OR swaybar vs. Sport swaybar

How noticeable is the ride quality between the OR and sport swaybar? I'm assuming the off road sway bar would be better when going over potholes, big angled speedbumps, light off roading, etc. Any input?

 

Are they different ?

 

I learned something new today

 

Actually it does effect the suspension a good bit. When both wheels go over a speed bump, there is no effect since there is no differential between the movement of the two sides. When one wheel encounters a bump or hole the spring rate of the bar gets added to the spring rate of the suspension. That is why people remove them in the first place. A bigger bar will mean even less articulation off road and it will mean a harsher ride on uneven surfaces.

I didn't know the sport bar was thicker either

 

X2

 

OP asked about the effect of more swaybar on potholes and light offroading, so my comments are correct. The suspension doesn't know whether it is off road or on road. The more it works, the more the effect will be felt. Obviously, on the street the suspension does not work as hard, but if he hits a pothole the jarring he will feel will be greater with a thicker bar. Is the difference between the 2 bars significant? Don't know,...haven't driven a Sport. My standard bar is long gone because of the effect it had.

 

On the contrary, the swaybar can have a drastic effect on how the vehicle takes bumps. What the swaybar does, is it ties the two sides of the suspension together, so that forces applied to just one side will be transferred to some degree over to the other. The heavier the bar, the greater the force applied to the other side.

A heavier swaybar will cause off center bumps to be more jarring than with a softer swaybar. Bumps hit evenly with both sides will be unaffected.

The reason why the sport (and presumably SR5 as well) have heavier swaybars than offroad, is because offroad is intended to more effectively absorb off-side bumps, at the expense of on-road cornering stability.

 

The Off Road sway bar is theoretically 'better' than the Sport sway bar when hitting bumps/holes on one side, but who knows how much. Probably not enough to tell. Also, The Off Road also has progressive springs. Meaning, the further they compress, the 'harder' they get. You can't really compare apples to apples since the springs are different.

The smaller the sway bar is (or lack of sway bar), the better the truck will take a hole/bump on one side because the hit will not transfer to the opposite side spring/shock.

 

It will ride better. The downside, obviously, is turning speed is reduced, and you won't be able to race your Prerunner/4x4 truck on the NASCAR truck series anymore.

 

Dude, you know better LOL You're one of the sharper tools in the box, no pun intended. If someone else said that you'd be on them like a hobo on a ham sandwich .

 

I suppose i'll just take my swaybar off and go from there. It lookes like it should be a one man job? Will i absolutely need an extra set of hands or air tools?

 

To make it easier jack up front remove both wheels and skid plate. Then just undo the bolts, you may need power tools if they are rusted up bad.

Tools I used:

17mm or 19 mm sockets
Impact gun
Locking clamp

That's all you should need for the sway removal itself. I wouldn't of removed it, but I bought stiffer springs so I figured I was safe. And so far I was right love the ride now and a lot smoother

 

(to complete whippersnapper's comment) ...while the thinner OR swaybar allows a bit more flex for better handling over rough terrain. Personally, I can't detect any difference between the two, so it's definately subtle.

 

Shouldn't need to remove front wheels to remove the sway bar (past experience here....)

 

I'm sure there will be many opinions about this that I don't care to debate, but here is mine. I don't believe it's a good idea to remove the bar if the suspension is still stock. The stock suspension on these trucks is soft and offers little in the way of dampening. You could experience an unsafe level of body roll by removing it, especially in a panic situation. If you upgrade the suspension to a quality C/O or similar set-up with good dampening, then removing the bar is a more viable option. The better damping will slow the reaction of the suspension. If you do remove it, be very careful till you get a feel for the change in handling. You will definietly have to slow down on corners. My bar is removed and I like it much better, but there is nothing stock left in my suspension.

Removing the bar is easy. No extra hands or air tools required. Removing the wheels makes it easier, but it's not necessary.