1. Welcome to Tacoma World!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tacoma discussion topics
    • Communicate privately with other Tacoma owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

Sway Bar Connected Vs. Disconnected With an Interesting Observation

Discussion in 'Technical Chat' started by Jason'sLawnCare, Oct 18, 2010.

  1. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:11 PM
    #1
    Jason'sLawnCare

    Jason'sLawnCare [OP] Prepared for Bambi

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2009
    Member:
    #15878
    Messages:
    12,352
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jason
    Jacksonville Florida
    Vehicle:
    08 4x4 Double Cab TRD Rugged Trail
    CBI Moab 2.0, CBI Trail Rider 2.0, CBI sliders w/kickout, Superwinch EPi9.0S, OME sport shocks w/886 coils, OME n182, 1.5" aal, JasonBuilt 3/16th full belly skid, BuiltRight uca, Body Mount Chop, 285/75/16 km2's, Rear cat delete, exhaust crossover rerouted, Fog light anytime, Locker mod, Rear leaf tsb, Debadged, Uws Tool Box, Electric Exhaust Cutout, AFE Pro Dry S, Kiwi Wifi, Diff Breather Relocated, Grom Ipod Adapter, Dual Diehard platinum batteries isolated by BlueSea marine switch
    Let’s get the bs out of the way. I do not recommend you disconnect your sway bar or completely remove it. There are obvious safety concerns involved with it. More significant, This thread is not a debate and if it becomes one it will be locked immediately. The reason I post this is to share my observations of an experiment I ran.

    I was curious what the benefits of a disconnected sway bar over a connected sway bar are. I also wanted to make sure that disconnecting the sway bar couldn’t cause mechanical damage(make contact with the suspension etc.).

    My experiment consisted of using the hilift to get one side of the truck completely off the ground. My goal was to get the front tire approximately 1” off the ground. First I did this with the sway bar connected and then with it disconnected.

    Enough with the Chit Chat, here are my observations

    Sway bar connected-No jack present
    [​IMG]

    Sway bar connected-Jack lifted passenger front about an Inch off the ground
    [​IMG]

    Sway bar disconnected-Jack lifted passenger front about an Inch off the ground
    [​IMG]

    Sway bar connected-Jack lifted passenger front about an Inch off the ground
    [​IMG]

    Sway bar disconnected-Jack lifted passenger front about an Inch off the ground
    [​IMG]

    Sway bar connected-Jack lifted passenger front about an Inch off the ground
    [​IMG]

    Sway bar disconnected-Jack lifted passenger front about an Inch off the ground
    [​IMG]


    Now the juicy part-I went over to the driver side slider to see if any problems arose with the sway bar disconnected
    Sway bar disconnected-Jack on drivers side-lift about 2 inches
    [​IMG]

    Then I go over and check before I continue and discover this
    Sway bar disconnected on passenger side-Jack on Drivers side-lift about 2 inches
    [​IMG]

    I didn’t think that looked right, so I went over to the jack and pushed it down one more time
    Sway bar disconnected on passenger side-Jack on drivers side-lift about 3 inches
    [​IMG]

    Sway bar disconnected on passenger side-Jack on drivers side-lift about 3 inches
    [​IMG]

    On the farther away pics it's easier if you click on it and get a full size image.

    To conclude, The disconnecting the sway bar has obvious gains in travel from wheel to wheel but it can’t be done. The sway bar simply gets pushed right into the cv. If I continued to lift the drivers side it would have just gone down farther and farther into the cv. Now add this to a spinning shaft and your guaranteed a shredded boot and there’s a good chance you’ll destroy the cv entirely considering the force the sway bar can push down.

    *Reminder This thread is not a debate and if it becomes one it will be locked immediately.
     
  2. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:17 PM
    #2
    jandrews

    jandrews Hootin' and Hollerin'

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2009
    Member:
    #18122
    Messages:
    16,131
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    '09 FourDubDee TRD OR
    A-TRUCK, Fat Kid in the Bed, Custom Pinstriping, Ported and Polished Muffler Bearing, Hi-Performance Bed Mat
    So...in other words *remove* it?
     
