Sway bar disconnects

I had given that thought. But I believe its easier said than done.

One, because accessing the middle of the swaybar while on the truck is very difficult. Two, the swaybar takes some significant pressure I think finding pins etc that wont break would be challenging.

 

Yeah. In addition to difficulty accessing the middle, once disconnected, it'll be unstable because each side has only a single pivot point.

I think the single end disconnect concept we've been discussing is the best overall general plan.

 

I may have to mount the middle bar part somehow moose.

 

You can try.

Just remember the bar has that bend in it. So the middle swings through an arc, rather than simply rotating in place like an axle.

That'll make it harder.

 

I understand what you're thinking of, at least I think I do. You want to keep the sides connected at all times but the center is cut and you want to use a pipe with pins in it to connect the 2 halfs.

 

yep just noticed that. And things just took a turn for the worst.

 

Here's the other thread we've been discussing this on:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/48150-automatic-sway-bar-disconnects.html

and

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/bay-area-metal-fabrication/219398-swaybar.html#post5794037

I've been in brief contact with a guy who formerly made these for FJ Cruisers. Because of a combination of limited demand and potential liability, he is NOT selling them any more. He gave me a couple of pics (I don't currently have permission to share; I asked) that make me think that the one pic above that we've been bandying about is his work.

Now, Jerry from BAMF is very busy and doesn't have time to design these from scratch. But I think if we give him a design and perhaps pay a little extra denero up front for some time on the mock up and tooling, he still might be able to come through for us.

So if you think you'd be serious about laying down - say - $250 plus your existing sway bar as a core - post up on that thread in the BAMF forum to let him know you're interested and serious. And that's just a number I pulled straight out of my ass. So don't give him or me any sh*t later if it turns out to be a totally off base number, OK?

 

I know this is an old one, but has there been any progress on this?

 

Just removed my bar a couple days ago. Love it!!!!!!!!

 

Nope.

I cut the sway bar - fabbed up various pieces of flat steel to make a boltable/removable attach/detachment point, and took it to a welder.

Trouble is, sway bar is tempered high carbon spring steel. So welding it is likely to fail and like pretty much all welders who are asked to weld springs, this guy refused.

Someone else was going to try and cut it in the middle and install a pivot by attaching it mechanically. Trouble is, the bar doesn't pivot around the axis of the middle part of the bar. So when disconnected, that would end up creating a weird wildly gyrating bar that would bend and eventually break its attachment points.

Short answer is:
If it's a daily driver that sometimes goes on trails, leave it on and be happy.

If it's a trail rig that you sometimes take on the street, take it off and be happy.

 

I removed my sway bar a few months ago,
I'm still alive...

 

I don't see why everybody thinks your gonna die if you remove the sway bar. Anybody that has spent time in an auto shop will tell you that every Ford F-150 made from 1995-2006 has bad sway bar links and the bar does absolutely nothing, any kind of chevy truck from 2005 and up does the same thing. People drive around without the sway bar all day long and don't even know it. Don't even ask about the ford exploder

 

Just curious, have you tested how it handles in emergency maneuvers? Like swerving around freeway debris or a sudden stopped car in front of you?

 

I have, it's a little scarier and the body roll is more noticeable but I rarely use freeways and I always maintain a safe distance from the cars in front of me.

 

I removed my sway bar about six months after I bought my truck. So, I've been running without it for over three years now. First thing I did was go to a big empty parking lot and test it to get a feel for how it felt during "emergency maneuvers". During quick, dramatic maneuvers, the body roll is noticeably exaggerated, but not to the point where I would call it dangerous. Granted, I wasn't doing 65MPH in the parking lot as I would be on a highway. I have however, had to take evasive action on several occasions on the highway, at highway speeds and the truck felt perfectly fine and I never felt like I was going to roll or lose control. I have a lot of added weight over the front axel, and during normal driving the difference is barely noticeable. I'd say being cognizant that your sway bar is not there and adjusting your driving accordingly is more than enough to mitigate any added body roll.

 

Pulling this thread back up again. What about when towing a small pop up trailer on twisties? Anyone tried that?

 

I tow a lot in the mountains. A camper, my raft and associated gear, firewood...I've never missed my sway bar with my 885 coils or when my stock coils were preloaded on the 1.75" 5100 setting.

 

Does this count?


The trailer adds weight to the front (using a WD hitch) so if anything the truck is more stable with less body roll.

 

Excellent! Thanks!