Question: Street driving w/Front sawybar DC'd

Just wondering what are the symptoms to expect?

Due to a bolt on the upper assembly backing out and falling off after a day of wheeling, I had to drive to work disconnected. Slow/stop and go/heavy traffic. Didn't notice anything odd.

Keep it under 40 or so?

Is the big problem sharp turns at speed (emergency type manuvers)?

Just curious.

I'll have it fixed soon.

on my xj i have my front sway bar totally off mine. It is my DD also. there is some noticible body roll "of course" and i do know that it isn't recommended. i'm making disco's soon. and i do drive at speeds up to 60 mph with it gone so until you get it fixed just use extra caution driving at higher speed.

Whats a swaybar? never ran one on xj....lifted 6.5 RE stuff ran teh highway at 75+ never had any problems

xjnation said:

Whats a swaybar? never ran one on xj....lifted 6.5 RE stuff ran teh highway at 75+ never had any problems

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Isn't that why your XJ is leaning way over to one side then? :gag:

tsgolo said:

Isn't that why your XJ is leaning way over to one side then? :gag:

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actually thiat from my spotter , the guy standing on the side of it.

How it handles depends a lot on your suspension setup and spring stiffness.

in emergency cornering it's not the first croner that gets you, it's the second one. You turn hard to avoid something and get the body leaning over, then when you try to turb back the body is going hte wrong way and it whips over, putting you on two wheels.

Chris S said:

How it handles depends a lot on your suspension setup and spring stiffness.

in emergency cornering it's not the first croner that gets you, it's the second one. You turn hard to avoid something and get the body leaning over, then when you try to turb back the body is going hte wrong way and it whips over, putting you on two wheels.

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the better the shocks and springs the less the problems, neutral based shocks (no rebound) will give you alot less body roll also. I could actually do a slolam course faster after the lift and without swaybars than I could before.

I've been driving for 6 weeks without a front (or rear) swaybar. Too big a pita to reconnect the old design RE disconnects.

The only time I notice it's not there is when I'm trying to. If I drive normal even up to interstate speeds, there's no difference.

You're lucky 'til you ain't. Too risky for a DD not to run the front bar, IMHO.

don't tailgate and keep 2 hands on the wheel.

its not about how careful you drive, it about how careless other people drive.

xjnation said:

the better the shocks and springs the less the problems, neutral based shocks (no rebound) will give you alot less body roll also. I could actually do a slolam course faster after the lift and without swaybars than I could before.

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Who makes these "neutral based shocks" with "(no rebound)"? Got any part numbers?

Maybe we should all buy some...

MaXJohnson said:

Who makes these "neutral based shocks" with "(no rebound)"? Got any part numbers?

Maybe we should all buy some...

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edlebrock makes some, rancho makes some, I ran unmarked ones from RE basically a steering stabalizer. The lack of rebound will help out greatly on trails too, wont push you over. at lunch brake now will check for #s when I get back home again

Lawn Cher' said:

You're lucky 'til you ain't. Too risky for a DD not to run the front bar, IMHO.

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x2^infinity

Throw on some new quick disconnects and be done with it. Seriously, this is your own safety as well as that of others we're talking about here - don't put a price on it.

wescam said:

Is the big problem sharp turns at speed (emergency type manuvers)?

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Yes, that is exactly the problem. Straight ahead is no problem. It's the high-g turns that sneak up on you.

I was almost in a t-bone accident where some idio in a Grand Cherokee tried u-turning right in front of me. I barely stopped in time, (inches) but he overreacted and hit the gas in the middle of the turn. He slid out the rear end and hit the far curb, tipping his Jeep over. Once the cops got on the scene, they noted his sway bar wasn't being used. His bad in a couple ways, and it could have gotten his kid hurt. I wouldn't fool around with that stuff man.

xjnation said:

edlebrock makes some, rancho makes some, I ran unmarked ones from RE basically a steering stabalizer. The lack of rebound will help out greatly on trails too, wont push you over. at lunch brake now will check for #s when I get back home again

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You won't find a "no rebound" shock in Edlebrocks or Ranchos product line. RE's stabilizer is 50% jounce, 50% rebound. Far from "no rebound"

let us know when you find those part numbers...

I'm no Formula 1 shock engineer, But in a panic swerve to avoid something the more rebound dampening the better..right? Swaybars are like insurance, a true offroader should have it. It may save you a lot of money. :shhh:

I ran swaybar free for about three years.

I DO NOT RECOMEND IT

My springs are not very stiff, so I do get a fair amount of body roll. I've had the Jeep on two wheels on the freeway as a direct result of no swaybar.

When I finally got it fixed (well actually replaced the 30, the swaybar bracket came off the old one) I noticed better turning (of course) and a tighter feel up front in general.

Disconnects are a no brainer, what are they $85 new and a lot less used, get them. Ignore any discos that are not JKS Quicker Disconnects - I've yet to see another brand that works as well. Personally I would rather run no disconnects (meaning manually removing the linkages when wheeling) than a non Quicker Discnnect system.

Sequoia

How well a rig drives without a front sway bar is totally dependant on the suspension, so one guy saying his is fine and another guy saying his is not doesn't really give us any information. The only way these responses would actually mean anything is to tell us what your suspension is when you post about it.

With stiff enough springs and the right shocks it can drive well and be safe with no sway bar. I'm very sensitive to handling and don't like swaying and instability. With most of the suspension setups I've had I ran the sway bar, and wasn't comfortable without it, mostly because I've always run soft rear springs. I'm comfortable without the sway bar with my current setup, after going to a really stiff front coil (8" Skyjacker with one coil cut off) and my SAW shocks valved for a firmer handling. I love the handling of this setup without the sway bar.

Another example that I've seen around that usually doesn't need a sway bar is Rancho front coils and a couple of add-a-leafs in the rear. This gives a pretty stiff spring combination, and without a lot of lift it can be stable enough.

One other problem with comments about not running a sway bar is not knowing the standards of the person commenting. One of us might drive it and say it sucks, while another drives it and says it's OK. I think we need to use our best judgement and be realistic with ourselves about how the rig really handles, and be safe.