  3. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:18 PM
    #3
    Jason'sLawnCare

    Jason'sLawnCare [OP] Prepared for Bambi

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2009
    Member:
    #15878
    Messages:
    12,352
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jason
    Jacksonville Florida
    Vehicle:
    08 4x4 Double Cab TRD Rugged Trail
    CBI Moab 2.0, CBI Trail Rider 2.0, CBI sliders w/kickout, Superwinch EPi9.0S, OME sport shocks w/886 coils, OME n182, 1.5" aal, JasonBuilt 3/16th full belly skid, BuiltRight uca, Body Mount Chop, 285/75/16 km2's, Rear cat delete, exhaust crossover rerouted, Fog light anytime, Locker mod, Rear leaf tsb, Debadged, Uws Tool Box, Electric Exhaust Cutout, AFE Pro Dry S, Kiwi Wifi, Diff Breather Relocated, Grom Ipod Adapter, Dual Diehard platinum batteries isolated by BlueSea marine switch
    If you don't want to have a sway bar then the only option is to completely remove it. It's either all on or all off. This is also answers the question as to why nobody makes sway bar disconnects for 2nd gen Tacos.
     
  4. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:21 PM
    #4
    jandrews

    jandrews Hootin' and Hollerin'

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2009
    Member:
    #18122
    Messages:
    16,131
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    '09 FourDubDee TRD OR
    A-TRUCK, Fat Kid in the Bed, Custom Pinstriping, Ported and Polished Muffler Bearing, Hi-Performance Bed Mat

    Right. I mean, I generally wouldn't EVER recommend disconnecting a part and then leave it flopping around on the vehicle.

    We needed an experiment to figure this out?
     
  5. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:21 PM
    #5
    brutalguyracing

    brutalguyracing BIG DADDY

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2009
    Member:
    #19000
    Messages:
    24,052
    Gender:
    Male
    F.U> GUYZ
    broken mods
    i thought when u disconected the sway bay you were supposed to remove it?
     
  6. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:26 PM
    #6
    DaWillDaBeast

    DaWillDaBeast Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2009
    Member:
    #26972
    Messages:
    2,264
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Will
    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    05 Tacoma 4x4 with some goodies
    Things
    Good research, its to bad somone cant make a quick disconect for us. I guess I'll just keep mine on in preping for the kamikaze deer to run out infront of me.
     
  7. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:26 PM
    #7
    Jason'sLawnCare

    Jason'sLawnCare [OP] Prepared for Bambi

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2009
    Member:
    #15878
    Messages:
    12,352
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jason
    Jacksonville Florida
    Vehicle:
    08 4x4 Double Cab TRD Rugged Trail
    CBI Moab 2.0, CBI Trail Rider 2.0, CBI sliders w/kickout, Superwinch EPi9.0S, OME sport shocks w/886 coils, OME n182, 1.5" aal, JasonBuilt 3/16th full belly skid, BuiltRight uca, Body Mount Chop, 285/75/16 km2's, Rear cat delete, exhaust crossover rerouted, Fog light anytime, Locker mod, Rear leaf tsb, Debadged, Uws Tool Box, Electric Exhaust Cutout, AFE Pro Dry S, Kiwi Wifi, Diff Breather Relocated, Grom Ipod Adapter, Dual Diehard platinum batteries isolated by BlueSea marine switch
    "We" didn't need an experiment at all. I did an experiment because I was curious the what the difference would be side by side and I figured I would share my observations with TW.

    I guess it wasn't such common knowledge for me. I always hear about people wondering why nobody made a quick disconnect for the Taco.
     
