[oz17ub]

Went out on the weekend for a 4by n a mate of mine suggested removing the sway bar. Is it worthwhile doing?
Pros or cons?

[tanshi]

yessum

[BlueSuzy]

Pro:

More sick flex
Less wheels in the air
More traction

Con:

Illegal
Road handling will suffer, as there is no bar to stop the sway like a boat. Especially a coily


Pull it off and test
Or make up some disconnects so you have best of both worlds

[Reubs]

If you have a lift already - then space out the front mounts to take the pressure off it. With even a small lift the swaybar is practically holding the diff before the suspension is at full travel.

You aren't going to notice that much difference with it completely off when offroading though. On-road is a different story - you will notice it's gone everytime you take a sharp corner at speed.

The other thing to note is if you take it off and do some serious wheeling - don't expect to put it back on - on a coily the swaybar mounting studs on the diff housing face downwards and are easily bent/burred if scraped - making it impossible to put the swaybar back on when these are damaged.

[SierraDan]

Mine handled absolutely fine on road without it and went back on quite easily.

[Reubs]

SierraDan wrote:

Mine handled absolutely fine on road without it and went back on quite easily.

On a leafy the swaybar bolts on the diff housing face sideways, not downwards (susceptible to damage) as they are on a coily...

A leafy does not handle like a coily either...

[oz17ub]

Im doing road driving mainly with only abit of weekebd wheeling. So what do you reckon?

[Gwagensteve]

It takes 10 minutes to take off (including time to find the tools) Take it off, take it for a drive, if you don't like it, put it back on.

Yes, removing it improves off road performance significantly.

I personally prefer the feel of a Sierra with the swaybar removed on road. Few people ever notice much of a difference though. (onroad)

Steve.

[Reubs]

Gwagen,

How do you suggest protecting the downward facing mounting studs on the coily diff? They are in the stupidest location!

I'm surprised no-one else has had that problem... maybe no-one wheels a coily anyway!

Reubs

[Gwagensteve]

On the coiler I worked with we just cut them off. The bar wasn't ever going back on - coil sierras have far to much front roll stiffness anyway.

Steve.

[christover1]

I've just refitted my sway bar, to my LWB Vitara.
It has a suspension lift,
which doesn't appear to effect the sway bar function.
Time will tell.

I know all the theories,
but want to check it out in the real world.
Been driving without it for 2 years ish.

(On my Sierra sway bar off was better all round. It was a rear sway bar on my LWB Sierra)

I expect an improvement on road,
especially higher speeds and trailer towing.

But I will work it a bit off road,
and on ramps, to see if the losses or gains win out.

[whincup]

i haven't noticed a difference to onroad handling at all with the swaybar removed. maybe the tiniest amount of understeer at higher speeds, but i havent had one for years. even passed a RWC without one

Edit: that was in my old SWB, with 2" lift running 215/75 (~28" IIRC) if that makes a difference...

[Daves4wd]

Reubs wrote:

Gwagen,

How do you suggest protecting the downward facing mounting studs on the coily diff? They are in the stupidest location!

I'm surprised no-one else has had that problem... maybe no-one wheels a coily anyway!

Reubs

If it takes a bolt just find one thatll fit should work??

[Gwagensteve]

No, it's a stud welded to the axle housing pointing downwards.

Steve.

[got_bar_work]

Put the nut back on
That way if u damage the thread u can use the nut to clean it up abit to get the bar back on if u want
I agree with steve
Coilys need a rear swaybar not a front
The front is stiff enough

[christover1]

Did some poser testing today.
Front still goes to full droop,
but has a small loss of compression travel.
It still touches bumpstops, but doesn't crush them.
Seems to be a tad slower to get to full droop,
causing some short air time.
Road and fast dirt handling was vastly better, much better than expected.
Stability on slide slopes felt better, may be a bonus off road?
Need proper off road testing before decisions made.