Hellwig Sway Bars for 3rd Gen?

I still have the stock tires that came with the off road and haven't driven in rain much. They handle fine otherwise but just looking for a litttle more piece of mind if there's a "what if" type situation.

 

really the question about sway bars in this application is how much do you drive off road, if any. the peace of mind so to speak from a sway bar isn't really a safety factor as VSC will take care of your business, believe me. but if you want to feel added confidence through how your truck handles, then a sway bar may be a part of it... it is for me. but it's all about how i drive the truck and knowing how it handles.

i put the sway bar on because it rolled so much on the street that i couldn't toss it around well enough and i wasn't having any fun. i added the sway bar so i could reduce the roll and toss the truck around more. added the Sumosprings and can toss more yet. i'm actually having a total blast driving the thing now, and i'm on the soft setting. i can change to the 2nd hole at some point if i feel like giving up some compliance.

 

Mostly on road driving right now. I wanted a sway bar for when I end up moving and towing a big uhaul trailer. Not looking forward to that...so anything that puts my mind a little more at ease I'm ok spending a few hundred on

 

for that Sumosprings is the recommendation. a sway bar won't help with your towing, but the sumos are designed just for it. you'll get a bit of swaybar-like action from them as well. having both, like me, will change up your handling and feel of the drive. it's not a big deal, just something to be aware of.

 

if a sway bar helps with stability and handling wouldnt it in turn help during towing? More than without one anyway...maybe it's a mental thing. I don't know.

Either way I've ordered one and hope it helps keep me stuck to the road with or without the trailer.

Not sure if it will help in the wet conditions (moving to Seattle again, hopefully) but I'm not a crazy driver...anymore.

 

to be clear, a sway bar will not help with sag from a load like the sumosprings will. but yeah, a rear bar will help stabilize rear sway, so i guess i didn't understand you. but a sway bar like this is designed to add resistance after a certain amount of rear roll, and this isn't a big thick bar or anything. the sway you'd experience while towing in the wind on the highway, for example, is slight movement, and the sway bar won't do much to affect minor movement like that unless you have it set on at least the 2nd if not the 3rd mount hole for more preload.

 

Yeah sorry for the confusion, wasn't looking to help with sag and honestly don't know if that will be a major issue with the load weight we will be towing. But I'm new to all this so I'm learning as I go. When I am making the trip it will be slow(ish) and steady with a 2" drop on the hitch and definitely the flattest route I can find.

I did just check out sumosprings and that's a great idea if I were doing more hauling and towing for sure. Inexpensive and easy install. Compared to the stock bumpers there is no comparison.

 

swaysbar have always been one of my favorite mods to car as they usually made a big difference. I have the rear xbrace from my old toyota xrunner laying and im wondering if that would work for the 3gen. toyota designed it to stiffen up the rear end chassi so maybe that would work for you

i also have some new air lift bags to help with sag for sale

 

higher centre of gravity, no shit you'll have more body roll lol

 

So would a rear sway bar and airbags be a good combo for daily driving? I only tow occasionally but the added handling would be nice to have...if thats the case. I guess i am not 100% sure what airbags do for a RWD truck but it seems like an inexpensive mod.

 

I ended up getting Firestone airbags AND the Hellwig rear sway for my truck. Haven't installed either but hoping it will make the ride a little more stable...on road

 

Thought I’d add a little bit to this thread.

I just installed the hellwig front bar today. Took about 45min. It’s a good 1/2 thicker than the stock bar and very easy install and really reduced body roll.
Remove skid plate->remove front frame supports->unbolt sway bar body brackets->unbolt end links->reverse for install.
Handling is greatly improved. There’s still enough body roll to be comfy, but it stops abruptly and goes into corners with much more control, traction, and confidence.
My rear bar is a modified Toyota X-runner bar.

