Sway Bar Link

Get rid if it, sell it for scrap. You really don't need it. This has been talked about for quite some time. My truck is SAS'd and I still don't need one.

Remove it to give it a good cleaning... drive around the neighborhood and see for yourself before you re-install.

For all that are thinking about doing this, just try it. It seems that most get the idea that you're doing something wrong or illegal or your parents are to put you on restriction if you remove it. It does not keep the truck held together in any way... it's not spring loaded so it won't blow up or anything like that.

I do however, suggest wearing a good pair of safety glasses while working around or under your truck.
Without safety... ya' get hurt, ya' can't go wheelin'.

Good luck.

 

Yeah man just lose it. People who advocate a sway bar in these trucks don't really know what their actual function is. The only time you'll notice it is when you're doing 80 and making a very aggressive turn on a high traction surface.

 

You guys are now tempting me to actually get rid of it...why would they install it then as an original part if it has no function according to you guys?

 

the thing is I don't know how long it's been broken. I've had this truck since late 2014 and it's never been pointed out to me before. The shop that replaced my fuel filter a month ago didn't put a bolt back on the bracket so I took it back yesterday and when they were doing it they noticed the link busted. So maybe I've been driving on it like this since I got it or it just happened. I guess I haven't noticed a difference but I've only driven 45 mph (no freeway driving yet) so I don't know if that will make a difference or not. I did notice a loud clunk underneath though when going over a dip.

 

It has a function that is redundant for most people driving these trucks. It's basically a trade off of high speed cornering for low and mid speed off road/ bumps. Most people happily make it.

 

This just came to mind, is my truck originally equipped with a rear sway bar? I'm not seeing one so I'm going to say no

 

No rear sway bar on Pre Runners.

I drive 70-75mph on the freeway with no problems, even with a SAS.

Like you said, you've been driving around without it... save some cash and get rid of it.
You will DEFINITELY notice the difference while off-road.

Good luck.

 

Think only truck from Toyota to come with a rear sway bar is the x runner.

 

keep this in mind. if youre driving down a freeway/highway and some ass whos plastic bedliner suddenly flew up in the air, cause it wasn't properly mounted (yes ive seen it, along with a bed mattress......), in front of you and you had to swerve very quickly to dodge it or get to safety, you going to be in some deep shit if you don't know how to handle a vehicle without a sway bar.

Or possibly even going 40 across an intersection and someone runs the red light and you swerve. youll most likely swerve into the light pole unless, again, you know how to handle the truck without a sway bar.

Safety like this is the very reason why there is a sway bar. people can handle a vehicle better if both tires are on the ground in an emergency situation. If you feel you can handle the truck without a sway bar and are willing to take the extra little chance, by all means go ahead. If you don't think you can handle a tire lifting off the ground during a hard swerve, leave it on. its all about safety.

Also, these trophy trucks are barely going 25, maybe 30 mph.

 

Huge difference between shock set up on a trophy truck and ours but I get your drift. I'd like to add I hit turns kinda fast sometimes and have never had left off like that.

 

So much what.

 

I've broken a sway bar link on two different occasions, both of them a few hundred miles of interstate from home. With speeds of 80 mph I found it very unnerving going over dips in the interstate, and downright dangerous when the dip happened to be in a curve. So much so that I had to slow down to 60 mph. On the straightaway there was of course no difference, nor was there any in town.

In my opinion, only a complete and utter fool would drive without a sway bar or with a broken link.

 

Only an utter fool would drive these 'trucks' at that speed. They are not race cars, get one of those if you feel the need for speed.

Also, with the OEM shocks which suck, I would still remove the sway bar. I removed my sway bar long ago, prior to ICON CO's and other parts..
The OEM spring rate is too stiff to begin with.

Whenever you decide to mod your truck, you will figure it out. From your sig, you are stock, so you have no experience to reply.
Just being real, no disrespect intended.

Good luck OP.

 

Or with a completely shot suspension.

As I said before, people who think you need a sway bar don't even know what it's for I.E. A sway bar has literally 0 damping effect on any sort of undulation.

I have taken my sway-bar-less truck to 115 with no issues what so ever and drive it steady at 85-90 any time I'm on the highway and it handles just fine.

If your truck is uncontrollable at speeds over 60 mph then you need to have it looked at by a shop because I promise that little sway bar (which literally is just a bar) is not what's making the difference.

 

sooo the sway bar isnt there to help keep the lateral position of both wheels equalized at the shock or spring? Like when youre turning sharply at a speed that causes your truck to lean, the sway bar doesn't keep the inner wheel spring from pushing the truck outwards in a rolling direction?

 

^^... on a race car yes, or a street driven performance car that is built to take a 35mph corner a twice the posted speed.

Remember, these are trucks, not built for speed. They are basically a brick with 4 wheels.

This is becoming comical... I'm out.

OP, 'ditch the bitch."

 

I can't for the life of me get the link bolts loose. I've tried penetrating oil sitting overnight and nothing. Am I supposed to have the allen wrench in the bolt while trying to loosen or am I able to break it loose before that?

 

Nvm a neighbors impact drill did the job flawlessly.

 

you have to hold the allen while turning the wrench, that's why they both are there. and sometimes if it's rusted as bad as yours was it takes more than a single dose of penetrating oil (maybe like a week of soak) to get it loose