  8. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:27 PM
    #8
    Max-4_Yota

    Max-4_Yota The Welfare Cadilac

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2009
    Member:
    #27357
    Messages:
    4,235
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Michael
    South Carolina
    Vehicle:
    3rd gen Tacoma
    Chicken lights, chrome and smoke tunes.
    Great write up, even though I don't have a 2nd gen. :thumbsup:
     
  9. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:27 PM
    #9
    brutalguyracing

    brutalguyracing BIG DADDY

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2009
    Member:
    #19000
    Messages:
    24,052
    Gender:
    Male
    F.U> GUYZ
    broken mods
    i never understood how the sway bay disconects worked anyhow
    live n learn
    so are you keeping it????:cool:
     
  10. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:27 PM
    #10
    Jason'sLawnCare

    Jason'sLawnCare [OP] Prepared for Bambi

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2009
    Member:
    #15878
    Messages:
    12,352
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jason
    Jacksonville Florida
    Vehicle:
    08 4x4 Double Cab TRD Rugged Trail
    CBI Moab 2.0, CBI Trail Rider 2.0, CBI sliders w/kickout, Superwinch EPi9.0S, OME sport shocks w/886 coils, OME n182, 1.5" aal, JasonBuilt 3/16th full belly skid, BuiltRight uca, Body Mount Chop, 285/75/16 km2's, Rear cat delete, exhaust crossover rerouted, Fog light anytime, Locker mod, Rear leaf tsb, Debadged, Uws Tool Box, Electric Exhaust Cutout, AFE Pro Dry S, Kiwi Wifi, Diff Breather Relocated, Grom Ipod Adapter, Dual Diehard platinum batteries isolated by BlueSea marine switch
    I think that's the reason why a quick disconnect wasn't developed. The only way to disconnect it is to remove it as brutalracingguy and Jandrews have made clear.
     
  11. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:29 PM
    #11
    JDMcQ

    JDMcQ Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2008
    Member:
    #10561
    Messages:
    39,046
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    John
    The Mushroom Capital of the World
    You are wrong!








    :stirthepot:
     
  12. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:30 PM
    #12
    chris4x4

    chris4x4 With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. Moderator

    Joined:
    May 8, 2008
    Member:
    #6497
    Messages:
    112,751,503
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    FlimFlubberJAM
    Tenoe, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2019 Rubicon 4 Door,
    4.10 gears, sliders, and lots of buttons.
    A Sway bar disconnect actually removes one side of the sway bar, allowing it to act as if disconnected.
     
  13. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:30 PM
    #13
    Jason'sLawnCare

    Jason'sLawnCare [OP] Prepared for Bambi

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2009
    Member:
    #15878
    Messages:
    12,352
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jason
    Jacksonville Florida
    Vehicle:
    08 4x4 Double Cab TRD Rugged Trail
    CBI Moab 2.0, CBI Trail Rider 2.0, CBI sliders w/kickout, Superwinch EPi9.0S, OME sport shocks w/886 coils, OME n182, 1.5" aal, JasonBuilt 3/16th full belly skid, BuiltRight uca, Body Mount Chop, 285/75/16 km2's, Rear cat delete, exhaust crossover rerouted, Fog light anytime, Locker mod, Rear leaf tsb, Debadged, Uws Tool Box, Electric Exhaust Cutout, AFE Pro Dry S, Kiwi Wifi, Diff Breather Relocated, Grom Ipod Adapter, Dual Diehard platinum batteries isolated by BlueSea marine switch
    Thank you. I'm not sure how the sway bars are setup on the first gens, but I can tell you that if you disconnect it that it will go up and down a significant distance and contact anything in it's path.

    I always thought that it would disconnect on the spindle. I'm going to look into how other models work.

    Yes I'm keeping it. At least until I get firmer suspension because right now it rocks like a sailboat with the extra weight over the front.
     
  14. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:34 PM
    #14
    brutalguyracing

    brutalguyracing BIG DADDY

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2009
    Member:
    #19000
    Messages:
    24,052
    Gender:
    Male
    F.U> GUYZ
    broken mods
    are you saying you want to remove some of the extra weight up front
    id be very willing to meet you to remove that bumper...my winch needs a home
     
  15. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:34 PM
    #15
    chris4x4

    chris4x4 With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. Moderator

    Joined:
    May 8, 2008
    Member:
    #6497
    Messages:
    112,751,503
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    FlimFlubberJAM
    Tenoe, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2019 Rubicon 4 Door,
    4.10 gears, sliders, and lots of buttons.
    Here is a Disco'ed sway bar
    [​IMG]
     
