What should I do with my sway bars?

I intend to drive my '95 XJ to the locations I wheel at, but this rig is for weekend playing only. I'll be running a 2" BB w/full length AAL and 30x9.5x15" mud tires on stock 7" rims. Should I disconnect the front and remove the rear? TIA

Disconnects for the front and remove the rear. That what I did and no problems at all on the road.

I say toss both of them. With 2" body roll shouldn't be much of an issue. I'm at 8" and have never had swaybars. If you don't like the way it handles spend the money then for disconnects but try running it without em first.

Yeah, I think you'd be OK without the swaybars in the front. I have "forgotten" to reconnect my disco's after wheelin', and the ride is not all that bad- it just seems a little spongy.
If you don't hot-rod around town and take turns hard, I'd say just leave 'em disconnected and you'll be fine. Try it.

And you can safely remove the rear sway bar and toss it, considering some XJ's didn't even have them out of the factory. This was my first "mod" when I got the Jeep, and if you ask around, I'd say most will tell you to take it right off.

motrctyman said:

I intend to drive my '95 XJ to the locations I wheel at, but this rig is for weekend playing only. I'll be running a 2" BB w/full length AAL and 30x9.5x15" mud tires on stock 7" rims. Should I disconnect the front and remove the rear? TIA

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Get disconnects! I basically drive the same as you. Only on the pavement to get to the dirt (unless of course the pavement is covered in snow).

I just snapped a front quick disco a month ago, so I disco'd the front sway bar all together and drove it around on back roads with a max speed of 35mph. My XJ body rolled all over the place, like a pig in slop. I could'nt imagine pulling an evasive move. I'm not even going to consider trying highway speeds. Way scarey.

I must say my 6" lift, soft springs, winch, heavy bumper, spare tire on roof and 33" swampers don't help my center of gravity or stability at all. I see your set up is smaller, but I'd still recommend disco's. Theres a reason sway bars are engineered into suspensions.

I just did a search on this very forum about a week ago and found two threads on "swaybar removal" that were very interesting. I strongly suggest you try and find them. After reading the opinions on removing the front sway bar and trying my own experiment (on paved backroads with noone to harm, 35mph max), I can certainly see why many people stood firmly against removing a front sway bar if the vehicle is going to be driven on public roads.

ditto what christopher said!
8" also and no probs.
-g

get disconnects.

he still is using the stock front coils.

guys with 8 inch lift are running stiffer aftermarket springs.

I Have A 2000 Xj 2bb I Broke The Front Sway Bar Bolts Putting In The Bb So I Left Them Off(took Off The Rear) Planning To Get Discos. After Driving It That Way Im Not In A Hurry To Get Them. Ill Wait Till I Add Re4.5 . This Is My Dd. It Has Some Good Body Roll But I Dont Mind. If I Wanted To Go Fast Id Bought A Sports Car.

XJbone said:

Yeah, I think you'd be OK without the swaybars in the front. I have "forgotten" to reconnect my disco's after wheelin', and the ride is not all that bad- it just seems a little spongy.
If you don't hot-rod around town and take turns hard, I'd say just leave 'em disconnected and you'll be fine. Try it.

And you can safely remove the rear sway bar and toss it, considering some XJ's didn't even have them out of the factory. This was my first "mod" when I got the Jeep, and if you ask around, I'd say most will tell you to take it right off.

Click to expand...

i agree .After lifting my 89 cherokee I did'nt even miss the sway bars.I think the stiffer springs in the lift I used counteracted any body roll.

Take your sway bars and make a coat hanger out of them.

Torch 'em out! My '84 was a daily driver for about a year, about 9 months of which were without either sway bar. 3" lift, 31" tires, I had no complaints about the ride. I still drive it to every trail I hit. Granted, a high-speed corner is pretty much out of the question, but hey, it ain't a Porche, it's a Jeep!

i tossed both rears and makes no difference at all... and my 99 with 3" terraflex coils in it rides just fine with the front disco'd and even aired down.. but my 87 with stock coils and 2" spacers rides like an old stagecoach since i broke off the stock end links wheeling a while back and just removed the bar instead.. i say go with disco's and play it safer... i think the key is the stock coils...
mike

Part of the Jeep "Ideology" or "Persona" is to be prepared for anything.

I spent the extra money to get extended swaybar disconnects so I can be better prepared for the unexpected evasive maneuvers I may have to take someday.

Anal? Maybe.

If swaybars didn't work, then why put them on in the first place?

Disconnects!

I've been running without the front sway bar for awhile now (I broke the mount). I've got 3" of lift with stiffer aftermarket springs. It's frightening if you do any sort of emergency action. I've had the Jeep on two wheels on the freeway before because of this, for you own sake have the front swaybar on at all times on the highway / paved road, off-road disconnect it and tie it up.

The rear you can ditch.

Sequoia

Use them as a coat rack

All of us that modify our vehicles have a responsibility to others as well as our passengers to make our vehicles as safe as possible. Any lifted vehicle will behave differently after performing suspension modifications. Each vehicle will behave differently too, depending upon what modifications have been done. Our driving styles are all different and we all drive on various types of roads/streets that require our vehicles to perform differently. I guess that is why there are contrasting opinions on this subject.

Personally, I do not use my front sway bar. I drive my Jeep to and from work on a "secondary" highway and backroads and seldom drive over 55 MPH (40 MPH on backroads). Deer and an a occasional drunk driver are my biggest hazards. I have never had my Jeep on an Expressway or driven in heavy traffic at highway speeds. You can be sure the sway bars would be connected if I did. They are stowed in the back with other parts and gear that I carry.

"What should I do with my sway bars?" Only you can answer this question for yourself depending on your modifications, driving enviornment, and driving style. Make GOOD decisons! Like John Boy said " Be prepared for anything" ... and connect your links if you are going to need the extra handling characteristics in your Jeep.

Les

PS: Please do not drive while intoxicated!

Toss the rear, once you did the AAL, it is no longer needed. You can use the stock front ones to make your own disconnects cheap. Check this out:

Home Made Quick Disconnects.

I havent had sway bars on eather of my xj's. The body rool just makes you a lil more aware of whats going on i think. 3" and 32's