Pros and Cons of Sway bar removal on 2nd gen

I just looked at both of mine after taking my sway bar off. They are not identical. The bolt hole (not the slotted side) is not centered. You might be fine with 2 rights.

 

Just installed my OME 881 Coil-overs. I might remove my sway bar after i get new tires, My current ones are out of round and cannot be balanced.
If I don't like it then i can reinstall the sway bar with new bushings.

 

Seen last time this thread was alive was in September, found it using search. But, I wanted to give an input. I took my sway bar off and it rides super great. I have no major suspension mods at all, I'm using 2017 TRD off road shocks which only difference is a little thicker coils in the front. So I'm still riding with pretty soft coils. So on road I do feel a little more roll on freeway ramps and sharp turns but nothing unstable. I did a little test on a backroad with it on and off and pretty much the TCS was triggered a lot faster while the sway bar was out but, I didn't actually lift a wheel off the floor I was still planted. I did the test driving 40 mph swerving left to right. I say for me no cons. I don't even notice the roll as much I got used to it. All pros for me, now I have a little more travel when I wheel and also I can go up driveways that are pretty steep (entering work everyday) without jerking left to right my truck kind of just floats up. It's so much smoother. So I say hell yes take it off!

 

I had thought a little bit about removing my sway bar because I do run dirt trails every now and then but after the incident the other morning I have decided to leave it on.

I was running at 75 mph and the Dodge Ram in front of me hits the brakes. I'm looking to see why. There was a deer in the median. Sure as hell the deer ran right towards the Ram, tried to jump over the bed as the Ram barely missed it and the deer tripped over the bed, did a flying somersault about 6 feet off the ground and landed right of me as I went by at about 55 by then. I had to swerve to miss it and only missed it by a foot or so. I saw the soul of Bambi through Bambi's eyes as I went by.

I have never driven my Taco without a sway bar but I don't think the outcome would have been good had I removed it. That's the only evasive maneuver I've ever had to do since I got the Taco 3 years ago but "it only takes once" and with the speeds we run here in Wyoming I can't take the chance. That was the first time I ever heard my new Cooper ATW's howl as well.

 

Damn man, glad you're okay.

I haven't seen much sway bar disconnects for our tacoma. Or maybe even none at all or that would have been my route. I might now be searching hard enough but if I can find a decent set of disconnects I would keep my sway bar on and utilize those. But for now I have it off and I usually drive slow and steady..

So hopefully all goes good for me.

 

I try to drive slow and steady as well but where I live the semi's and Super Duty's run right up on your ass if you're doing anything less than 75 mph. Then we have Bambi in large numbers. Personally, I like to run at 65 mph and do when I can to save wear and tear on the 2.7 but many times the traffic just doesn't allow it. I'm usually running at least 75 mph to stay out of everyone's way. People are maniacs these days and are so busy playing with their stupid toys like their dumb phone while they are driving they aren't paying any attention to driving. Then we have the idiocy of the "video game" dashboard these newer cars have so they have even more toys to play with while they are driving.

The so called "adults" in this country are behaving like "teenie-boppers" behind the wheel with the idiocy of texting and playing with all kinds of electronic toys while behind the wheel. Teenage girls have always gotten themselves killed more than adults because of the way they drive. Now we have "so-called" adults including "so-called" men doing the same stupid shit. You'd be surprised at the idiotic wrecks I see on a daily basis when there is absolutely NO REASON for them just like the two I've seen in the last couple of days.

I just ran into a guy today that passed an idiot women who was using her legs to steer the car at 85 mph so she could do her freaking nails while she was driving. I drive a truck so we see it all. The one I saw a couple of days ago was truly bizarre. Someone in a "go kart" must have been running at least the 75 mph speed limit because they obviously ran off the interstate into the weeds, hit the embankment next to a bridge that was over a two lane road and actually jumped the road under the bridge on the east bound side of the interstate and landed on their roof buried in the embankment on the other side of the road which ran under two bridges. One for the Eastbound side and one for the Westbound side.

No way whoever it was lived. That go-kart was smashed flat. How fast do you have to be traveling to clear the west side embankment and smash you're go-kart flat on the east side embankment? It was a very narrow two lane road but still there had to be at LEAST 50 ft. from the top of the west side embankment to the east side embankment. I never measured it obviously. I have NO idea but you have to be a serious idiot to pull that one off.

The IQ of America went up when that idiot got killed in THAT one. Even a medical issue would be hard to believe in that case. It "could" be possible though so maybe he/she wasn't an idiot. I won't spend the time with the wreck I saw today but it was another serious one. Then the Amanda Board said there was another one down the interstate within 5 miles.

I drive 95% road and only about 5% off road so for me leaving the sway bar on is probably a really good idea as I experienced it's effectiveness yesterday morning.

 

When you remove the sway bar off a 2nd gen Tacoma do you supposed to remove the sway bar links as well?

 

Yes, everything comes off.

 

Haven't seen too much info on 3rd gens siting this topic... I just took mine off but have Icons ETs with 700 lb coils and so far just around the streets it feels good. I wheel a pretty decent amount so excited to see how it feels on the trails.

Big thing though left unanswered by this thread is change in geometry of everything in the front end. Seems like I get a noticeable amount more steering angle with it off, so was wondering if anyone has experienced any implications of doing this on any or all of the various joints up front?

 

@Taco_2s_day

 

Just so you know how it will handle in an emergency I'd take it out somewhere where no one is around and try stabbing the brakes hard and swerving at the same time to see what it does. Try it at a slower speed first like 35 mph and work your way up. Then you'll know what to expect.

 

So i just read the whole thread it looks like most of you guys do trailing but climb mostly i was thinking of taking mine off but i do alot of dirt racing & sliding corners at 40mph & above do u think i'll flip if i take it off & take a dirt corner at 30-40mph??

 

Depends on what kind of coil overs and how stiff they are. But if you’re not doing much crawling where the little bit extra articulation will help, then in your case I would leave it on.

 

Ya your right i dont do crawling at all, maybe some steep hills but thats it i'm a prerunner so i'll leave it on lol

 

Been thinking about doing this. I daily my taco, took it off road for the first time since I've owned it. Pretty disappointed with the "flex" however, I'll probably keep it on since I deal with a lot of poor drivers

 

pros - you will absorb pot holes and stuff way better
cons - you can't corner as fast

 

Old thread but worth it. Removed my sway bar and what a difference.

I installed fox 2.5 extended with JBA high caster UCA and dakar hd leafs about 6 months ago and was kinda disappointed with the ride quality. But after removing the sway bar it drive like it should now. If you hit a pot hole with one tire it doesn’t make the whole clunk.
I’m used to the lean during turns (last truck was a Chevy with Brenthel’s long travel kit.) that thing leannnned

my vote is take it off if you have upgraded to coils.