  16. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:38 PM
    #16
    brutalguyracing

    brutalguyracing BIG DADDY

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2009
    Member:
    #19000
    Messages:
    24,052
    Gender:
    Male
    F.U> GUYZ
    broken mods
    do you have any further pics looks like a sweet system...
    does it pin in then like lock up??:confused::confused:
     
  17. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:38 PM
    #17
    Jason'sLawnCare

    Jason'sLawnCare [OP] Prepared for Bambi

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2009
    Member:
    #15878
    Messages:
    12,352
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jason
    Jacksonville Florida
    Vehicle:
    08 4x4 Double Cab TRD Rugged Trail
    CBI Moab 2.0, CBI Trail Rider 2.0, CBI sliders w/kickout, Superwinch EPi9.0S, OME sport shocks w/886 coils, OME n182, 1.5" aal, JasonBuilt 3/16th full belly skid, BuiltRight uca, Body Mount Chop, 285/75/16 km2's, Rear cat delete, exhaust crossover rerouted, Fog light anytime, Locker mod, Rear leaf tsb, Debadged, Uws Tool Box, Electric Exhaust Cutout, AFE Pro Dry S, Kiwi Wifi, Diff Breather Relocated, Grom Ipod Adapter, Dual Diehard platinum batteries isolated by BlueSea marine switch
    LOL! NO WAY! I've got some ome components in the mail now:D

    Thank for posting that. So they completly removed any part that could cause harm.

    Upon a google search I discovered that the 4 runners(3rd gen I believe) had the sway bar connected to the lca out of the way of everything
     
  18. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:40 PM
    #18
    Jason'sLawnCare

    Jason'sLawnCare [OP] Prepared for Bambi

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2009
    Member:
    #15878
    Messages:
    12,352
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jason
    Jacksonville Florida
    Vehicle:
    08 4x4 Double Cab TRD Rugged Trail
    CBI Moab 2.0, CBI Trail Rider 2.0, CBI sliders w/kickout, Superwinch EPi9.0S, OME sport shocks w/886 coils, OME n182, 1.5" aal, JasonBuilt 3/16th full belly skid, BuiltRight uca, Body Mount Chop, 285/75/16 km2's, Rear cat delete, exhaust crossover rerouted, Fog light anytime, Locker mod, Rear leaf tsb, Debadged, Uws Tool Box, Electric Exhaust Cutout, AFE Pro Dry S, Kiwi Wifi, Diff Breather Relocated, Grom Ipod Adapter, Dual Diehard platinum batteries isolated by BlueSea marine switch
    That sounds like a great idea. This would allow the sway bar to twist and then you put a pin and and stop the twisting. The only thing is I'm not sure that the center only twists but I would think it does considering the way it's bolted to the frame.

    What's funny is it was one of your pics of you flexing that made me want to play around with disconnecting it.
     
  19. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:51 PM
    #19
    TanSR5x4

    TanSR5x4 Hold my beer and watch this

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2010
    Member:
    #40669
    Messages:
    995
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    William
    Houston TX
    Vehicle:
    00 Tacoma SR5 4x4
    Deckplate mod, black KC slimlight fogs, hurculined bed, NRA sticker mod, painted rear chrome bumper black, black fender flares and front grill surround, HIDs, All-pro rear leafs and UCAs, Eibach coilovers, billys all around, flat black pro comps, 31x10.5x15 BFG KM2s
    so who is gonna fab this up and try it out?

    i really like the idea of a good strong pin or 2 in the middle

    although im sure someone will find a reason it wont work lol
     
  20. Oct 18, 2010 at 5:55 PM
    #20
    jandrews

    jandrews Hootin' and Hollerin'

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2009
    Member:
    #18122
    Messages:
    16,131
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    '09 FourDubDee TRD OR
    A-TRUCK, Fat Kid in the Bed, Custom Pinstriping, Ported and Polished Muffler Bearing, Hi-Performance Bed Mat

    My main concern is whether or not a pinned joint (or joint of any type for that matter) will have sufficient strength to let the sway bar do what it needs to without breaking.
     

Products Discussed in

To Top