Sway Bars

I have an '89 XJ and I have already removed my front sway bars to more articulation and there seems to be no problems. But I would like to remove my rear sway bars, but if I do will it/could it cause some problems and if so how can it be remedied.
Eric

The rear sway bar is so small that it barely does anything. I've never run with only the rear, but with neither attached my Jeep handles like a boat - especially since my springs and shocks are really soft. But if you intend to drive your Jeep on the highway you really should have the front sway bar attached. Alot of people will disagree with me, but I don't think it's safe to run without the front sway bar on the highway. Below 45 mph or so, though, there is really little benefit to having it on - so ditch them both if it is a non-highway vehicle.

That said, if you have very stiff springs and shocks you may be able to get away without them - but I would still not recommend it. The sway bar is a safety device - you won't miss it until you REALLY need it (like airbags or seatbelts).

I haven't run my front now for about 4-6 months. The only thing I notice is that the front dives when I take corners fast. It does fine on the highway. Having the front on gone it flex's great.

Mine is a daily driver so I don't know about disconnecting both of them. Does any one know which is the best to have disconnected for on and offroad performance?

Ditch the rear and put JKS Quicker Discos up front. It takes 2 mins to disco. Would rather have a connected front in an emergency than not. If you have to make a quick lane change to avoid something you can still do in without a front or a disco'd front, but you may end up doing it upside down. Don't mean to lecture, but don't want to see fellow XJ'rs get hurt by something that can be easily fixed.

I never understand this debate!Why is the extra 5 minutes it takes to gain roll control have to do with possibly sacraficing your life and friends and everyone around you!!Shocks "only" reduce "time" not roll rate,if youre spring rate is high enough to compensate for this then "it dont flex to good either"!!!!!

BTW:I spend at least 15 minutes putting air in the tires and dialing the shocks up!

ec_3000, this was just discussed, in fact it's only a couple pages back. Try doing a search. :compwork:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12328

I agree with RCP Phx.

"Sway" bar is a misnomer. It's an "anti-sway" bar, and it was put there for a reason. Yes, you can compensate for removing an anti-sway bar by running stiffer springs, but the added stiffness would make for a very uncomfortable vehicle. And that's just at stock height. Factor in the increased body roll from the added height that likely accompanies a question about deleting the anti-sway bars, and it's a recipe for disaster.

I keep reminding people that one of our early members rolled his XJ on a city street at 30 MPH trying to avoid an accident. Unless he has changed his story, he attributed the roll-over to the fact he had been too lazy to connect his front anti-sway bar.

maybe he should learn to drive better! also how tall was he?
if he was over 6 inches he would of rolled anyway! and if u are worried bout rolling put full width on then u will never roll!! seriously sway bars are WORTHLESS!!!

stoney

Stoney said:

seriously sway bars are WORTHLESS!!!

Click to expand...

That's a very uninformed and dangerous opinion. You are entitled to set up and operate your own vehicle however you see fit, but a statement like that is just plain inaccurate and misleading.

Stoney said:

maybe he should learn to drive better! also how tall was he?
if he was over 6 inches he would of rolled anyway! and if u are worried bout rolling put full width on then u will never roll!! seriously sway bars are WORTHLESS!!!

stoney

Click to expand...

Or better yet...lower the vehicle and add over-sized training wheels, that'll keep ya upright!

Guess I'm going to run right out and get full width axles just so I don't have to spend the hundred bucks on disconnects.

...Stoney just gave the pro-swaybar argument a couple extra points.

Stoney said:

maybe he should learn to drive better!

Click to expand...

Or maybe he didn't have the room to make a safe recovery maneuver. You don't always have that luxury available; leading to the "emergency" nature of the move. If connecting a swaybar (or anti-swaybar, for purists) gives a higher margin for error then why are y'all so adamantly against them?

