Question about suspension and sway bars

Have a question regarding suspension. I've been told that since my truck has 180k miles and its already 10 years old that I should look into replacing the shocks. I've thought of getting 5100 Bilstein shocks and putting them on. Some have recommended higher grade. Nonetheless, if the sway bar to my SR5 Tacoma isn't taken off how will extended travel shocks help the truck in off road conditions? Thanks for the responses.

 

The sway bar does limit articulation, but I drove mine once without it, on the road and.... never again.
I didn't like the feeling of the truck wanting to roll over on every turn.
A lot of folks say to remove them but I'm guessing most of them have upgraded suspension.
I put Bilstein 4600 on my truck a few months back, they've been great. You can't adjust the spring perches, but for stock height trucks, they are good.

 

With 5100’s I didn’t do anything with my sway bar. My current extended travel set up came with a “relocation kit”, basically a spacer.

 

Stiffer spring/shock combo can help with body roll but there's no substitute for how a sway bar transfers weight from one side of the vehicle to the other.

Vehicles used to roll over all the time before they made them mandatory.

Relatively low speed exploring and wheeling around? Sure take it off

Driving down the highway at 70+ sharing the road with other drivers? I say leave it on

 

So if the sway bar is left, then there is no need to put 5100s. Thanks for the responses and insights.

 

not sure I follow the logic. The 5100 is an adjustable shock that can give you some lift. It’s not used for disconnecting sway bars.

 

I'm still learning about how the suspension works. The 5100s are supposed to let the wheel drop more or give more droop, but with a sway bar then that would not be able to happen. You are right, the 5100s are adjustable. I thought of buying a set, and making a 1 inch lift, but I think what I thought would happen was that it would also allow for the tire stay touching the ground in an off road situation.

 

The 5100s have the extended travel mostly to accommodate a small lift (1-2"). If they didn't and you lifted it, you'd be trading away much of your suspensions downtravel (how much the suspension can move downward from ride height) for the lift. This would then make the ride more jarring when you go over bumps (especially residential speed humps, as well as offroad undulations).

What was said above about the sway bar is correct, if you're shocks are worn out or are low-buck models, removing the bar could result in sketchy handling. 5100s i suspect would be fine w/o it though (I run Fox 2.5s & no sway bar and it's fine). Best thing you can do is pull off the swaybar end links (two nuts each side) and drive it for awhile to see how it feels to you (just be sure to secure the bar so it can't drop down and catch on anything). If you're OK with it, pull the rest of the bar off. If not, simply put the end links back on.

 

Are you planning on lifting your truck at all? If so I would say longer travel is a must. When rock crawling a sway bar does limit your ability to take advantage of extra shock travel. At higher speeds the extra travel will keep your shocks from topping out which is important when hitting large bumps. If you are lifting the truck at all without the extra travel it takes very little to top out the shocks and can happen on road as well.

The rear doesn't have a sway bar so any extra travel you can gain is extremely helpful off-road. You can't really gain much there without lifting though

There are sway bar disconnects that can be installed but the quality ones aren't cheap.

 

You will gain some travel, even with the sway still connected, but the main thing you will gain is clearance. While the 5100 is an upgrade from stock it’s not that much of an extended travel, and not what you’re looking for if you are thinking of serious crawling. It’s a good starting point if you want to get a little more tire under your truck, a little more room under it, and a little more capability in your suspension. Pair them with some good spring upgrades, and it could lead you down a dark path

 

@Taco_Mando There is so much misinformation in this thread.

Do NOT just remove your sway bar end links to test it. The problem with that is the loose sway bar ends can impact the CV boots and tear them, or (worse) possibly catch a brake line.

If you want to test it, please just take the whole sway bar off. It doesn’t take long at all to remove it then put it back on.

A lift in front does NOT allow you to run a bigger tire. When you compress the suspension off road your tires will still go right back up in your wheel wells to where they are now and will rub. A lift moves your front differential out of harm’s way though, and the sweet spot for these trucks is anything between 1 and 2 inches, assuming you are staying with OEM upper control arms.

I also have a 2014 Tacoma. I did the math and the sway bar turns the stock 540 lb. springs into ~700 lb. equivalents per side during sway.

I drive spiritedly with no sway bar, and have for 20 years with 3 different Tacomas. Once you get used to it, it is not a problem. You will not find a (high speed) race truck anywhere with a front sway bar, full stop.
BUT: I absolutely would NOT do it with OEM springs or softly valved shocks. Both my front and rear suspension are upgraded with more firmly valved shocks and stiffer springs.

