick discos
an after gettin pissed about how much of a pain they where to put back on, i unbolted my front sway bar, an have been running no sway front or rear for over a year now.


an this is on my dd

Same here. I got tired of having to pull the dam things off every trail, and then the pain to put them back on. Had to be on level ground and it took forever. This is on my DD as well.

 

[Alex E]

I DD my Jeep with no sway bars and its fine, been doing it for 3 years now. I've got a Mustang with a Griggs Racing american iron chassis so my Jeep will never compare. lol
Come to think of it I don't run a rear sway bar in that either, but thats a different story...

 

[4LVLFWD]

No sway bars here, and its a DD

 

[crazyjim]

I use to be part of the "cool kids don't run sway bars club" but I finally had to put a sway bar(Currie anti-rock) on the rear (4 link/coils). driving on the street was ok but the off camber stuff was just too scary! but I did run with no sway bar for over a year...just a be a little more careful.

That's a bit of a different story haha. At that point you DEFINITELY want one in the rear.

 

[Ronbo]

I don't have anti-sway bars on my 98(6" and 35's) because I'm the only one that really drives it, and not too often. But there is no doubt it's less stable without it. It will still flop with the anti-sway bar, it just moves that point higher where most folks hope not to go. Like an accident.

 

[nwcherokee]

Dang!! I thought I would get 2 or 3 responses, not 2 pages worth. I think I will keep the bars off. Like I said before, it's not my DD, although I do try to drive it once a week to work.
I'm not worried about evasive manuevering, like someone else already said; there is no evasiveness with a lifted Cherokee on 33's. I've never been the evasive type anyhow. I usually stand my ground. If they want to hit me, do so. I'll collect insurance, go to the chiropractor, collect more insurance & use the money to buy goodies for the Jeep I live in a fairly small town & have a commute of 7 miles where the highest speed limit is 35mph. I'm not worried about it.

Thanks for all the replies :thumbup:

 

[nwcherokee]

Btw, here's what she looks like for now. I removed all the trim & grille to prep her for paint.

 

[cjsxj87]

In the past 2 years of having a built XJ i havent had sway bars, i had one in my dd with a 2 inch lift but the quick disco pins fell out, didnt really notice it till i looked. Now that jeep is built(3.5-4 with 35s) and you dont even notice. Just remember you are driving a lifted vehicle.

 

[FlexdXJ]

If it'll be driven on the street *at all*, you really, really should keep the front. You simply cannot predict when evasive action or quick side-to-side steering will be necessary and absolutely should not risk loss of control of the vehicle.

The rear is your call. Many XJs came from the factory with no rear sway bar, and many owners remove them anyway (they're roughly 1/2" in diameter and contribute a negligible amount to vehicle stability).

Thats exactly right. I have driven mine without the sway bar connected and its not bad at all. I woulrd really reccommend keeping the front if its driven for any distance, you just never know what will happen. THe rear swaybar isn't needed.

In the past 2 years of having a built XJ i havent had sway bars, i had one in my dd with a 2 inch lift but the quick disco pins fell out, didnt really notice it till i looked. Now that jeep is built(3.5-4 with 35s) and you dont even notice. Just remember you are driving a lifted vehicle.

I would reccommend one.

 

[Darky]

Dang!! I thought I would get 2 or 3 responses, not 2 pages worth. I think I will keep the bars off. Like I said before, it's not my DD, although I do try to drive it once a week to work.
I'm not worried about evasive manuevering, like someone else already said; there is no evasiveness with a lifted Cherokee on 33's. I've never been the evasive type anyhow. I usually stand my ground. If they want to hit me, do so. I'll collect insurance, go to the chiropractor, collect more insurance & use the money to buy goodies for the Jeep I live in a fairly small town & have a commute of 7 miles where the highest speed limit is 35mph. I'm not worried about it.

Thanks for all the replies :thumbup:

I haven't had a sway bar since about 2006 or so. At first it rode like a boat (stock springs with spacers), then when I put an RE lift on with RE monotubes, it was fine. When those blew out, I moved to long arms and now Bilstein 7100s, and it feels every bit as stable as my wife's minivan. I'm running pretty stiff valving up front (360/80) and have no complaints. Eventually I would like to get a Currie Anti-Rock though.

However, your statement about standing your ground? Mildly tarded... Not every accident will be a matter of dodging a moron who pulled out in front of you. There could be the child who runs out in the road after his cat (been there, killed the cat, dodged the kid). There might be the motorcyclist you didn't see in your blind spot. Hit him and there'll be no need for a chiropractor or insurance to fix your Jeep, but there will be a need for the coroner to scrape him off the road.

While I agree that you can be safe without swaybars, if the rig is built right, ignorant statements supporting it don't help anything.

 

[boomhauer]

No rear sway bar on 6", 35's and i've run no front sway without incident. BUT, i like to drive a little on the "sporty" side on pavement and do tow a 16.5' fishing boat (not as often as i'd like) and prefer the front connected. Also, living in the mountains you could turn coal into a diamond with your arse pucker in the off camber in most instances.

 

[nwcherokee]

However, your statement about standing your ground? Mildly tarded... Not every accident will be a matter of dodging a moron who pulled out in front of you. There could be the child who runs out in the road after his cat (been there, killed the cat, dodged the kid). There might be the motorcyclist you didn't see in your blind spot. Hit him and there'll be no need for a chiropractor or insurance to fix your Jeep, but there will be a need for the coroner to scrape him off the road.

I don't usually dodge morons that pull out in front of me anyways.... I speed up
I live in WA state & up here motorcycles only exist 3 months out of the year. Plus, all the roads I drive on around here are 2 lanes so there shouldn't be any bikes in my blindspot. Nor do I drive through any neighborhoods & if I was, I don't think i'd be tearing through there at a speed where a quick jerk to the wheel is gonna topple me over. I'm not some 16 yr old punk kid. I'm a competent, capable & defensive driver. I don't think it was an ignorant statement. I was merely speaking from a previous (not at fault) experience. If the situation was to occur where a kid ran out in front of me, obviously i'm gonna risk my ride to avoid him, but like I said before, you shouldn't be going fast enough through a neighborhood to tip your ish in such an event, or atleast i'd hope not.

Moving on......
I'm hanging on to the front bar, but leaving it uninstalled for the time being. In the event I deem it to be too unsafe I will reinstall it.

 

[lyleorszulak807]

dont be a pussy, you dont NEED a front sway bar, it's just a band aid to a too-soft front suspension.

been driving without one for over 2 years, and i live in los angeles, home of bad drivers.

x2, same here use to commute 60 miles one way to the valley with no sway bars. Never had a problem and yeah stiffer springs and shocks equal minimal body roll.

 

[FlexdXJ]

Moving on......
I'm hanging on to the front bar, but leaving it uninstalled for the time being. In the event I deem it to be too unsafe I will reinstall it.

Get a good set of disco's(JKS, not the Rustys or RC ones, they suck) and throw er back on there. I guess i just like to be careful in a Lifted SUV. They don't exactly corner the greatest, even with a swaybar mine rolls in the corners. In the accident I was in there was no avoiding the car at all but the Jeep did respond to me yanking the wheel to the right, I am guessing if I didn't have mine connected i would have hit the car almost square in the front bumper and the accident would have been much worse.

 

[NJblackdeath4x4]

I got rid of my front sway bar when I got my 5.5" RE coils. If the spring is stiff enough you don't need the sway bars.