The sway bar delete thread slapfest FKA What Rockcrawlerdude did TO his RAM today?

[Rockcrawlindude]

Update:

I decided to keep the front swaybar

…In the shed out back with the other spare parts

 

[G’Dave]

And Ive tricycled it a few times with no issues.[/QUOTE]




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jetrinka]

People are obviously not a one size fits all so why should their vehicles be? Motorsport has a long history of vehicle modifications that fit the drivers needs - like FWD auto cross drivers that need their cars to rotate better so they beef up the rear swaybar and delete the front. Helps the car rotate and keeps the front tires planted for better traction.

Why would this be different? Manufacturers develop their cars to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of different vehicles, not just one. It’s all a compromise. If one is prepared for how a vehicle behaves without a swaybar then more power to them. It certainly isn’t illegal….. And a way less offensive modification than some of the seriously clapped out crap I see every day!!!

 

[senecagreen]

Yes there was a time when cars did not have sway bars, They were developed for safety and handling and those heavy old boats still rode like a Cadillac with their soft suspensions even with sway bars. (my dads 74 Caprice classic convertible)

I built this truck on a full size Blazer frame with 1 ton driveline, 350, sm465, np205, full floater 14 bolt, dana 60 front. I did it with a body lift to clear the 42" IROKs and kept the stock Blazer suspension because I wanted to keep the drivelshaft angles stock for strength, and I wanted more droop/articulation than I would get with a 12" lift.

I removed the sway bar for more articulation off road. When it is driven on the street to wherever I am going to off road I drive within its safe limits accordingly. Removing the sway bar is a positive in this case.

My 2021 Ram 2500 6.7 doesn't ride as good as my buddies 1500 limited but it does ride better than my other buddies F250. My Ram is a HD truck and with the HD suspension it is acceptable to me.

I use it to pull my trailer to the trails. If my off roader broke down and I needed to get to it to rescue it would be a situation where no front sway bar might be helpful in getting there.

If you remove your swsy bar it won't handle as well, wont be as safe, wont be anymore dangerous than the trucks of old that didn't have them. If you drive accordingly with that in mind and are a safe driver anyway and don't find yourself in a situation where it would have been helpful you will probably be fine. I don't feel my S10 is dangerous as long as you drive within its limits.

The kids don't ever wash it before they bring it back lol

 

[Riddick]

Here is my experience with front sway bars, keep in mind this is a car so I am not sure if its apples to apples when comparing to a truck. I have a 2013 Mustang currently making 850 RWHP and I have the front sway bar removed for drag racing purposes. During normal driving I cannot tell a difference in the way the car handles, if I push the car hard while cornering I can tell its not there but the car is completely controllable. I mainly do straight line pulls with it but the car has seen 150mph and remained stable the entire time.

The chasis on cars and trucks have come along ways over the years. When I removed the front sway bar from my 04 Mustang years ago you could definitely tell and the front end became very loose..... especially while cornering. What im getting it is the newer cars are way more rigid than before so a sway bar is not a must have in my opinion. I'm assuming these same principles can be applied to modern trucks.

 

[elephantrider]

wow...... what a thread!

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Here is my experience with front sway bars, keep in mind this is a car so I am not sure if its apples to apples when comparing to a truck. I have a 2013 Mustang currently making 850 RWHP and I have the front sway bar removed for drag racing purposes. During normal driving I cannot tell a difference in the way the car handles, if I push the car hard while cornering I can tell its not there but the car is completely controllable. I mainly do straight line pulls with it but the car has seen 150mph and remained stable the entire time.

The chasis on cars and trucks have come along ways over the years. When I removed the front sway bar from my 04 Mustang years ago you could definitely tell and the front end became very loose..... especially while cornering. What im getting it is the newer cars are way more rigid than before so a sway bar is not a must have in my opinion. I'm assuming these same principles can be applied to modern trucks.

Comparing solid axle to ifs is like comparing a cat to an alligator…

 

[gimmie11s]

Comparing solid axle to ifs is like comparing a cat to an alligator…

A 2013 Mustang is solid axle...

You're right though.. IRS cars will notice the delete even less.

EDIT--IRS

 

[Crusty old shellback]

No a mustang is IFS (Independent Front Suspension). IRS would be rear vice solid axle.

 

[gimmie11s]

No a mustang is IFS (Independent Front Suspension). IRS would be rear vice solid axle.

Oops.. lol. good catch!

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

A 2013 Mustang is solid axle...

You're right though.. IRS cars will notice the delete even less.

