To Sway Or Not to Sway

Me and my buddie removed my sway bar when doing a shock install. I've gone years without it now. There is a noticeable difference in handling, but I was told by my buddie that it unlocks the independent suspension travel for crawling. Anyone else been in this scenario? I've been pondering, is there maybe a more flexible sway bar that's worth purchasing? Or slap on the old one for safety on road (It's my daily driver). Any insights are appreciated!

 

I do not have a sway bar because of this and other reasons. The truck is fine.

other options are electronic sway bar like a newer vehicle or manual disconnect.
No sway bar is easier and cheaper.

dont really buy “on road”. The shocks are better. It can turn, corner, change direction, drift, and J turn.
If there is body roll it is detectable and manageable.
It’s just not the best at cornering such as if one was aiming for maximum speed in a corner. Which doesn’t matter. It’s a truck not Nurburgring Porsche. Not every vehicle has sway bar(s) let alone big ones.
The truck does not spend its time on the Nurburgring.

people figure out how to roll stock trucks regardless of sway bar.

 

Don't they sell manual quick disconnects for the 2nd Gen front sway bar now?

On road =connected
Crawling = disconnected

 

yes. I had them. They were a pain to work on and would come loose. I tried everything. Tightening. Blue loctite. Orange loctite. Red loctite. On top of it coming with nylock and lock washers. More crap on the front end. Got rid of them.

on road with a sway bar = ride worse

If you want any sort of articulation even if you’re not on a trail
Finding a perfectly flat spot to get out and pull the pin isn’t really convenient. Or getting the pins back in.

 

The swaybar geometry in these trucks is not particularly amenable to disconnect mechanisms.

I made my own, which replaced the vertical links at the control arms. It was an extensive design effort, with several machined high-strength steel components. With urethane bumpers, I only wound up getting 2.5" differential travel (3" with bumpers squished). Not negligible but not amazing. They worked but were difficult to operate, had to park at just the right angle to unload them before disconnecting. Unfortunately they wound up being incompatible with the reinforced spindles I later installed, so they are no longer installed.

I drive off road a lot, but also on windy highways in a spirited (but not reckless or illlegal) fashion. For me, it doesn't make sense to delete the sway bar.

I would love to try a torsional disconnect mechanism instead, in the middle of the bar, but this would be a major project. The offset geometry makes this difficult and provides little clearance to front skids. Also my understanding is that I can't weld to the bar, at least not for torsional load bearing interface, so would need to machine splines for its attachment to the mechanism. I have a spare swaybar to try someday, maybe I'll just try welding it anyway, but probably it will remain another spare part in my garage forever.

So for now I just deal with reduced articulation off road, perhaps enjoying a slightly quicker or safer drive to get there on winding highways. Many others report they are happy having removed the sway bar, I am not trying to disagree with them here, but this is not what I want to do. An important factor is that my truck, being older, does not have VSC. Thus having a sway bar is likely of greater safety importance in collisions, near-collisions, or loss of control scenarios.

 

depends on what shocks you have. People with no sway bar typically have upgraded shocks and spindle gussets.

my truck does not have VSC. Nor traction control. (rightly so)
driving a vehicle is better than having a Leapfrog plugged in taking over with a seizure.

if folks are looking to crash into you there is armor for that.

4th gen electric sway bar would probably fit.

 

To the OP. Up to you try it both ways. I went a few years without the swaybar and it was nice on road around town and off road... but I started doing more loaded up highway driving and the body roll was a bit much so back on it went.

FYI the TRD OR swaybar is a slightly smaller diameter than any other models swaybar which will lend it to allow for slightly more independent articulation than the others.

4th gen swaybar is completly different as is suspension. 4th gen swaybar is behind the LCA down low and connects to the LCA and not spindle.

 

My truck feels so much better on the road with them connected.

 

Tinkerers adventurer has a great video on this.

 

I have 700 pound coilovers, and I still do not like how the truck handles at speed without the sway bar. Coilsprings can be made stiffer, but cannot provide differential roll stiffness like a sway bar does.

