Removing sway bar 2016+

I don't feel that is correct? Deleting it has transformed the ride, on road and off.

Solid links or delete as noted below. The Taco SB just runs too close to the CVs.

Exactly!

Mine has been gone for about 6k, but I have a Sport. I won't go back.

As noted, the skid takes a couple moments. That's better than nicking a CV boot.

Not on mine. I get a touch more initial body roll, but it is great to the point of the tire howling.

That is on my mind, but I drive a lot easier in the Taco than I did in my cars or bikes. I use it like the small 4x4 that it is.

Too right! Take it off and make life easy.

 

You can not disconnect the sway bar without causing damage. The design of the sway bar will not allow you to swing it up out of the way. The sway bar itself will not clear the coilovers.

You have a couple options for a disco on the front still. I build a sliding disco for 4th & 5th Gen 4runner as well as FJ Cruiser's. These give a disconnected feel without being truly disconnected. You can also build a sway bar disconnect that'll allow you to remove one side of your sway bar while leaving the other side attached.

Mike

 

Not saying this was because of the sway bar, but it's these emergency situations one needs to be conscious about when contemplating sway bar removal. I get people saying they don't notice much of a difference, but you might notice it when you need it most. I hope this thread pushes the development of a quick disconnect.

 

2nd gen here. No swaybar, but I also have aftermarket stiffer suspension And a significantly wider track (-25 offset on my wheels) & wider tires with more grip than stock tires. I too have struggled with this dilemma as I have a child and a wife but the difference it makes while off-roading is unbelievable. I find that I rarely lift a tire off the ground, the truck is planted.


That being said, would adding a RTT to your truck above the bed contribute to a higher chance of rollover? Also, consider making an emergency maneuver at 80mph where you swerve to miss something. Did you roll? Likely yes regardless of swaybar on or not. Lifting a tacoma can present almost just as much risk as no swaybar (I’m guessing). There is a lot of taboo around swaybar removal but I found that mine will stay off & it actually helps me to drive even slower when I’m doing trips up into the mountains so that I’m even more careful. No one can tell you what’s right for you. But consider all of the other things the MASSES are doing without backlash from others. (I.e. RTT on a 4runner seems to me to cause more body roll than no swaybar).

Also, every LT guy out there has no swaybar and no one ever tells them they’re going to die each time they drive their truck on the hwy

 

Good point. Removing the sway bar adds traction to the front which might add to this issue in a swerve. That said, there seems to be a great variance between the stock suspensions. My Taco Sport was very flat with the sway bar. I get some initial body roll now.

One thing looking at that video is the amount of sidewall roll on the HiLuxs. Being a bit lazy, I wonder what the recommended tire pressures are? I have been running and am extremely happy at 35psi all around. 29 or 30 had too much flex and feathering of the outer tread the way that I was driving it. I have very even wear after two rotations, coming up on the third.

I have not had any violent swerves yet, but I have hustled through many twisty roads having fun including tight Ss with no issue. The only spot that I have seen a problem is a certain highway ramp with a sinking dip mid-corner (NB I-5 to the Mukilteo Speedway). It is fine at normal speeds (50mph or so), but I will get a single wallow and a hard touch of the bump stop if hustling through there. The corner speed is marked at 45mph. I can nearly double that on my bike even through the dip. The Taco without the SB will get a bit upset at about 70. The tires are starting to work pretty hard at that speed.

Like I posted earlier about the Sport, no SB is a big positive for handing and suspension feel even on road.

I'd like to try the swerve in a nice open area, but . . .

Here is a QD development thread:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/any-interest-in-a-swaybar-disconnect.535393/

No final design was posted. I did have a couple concerns with the initial concept. In the case of a failure, there should be real hazard though.

 

Something that I find I do now that I don’t have my swaybar is actually follow recommended speed limits on TURNS and CURVES. Even though they seem silly at times (often 45mph) in my areas... it really helps the confidence and safety if you do that.

 

I can't seem to do that. Although, I am driving slower on the freeway and leaving more gap. Being a rider, I never stay behind anyone who has something strapped down.