EDIT--IRS

It is not solid front axle thats where it counts

 

[gimmie11s]

It is not solid front axle thats where it counts

For sure... this was before my 2nd cup of coffee. Don't mind me

 

[Brewbud]

Yep sway bars only eliminate body roll really, my 14 jeep i could crank the wheel and punch it from a dead stop and lift a front tire off the ground when i removed the rear sway bar because of the extra body roll…

My LJ can lift a tire like that and it has a rear swaybar. But then it has no rear track bar.

So how illegal is not having a rear track bar!

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

My LJ can lift a tire like that and it has a rear swaybar. But then it has no rear track bar.

So how illegal is not having a rear track bar!

How does the axle keep from floating around do you have a triangulated 4 link? Or outboard shocks?

 

[Brewbud]

My top rear control arms are triangulated.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

My wife drove my truck and she A: doesn’t know anything about cars and B: never drives my truck unless I’ve been drinking.

So, you know what I’m up to tonight.

Anyway, I asked her to describe how the truck felt compared to the last time she drove it. She said she couldn’t compare because it had been so long so I had to probe her to get answers.

she felt like it “rode better, maybe a little wobblier but not tippy and it’s very predictable. Not unsafe in any way” take that as you will.

 

[UglyViking]

Man, this thread was wild.

Is there actually a law against removing your front swaybar? I've not heard that, but I'll admit I've not looked into it at all.

I would like to see a back to back of @Rockcrawlerdude's crew cab with 1" level coils on 35s vs your reg cab with 3"/2" lift, 37s and slide in camper @ramblinChet. Dollars to doughnuts dude's truck with longer wheelbase, closer to the ground, without a bunch of weight up top will run circles around your truck with all the equipment you've got on it. I think that is a lot of the problem, guys become too focused on the specifics and miss the big picture.

Additionally, I'm still waiting for your write up on what makes the AEV life superior to the Carli and Thuren stuff. I've not forgotten

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

Man, this thread was wild.

Is there actually a law against removing your front swaybar? I've not heard that, but I'll admit I've not looked into it at all.

I would like to see a back to back of @Rockcrawlerdude's crew cab with 1" level coils on 35s vs your reg cab with 3"/2" lift, 37s and slide in camper @ramblinChet. Dollars to doughnuts dude's truck with longer wheelbase, closer to the ground, without a bunch of weight up top will run circles around your truck with all the equipment you've got on it. I think that is a lot of the problem, guys become too focused on the specifics and miss the big picture.

Additionally, I'm still waiting for your write up on what makes the AEV life superior to the Carli and Thuren stuff. I've not forgotten

I have the heavy factory coils with just a 1” spacer. They are very stiff and don’t give a lot of body roll.

If I went up to carli/thuren softer coils all around, I might want to go with their torsion swaybar.

I don’t think one suspension kit is better than another. He couldn’t run the backcountry or dominator kit with a slide in camper. AEV is the better choice (retaining factory springs) for an expedition rig that is loaded down all the time. But the people that run around unloaded all the time are looking for softer springs so carli/thuren rule the market there.

 

[UglyViking]

I have the heavy factory coils with just a 1” spacer. They are very stiff and don’t give a lot of body roll.

If I went up to carli/thuren softer coils all around, I might want to go with their torsion swaybar.

I don’t think one suspension kit is better than another. He couldn’t run the backcountry or dominator kit with a slide in camper. AEV is the better choice (retaining factory springs) for an expedition rig that is loaded down all the time. But the people that run around unloaded all the time are looking for softer springs so carli/thuren rule the market there.

I didn't realize you just had a puck, even less concern about roll then.

I think the suspension really depends on your needs. Chet is running a 3500, so that rear leaf is going to offer a bit better stability and load carrying than the 2500, stock for stock. That said, the discussion we were having was not in relation to slide in campers, but rather that AEV is better than Carli/Thuren for everything. Hence my continued desire to learn more…

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

I didn't realize you just had a puck, even less concern about roll then.

I think the suspension really depends on your needs. Chet is running a 3500, so that rear leaf is going to offer a bit better stability and load carrying than the 2500, stock for stock. That said, the discussion we were having was not in relation to slide in campers, but rather that AEV is better than Carli/Thuren for everything. Hence my continued desire to learn more…

Ah. I missed that discussion. I am sure he got the suspension that met his needs better than everything else available at the time. I agree with that assessment knowing he has a heavy rig off pavement quite often.

At this time, my truck best meets my needs at a “stock” height with 35s. Yes, it would look cooler on 37s but my truck just works really well for me right now as it is.