Again, I'm not saying that you or others are wrong to prefer removing the sway bar. It is a matter of preference. Just that my preference is to keep it regardless of the spring or shock configuration, which unfortunately reduces off-road articulation.

I wish there were an easier way to disconnect it, but sadly it seems your options are to either live with it or delete it entirely. I made very specialized disconnectable links, but they didn't fit when I went to gusseted spindles, and I figured the spindle reinforcement was more important for my situation.

And agreed, I wish VSC were available without traction control. VSC is a hugely effective safety system that dramatically reduces the odds of rolling over in a panic swerve or loss of control event. Traction control is a useless nanny system that interferes with correct driving techniques in most low traction situations. VSC gets a bad name for its association with traction control, but it is very different and does not meddle with driving, on road or off. Except when you are about to roll over, then it can often prevent that from happening.

Trucks and SUVs used to be more dangerous than cars because their higher center of mass made them more prone to rollover. Now they are safer than cars because VSC is mandated, and without the higher rollover risk what remains is a heavier vehicle that fares better in collisions.

Swaybars are not nearly as effective as VSC, but do decrease rollover risk.

 

I have not had a sway bar for a very long time with icon coil overs. The digressive valve i think, helps with sudden emergency inputs which driving around california ive had MANY. The car moves more but never felt out of control but i also understand im in a lifted overweight truck and am not flying down the freeways.

I recently added the SDI electronic suspension that sort of gives a simulated sway bar feeling by stiffening the outside shocks when turning. Body roll in turns is reduced along with diving under braking.
https://eclikshocks.com/toyota/

 

I was on the fence about it for months so I tested with a front sway bar and without a front sway bar off-road for about 2 months, and wont look back.
I chose to remove my sway bar / anti roll bar, as I don't have a rear locker, VSC, or DAC, or any kind of aids to speak off I wanted as much advantage as I can off-road without selling my liver.
Its my daily driver, and weekend off-roader. I typically drive slow like my 5ton tucks at work.

In my area I see

• Paved Road
• High Speed FSR's Wash Board Roads (with 1ft deep Ruts / bomb craters (no high speed "Whoops" does not exist in my area.))
• Slow Speed Crawling or Cross Axle stuff.

I wont speak to on road as it is well documented and talked about.

Highspeed FSR's
Without the sway bar, the Truck does not jolt you from left to right and I can maintain a slightly faster speed.
For lack of words, It rides like a wave, similar to a boat when its rocking from side to side. Before it would ride that wave but you notice a jolt at the top of the wave as if you hit a hard stop somewhere.
When the truck is not rocking left to right and going over bumps forwards to backwards, I do notice that it utilizes the whole suspension. While independent from left to right. Allowing for a smoother ride.
I do have to be careful about speed while turning as you would on paved roads.

Slow Speed Crawling, driving thru a river bed or Cross Axle stuff.
Without the sway bar, on slower speed trails. The Truck does not lose traction as frequently. Even while cross axled, and can maintain at least 3 wheels planted.
On rocks or a rock garden or similar terrain it is very nice as it allows more flexibility on the front to grab whatever to make it through.

If you want to remove your sway bar / anti roll bar. Its up to your use case if you frequent off-road.
You can remove your sway bar and test it. See how you like it, if you have the capability to do so its literally free.

 

Depending on the car, people stiffen and widen rear bars to resolve understeer and become more neutral or oversteer. The Tacoma did not come with a rear sway.

 

OP - test for yourself with and without a swaybar and make your own decision. Lots of big tough guys here like to think they are heroes for removing the sway bar and driving like a real man or whatever macho nonsense they come up with. Go watch the Tinkerer video linked up above too and you'll see how nonsensical it can all become sometimes. I expect this comment to rustle some jimmies and that's fine because anytime I see comments saying "Hurr durr I delete sway bar look at me I have driving skills like a race car" it just makes me chuckle and then I go about my life and do what I want to do anyways. Make your own decision. I'm happy to keep my sway bar installed all the time.