Sway Bar--what to expect

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
09/02/2015 at 09:30 • Filed to: None

Kind of an odd question, but bear with me on this.

I just got a rear sway bar for my truck, since 4x4 Colorados didn’t come with one. It wallows about a little too much for my liking. It’s OK if the road is smooth (or slightly banked), but bumps really make it roll around. Though I do suspect that it’s also my tires that are giving me issues. My winters were a higher weight rating and not as bad. Here’s the deal though—I got 4x4 specifically so it was a go-almost-anywhere vehicle for me, and I have no intentions of giving up mild off roading. How much flex would the bar allow? At what point should I disconnect the end links before attempting something?

Bonus: anyone have experience in making quick disconnects from another manufacturer work for them?

Please no answers like “why are you putting a sway bar on a 4x4” or “you should have got a car if you want handling”. I enjoy the truck, just trying to make it a little better for every day and I want to know my limits.

DISCUSSION (16)

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
09/02/2015 at 09:33

You’ll have less body roll and way more front end bite. Alternatively, you could also have more oversteer since the bed is light to begin with. On some cars, it makes the transition to oversteer more predictable since there’s less body roll and the car’s less likely to become unsettled by sudden inputs. The front inside tire will load faster because it’s not waiting for the body weight to shift since it isn’t rolling as far or fast anymore. As far as offroad needs with wheel travel, I have no idea. My off-roading is different.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
09/02/2015 at 09:39

Thanks. As far as weight distribution goes though, I'm surprised how close it is. Something like 54/46 F/R iirc.

crowmolly > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
09/02/2015 at 09:48

I can’t seem to find the test data but some leaf spring vehicles don’t benefit from a rear sway bar. In fact, some handle worse but it depends on the rear spring rate and a few other factors.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > crowmolly
09/02/2015 at 09:53

Pretty soft rear springs. Bouncy. I’m not concerned about the effect, just by looking through the forums it’s night and day difference. Besides I got it cheap in the US and can always palm it off up here if I don’t like it.

I don't see any reason why leaf springs wouldn't benefit. Benefit less, perhaps, if they were stiff.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
09/02/2015 at 10:06

Yeah, that’s not bad at all, and especially not for a truck. Might end up more interesting than you think.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
09/02/2015 at 10:13

Definitely going to find out :)

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
09/02/2015 at 10:18

If they’re bouncy, it could also be your dampers as opposed to your springs. Any spring will be bouncy. The question is how far it will go, and that’s based off of wheelrate and mass, really. It’s the damper that keeps the spring from oscillating by inserting resistance to movement.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
09/02/2015 at 10:26

Leaf springs have a bouncier character I believe. Hence “rides like a truck”.

The shocks could be worn, they are factory units. They are in the low end of the "replace" range, as far as mileage goes. That said the previous owner did tow it around behind an RV, so there could be far more on them than it looks like. If I do the bounce test, though, it stops pretty quick. I guess aftermarket ones would be higher damping than the factory ones anyway though.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
09/02/2015 at 10:34

Yeah, leaf springs are bouncier, but proper damping would correct that. That being said, car design is all about compromise, and they had to choose between making your truck comfortable empty, drivable, understeery (every new car alignment SUCKS), capable of carrying a load, and capable of towing. The suspension won’t be optimized from the factory to do any one of those things. Increasing the sprung weight would increase the damping, which is why trucks ride better with a bed full of shit. Aftermarket dampers won’t automatically be stiffer. I’m pretty sure that the dampers on my MR2 is actually set softer than stock, though the springs are stiffer. I really like adjustable ones, though I rarely touch them. It was nice to be able to dial them in, but it was very much set it and forget it. I rarely touch them, but when I do, I usually end up leaving them within about one turn of full soft. IIRC, it’s like 3 1/2 turns to full hard.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
09/02/2015 at 10:55

Agreed on the compromise. You’ve just got to decide what you’re going for when you modify stuff.

Interesting point on the alignment. I'll have to look into that.

WiscoProud > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
09/02/2015 at 12:57

I'm not sure how sway bars interact with leaf springs, but unless you're rock crawling and need literally every inch of travel, you won't have a problem off road. Most 4x4s come with sway bars front and rear.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > WiscoProud
09/02/2015 at 13:03

Exactly what I wanted. Thanks.

I won't be doing anything remotely like that. I think. As long as I know that's my limit, then I know when to disconnect :)

HammerheadFistpunch > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
09/02/2015 at 16:34

Do you have a diagram of the setup for us to look at? It really depends on the way the sway bar hooks up to the axle and chassis if it really makes a difference. On my cruiser, for example, the sway bar is on a floating mount so that if the axle articulates the geometry changes causes the mount to move forward or aft effectively taking the sway bar out of play by changing that vertical motion into fore/aft motion in the links, but for cornering the mounts are forced to hold the sway bar in place because the motion is mostly vertical and thus its very effective in aiding handling. The consensus of the forums is that there is no effective loss of articulation in the rear with the sway bar attached. However, the front is designed slightly differently and although its a similar floating mount, the nature of the suspension (radius arms instead of upper and lower control arms) the floating links don’t really take the bar out of play as much as and such disconnecting the front bar has a big effect. That having been said, its an extreme limit of performance kind of difference, not a “wow this really makes it worse/better” kind of difference.

You will be tossed around a little more off road because the truck will be fighting to stay level front and rear now, but it wont be that bad.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > HammerheadFistpunch
09/02/2015 at 16:48

All I have is the installation instructions, they have some pictures though.

http://www.belltech.com/extras/docs/BB…

HammerheadFistpunch > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
09/02/2015 at 16:52

Looks like a simple hard mount, sadly, this will affect your articulation but as wisco said, it probably wont be an issue except in extreme situations. The other bummer is that this will definitely make your off road ride more jarring generally.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > HammerheadFistpunch
09/02/2015 at 16:53

Recommend.