$407 Hellwig 7744 Solid, Heat Treated Chromoly, 3/4" Rear Sway Bar

Hellwig 7744 is a bolt on kit for the rear I would reccomend instead.
The rear bar makes a massive difference for spirited driving and towing. These trucks are designed to understeer from the factory for comfort, the rear bar makes it more neutral. I highly reccomend installing a rear bar. It is the single most rewarding mod I’ve made on a daily driver.

A lot of you are worried about loss of off-roading ability. If you are a rock crawler this is not for you. You need all the articulation you can get. If you are the type of guy that drives across your field, crosses a small stream, etc, to go fill up your deer blind or get to your favorite shade tree, you won’t notice any loss of off-roading ability. You simply don’t need that much suspension articulation for every day off-roading.
If you do find yourself needing to climb a rocky steep trail, you can also quickly unbolt your end links and hang the sway bars out of the way with zip ties to regain full suspension travel.

Front and rear sway bars were worth every penny to me. It’s almost like driving a sports car... er sports truck on the road. Snappy handling, and great control for a truck.

$543 Hellwig 7719 Solid, Heat Treated Chromoly, 1-3/8" Front Sway Bar

Hellwig 7719 bar bottom, vs stock bar (top)



My Xrunner rear bar. You should buy a hellwig 7744 bar though.

 

I just installed my

$407 Hellwig 7744 Solid, Heat Treated Chromoly, 3/4" Rear Sway Bar

Hellwig 7744 rears on stock height Bilstein 6112/5160 and what a massive difference it made! My truck is mostly used for very windy/twisty highway and for the first time it was a pleasure to drive on tight corners going high way speeds even with a loaded bed!

I bought the 7719 fronts as well but I am having trouble with the install. After bolting the sway bar to the end links on step #5 of the instruction manual, step #6 is to simply flip the way bar up to contact the frame and line up the U-bracket holes. For some reason mine do not line up... either they sent me the wrong one or am I missing something here? The Hellwig sway bar I got the D-bushing sits angled vs the factory one which is perpendicular with the frame. In the picture below, the red lines are where the frame holes would be. There is no play in the bracket for it to rotate to line up with the frame holes and if I push it too far the D-busing starts to come off the sway bar.



EDIT: Turns out they sent me a defective bar after reaching out to Maria at Hellwig. She said the tolerance is off on the sway bar I got as well as the ones currently at their warehouse. They are going to make a new batch and send me a replacement. Guess whoever was working that day must have been sleeping on the job, so much for that made in USA quality!

 

I'm glad I came across your post because I was just about to create a post asking this question. I have Kings as well, with Timbren bumpstops. I don't plan on adding a rear sway bar. I was thinking about removing the front sway bar to get that front IFS to move freely. How do you like no having a front sway bar on the Tacoma with kings? Also would the stock sway bar stop the front suspension from reaching full droop? I don't mean to steal OP's thread so I may just PM you with any other questions.

 

I just returned from a spirited ride on some twisty roads in my ‘20 Sport highway queen and immediately started looking into sway bars.

I see Hellwig offers a rear kit, a front kit, and a kit that contains both. Is it worth the effect to replace the front bar with a Hellwig? My truck is leveled with 5100s and will probably never do any serious off-roading.

 

i would say no. but the rear alone will do you right. you'll be happy with it.

 

That makes sense to me.
Thx

 

Can anyone say if adding the Hellwig rear bar alone will change the driving characteristics to an OVERSTEER condition?

I would do OK if it did, but my wife would freak.

What did you feel? "aggressive" is not the descriptive word I relate to. Under steer, neutral, over steer. And everything between.

Stock tires, stock lift, stock springs, stock front bar. Just add the rear bar. Over the edge?

 

doubt it would be a problem, especially on stock everything. also remember it has three holes for mounting with different levels of firmness. i have run both 2 & 3, and given that, 1 should be good for you. it pulls the feel of the rear end together a bit. it feels complete, not weird or edgy, believe me.

 

Oooooooooo..........