removing anti-sway bars

It's pretty darn simple!
If you don't go on pavement OR don't exceed 45 mph when you do, then go ahead and remove them.
Everyone else, use quick disconnects.
I work at Chrysler Tech and used to work at JTE (Jeep-Truck Engineering). I see all the crash vehicles and rollovers. I have a friend (in the Legal Dept) whose job is to re-create accidents (mostly Jeeps) when people try and sue us. The anti-swaybars are there for a reason! :angel:
Rollovers are at the top of the list for cause of death in SUV accidents! Why? Some people might say that they didn't have a full internal rollcage .....How 'bout HIGH CENTER OF GRAVITY? Yeah, adding 3" to 6" of lift DOES affect how your vehicles are going to handle when you have to do an "Emergency Manuever" Don't give me that "seat-of-my-pants" bullshit either
In a turn the anti-sway bars help to share the load from the outside wheels to the inside wheels. This will help DELAY your lateral "moment of enertia" until the vehicle's lateral momentum is brought back under control.
Ultimately, every Jeep has it's point where she will roll (speed, steering input, and traction). The experts tell me that anti-sway bars delay that event VS no anti-sway bars. :lecture:
Thanks for letting me spew :soapbox:

BLUTO

Thanks to Bluto for the insiders' view. I agree. I hear (or rather, see -- on the forums) a lot of people who say their XJ "handles" just fine on the highway at 80 MPH with no sway bars.

:bs:

I have survived two high-speed accidents on highways -- both in pony cars with competition suspensions. I know there is no comparison between just cruising down the highway, and trying to make an evasive maneuver at speed when everything just went all to sh!t in a split nanosecond.

To make matters worse, the first evasive manuever may not be the killer. It's not uncommon in a panic situation to over-control. That gets the suspension all leaned over to one side, Then you correct (or, more likely, over-correct) in the opposite direction, and the body gets flung from one extreme to the other, very rapidly. That's usually the one that causes the roll-over. And that's where the anti-sway bar could save your life.

But ... you're adults. Do what you want, and don't listen to an olde pharte who's been there and done that.

This may not be terribly useful info but... I've been running without my front swaybar for about a week, since I broke my cheap discos and are waiting for my JKS ones to come in.

On highway I didn't notice too much of a difference, but what really bothered me was the graded gravel roads I often drive out here in the Desert. Doing 45 or 50 down washboarded, pitted roads caused the whole jeep to sway uncomfortably side to side, and caused me to feel I had lost what little control I had.

Matt

well haven't rolled yet! i'll let u know when i do!

stoney

My experiences with no sway bar- With 2.5" lift a couple times I didn't reconnect due to rain or mud (or laziness). It handled OK but as others have said, not recommended for emergency manuevers. When I put my 5.5" on, I had to fab some frame brackets for the front bar due to my front receiver hitch and towbar brackets. On my way to my welding buddies house, if I took a turn slower than I would in my motorhome, it was still scary I hate to think what might have happened in an emergency lane change or similar. I always hook up the sway bar on the road, even with my PITA RE discos. Just my .02.

Just another thought. Is a person liable for negligence if they knowingly opperate an unsafe vehicle (ie. swaybar disconected) , and are involved in an accident where someone is killed?

Fletch1 asks a very valid question:
Is a person liable for negligence if they knowingly opperate an unsafe vehicle (ie. swaybar disconected) , and are involved in an accident where someone is killed?

Whatever you might think about how well your pants tell you your XJ handles sans anti-sway bars, do you really want to pay to learn the answer to this question under your own particularly grotesque and unfortunate set of circumstances?
Sure, I've run without a rear bar for years. But the very few times I went onroad after being too rushed or lazy (or whatever) to reconnect my JKS discos on the front bar have lead me to conclude that I don't care to find out just how easily my XJ will flop over with that front bar unhooked.

It doesn't take high speed to cause a lot of damage - to either equipment or the vehicle's occupants. The rollover that left me a paraplegic 21 years ago this month occurred at about 35 mph, onroad, in a low CG Subaru when I wasn't doing anything aggressive. Shtuff happens - do you really want to tempt fate that way?

Get discos - and USE THEM!
(just my $.02 - YMMV)
:nono: :soapbox: :twak:

all ur jeeps are unsafe u u lift them! all ur doing is raising the center of gravity! sure sway bars "help" but if u r so frecken worried about it don't lift ur jeep! or get a car for a daily driver not a lifted vehical!!

stoney

:greensmok
is that Stoney or Stoner?

Please do us all a favor. Slow down. Formulate coherent thoughts. Type out words in English.

That way, if you'd like to discuss something, anyone who cares will at least have a better shot at understanding your point.