If you are going to try running without a sway bar, I’d recommend a minimum spring rate of 600 lbs., and upgraded shocks and at least an AAL in rear, and that is only if your truck is close to stock weight. If it’s heavier, you’ll want stiffer springs and potentially more firmly valved shocks.

5100’s are great shocks for the money. 1 inch of lift is NOT going to make them ride more roughly over bumps — 3rd gen Tacomas have the exact same suspension geometry as 2nd gens and they come with an additional inch of lift from the factory.

What WILL make your ride stiffer is the firmer digressive valving of the 5100’s. But that also increases control and performance both on- and off road.

If you want to try running with no sway bar with 5100’s, get some Old Man Emu 620 lb. coils or some 3rd gen OEM coils. Also consider getting stiffer rear shocks and at least an AAL.

Also don’t forget that if you lift your truck you’ll need to get an alignment.

 

Of course this is right. I wasn’t thinking about everything else I did the same time I went to 5100’s (BMC, pinch weld, plastic work, offsets), but my broader point that having your sway bar connected doesn’t negate gains you get from 5100’s remains.

 

I lifted my truck 12 years ago using the OEM TRD Baja Bilstein 6112 (new springs probably 6 years ago). I also put on the as well as new UCAs just last year. I guess this put's me around 3-3.5' if lift.

I'm now getting a clunk when in reverse and turning the wheels backing into my garage and going over the curb. Took it to my mechanic and they said the sway bar is hitting the strut/shock. Apparently there is a sway bar re-locate kit that will provide more space??



Anyone have experience with this?

Thanks,

Jay

Edit: With the heavier 650lb springs, I took my sway bar off for a year or so.. I feel like it did softened the ride up a bit on/off road. However, I put it back on and overall prefer it even though it's a bit stiffer.

 

They’re cheap and sold everywhere, just google it.

 

Got billstein 6112's up front and went with the 650# springs. Took the sway bar off and am completely happy. I imagine the slightly higher spring rate does make a difference.

It's slightly noticeable honestly. At higher speeds there's only a brief "bounce" time where the truck dips a bit more than it normally would before grabbing and moving. Again the higher spring rate probably makes a difference but I've been okay with it and would have re-added the sway bar if I really felt I was trading too much control/safety.

If you do the work your self, it's not hard and can easily be redone.

 

Somebody obviously can't read well...
I did say to secure the bar so it can't fall down into the suspension (maybe use a piece of wire or something). No point taking the whole thing off until one has decided whether they want it or not.

https://www.extremeterrain.com/icon-vehicle-dynamics-tacoma-sway-bar-relocation-kit-611030.html
https://www.extremeterrain.com/supreme-suspensions-sway-bar-drop-kit-0518-2wd-6lug-tacoma.html
https://www.extremeterrain.com/free...m-front-sway-bar-relocation-kit-fo-t402f.html

 

Lol yea they also have roll cages, five point harnesses and onboard fire extinguisher systems.

OP's truck is bone stock. He's not going to gain anything by removing the sway bar

Next time I'm driving my kid to school I'll close my eyes and pretend I'm jumping sand dunes in the desert somewhere

 

The suspension is mechanically limited. “Extended travel” doesn’t mean anything in the real world, but it’s great marketing for those that don’t want to spend thousands on (real) long travel.
Here’s just one video to get you started on this path of knowledge you seek.
https://youtu.be/ATmyTbMJL3o

 

5100/4600 are longer and have more stroke length vs stock shocks thus giving more droop and suspension travel. 4600/5100 REAR shocks for the tacomas are identical outside of surface finish and color, front 4600/5100's have slightly different valving and 5100s have the height adjustments.

Get 5100's if you want to add some height to the front or even stock height.

 

I've mostly done fire roads and local off-road trail that might have some minor obstacles, but no rock crawling. The truck has spent more time on the roads and highways. I was not thinking of removing the sway bar, at the time of my question I thought that if the sway bar limits movement wouldn't the benefits of a 5100 be canceled? After the responses that I received it became clear that 5100s would allow me to adjust or lift the truck 1 inch but keep everything else the same. After replacing the shocks the plan is, after a few more months with riding with the tires it has already, to add one size bigger, 265 /75 R16s.

I was talking to my buddy today in the morning about the forum and the conversation that we are having. Thanks for the responses and the videos. Feels like being in class.