You guys have some killer roads and scenic drives down there. I need to get back for a vacation sometime.

 

^^ this is totally different than quick disconnects we are used to seeing for 4Runners. This doesn't disconnect the end links. This involves cutting the sway bar itself, and uses bolts/nuts to hold the bar together for on road use. When you want to go offroad undo the bolts/nuts (with the end links still connected) and the two sides of the bar can move up and down freely (instead of binding the bar and reducing roll). I'd bet this would definitely solve the problem, but I wonder if it makes the sway bar stiffer than stock when connected and cause harsher ride on road.

 

Neat idea.

Given the length and diameter of the fittings, it might stiffen the bar, but then the welds are not continuous, so it may balance out in stiffness to what the original was? I do like how the left side slides into the right side tube. That should be a stronger connection than the one in the link that I posted above. The only problem for the Taco crowd is the more armor, the harder it would be to access that area.

 

This is what needs to be done on the Tacoma in order to disconnect the sway bar. This design has been used on the FJ's, and 4runner's for the past few years. I've thought about making a parts kit for this kind of assembly, but haven't gotten around to it as of yet. If there's interest in it I might be able to come up with something sooner than later.

 

Good point and yes

 

Just installed my lift and needed to cut my sway bar off. I have 885 in there now and driving around the city I haven't noticed at all. To put the way bar back on I'll have to order the links which are only about $60. I did recently take it to a shop to hopefully get my seized alignment bolt taken care of with my insurance, but once they noticed the sway bar gone, they wouldn't touch it. Something I can plan out myself now. They also mentioned possible liability if in an accident. Since I don't take it off road seriously, I may throw it back on. Don't mind it off though, just plenty of shity drivers here in the city.

 

I don't remember seeing rust on my cousins' cars / trucks in CO. That was a LONG time ago though, about 30yrs. Do they use salt in the winter?

I know we did a couple small projects on their cars. The worst that I remember dealing with was factory thread locker.

 

I bought it with 28,000 miles through CarMax here in CO, but I believe the first owner was in FL. Salt is used in CO, but at different quantities depending on the conditions. I'm guessing more gravel due to more snow than ice and the broken windshields you see all the time here. Frame and everything else looks good, but the metal on the stock suspension seemed to deteriorate pretty quickly. I also had to cut the top of the rear shocks once the nut reached the top and there was nothing to keep the shock from spinning, rusted bad too. The alignment bolts are a pretty common issue though, factory doesn't put anything on them and I'm sure they see a lot of moisture and grime. I would suggest putting some type of anti-seize on those at some point. A few good threads on here explaining it.

 

Ah! I was looking at a 2007 Taco that came out of FL. It had some rust on the bottom of the hitch and a couple other areas back there to a lesser degree.

I do remember my cousins' having to replace windshields very often there. I would enjoy getting back to CO. It was incredible. We buzzed through in 1998 or 1999? I'm still kicking myself that we didn't at least stop at Redrocks.

I have been meaning to maybe do something, but it is a great and very surprising thing about this area. Rust is almost a non-issue. Hitting the exposed stuff on the underside does make sense though.

Thanks!

 

Where is this!??? Christmas present for daddy?? Was there any end result to this being made?

 

It's not that easy. This isn't something that in production anywhere, or at least not that I'm aware of. This was made for someone on the FJ Blueroom Forum, and that's it. I've thought about producing these, but never did due to now knowing what the interest would be. This is something that I would consider making after 1st of the year though.

Mike

 

Oh no doubt bro! Just wishful thinking my man. It would be AWESOME and I know many who would jump all over this. This would easily make my trips so much better! Retain factory spec for liability and safety as a single father of 2 boys....most articulation/flex offroad! I have always taken my SB off....I instantly felt a huge diff with this gen 3 off and my insurance told me straight up not covered without SB.

I'll keep dreaming until then! I do hope you get this going!

 

Why the hell are you taking mtn passes at high speed anyway?

 

Haven’t disconnected my sway bar but stock the Tacoma doesn’t handle very good. Lots of body roll and understeer driving it hard in the twisties. Wonder how much worse it would be with it removed or if it would give the front end more traction.