Yes or No, Keep the sway bar on?

EXACTLY! In March 2018, I blew a strut. Had to order some new ones, in the mean time I installed some Rancho's because a local shop had some. SAME exact issue! Look at Rancho 9000's and Freedom's bottom plate. They are flat. Look at Fox, King, Icon, Iron-man, Dobinson's, etc....

They are tapered. That flat plate is going to rub no matter what you do.

I kept the Rancho's for a couple weeks, then installed the Dobinson's.

Rancho (Tenneco) actually sent me a refund check.

The issue is a cheap strut, not designed for Tacoma's. Just like crappy Rancho's.

 

@badger I'm thinking about situations like @KalamaKid posted... I'm less worried about me as I am about the people who pass me going 80 or 85. Its scary. But, to your point, I agree with you.

 

I'll dig up pics, to show you, had 3 different struts installed in a matter of like a month. Iron-man which died (lasted for 5 years, loved them, but too expensive to have new ones shipped to the US), Rancho with flat plate like Freedom and then Dobinson's (another great Aussie strut, but they have distributor in the US now, so no $200 shipping which I was waiting for to come in)

 

I bet that car that flipped was running swaybars

 

Would it be ludicrous to remove the sway bar, and tap it out a little with a sledge to make it fit around the shocks? I doubt freedom will take them back, and they seem to work fine except for the rubbing.

 

That would be a very bad idea. A swaybar is a spring. Hitting it with a hammer could cause damage that would cause it to snap later on. If it happened during hard cornering it would almost certainly result in loss of control.

 

noted. bad idea.

 

Ran up a concert median and bounced off a overpass pillar.

 

I only removed it after I swapped to 700lb springs.

 

I hear ya. My wife will insist I keep the freedoms for now. That is so weird they would sell a coilover that doesn't fit the intended vehicle. Ive owned these things for two months now, and didn't install them until recently. I doubt I can send them back... looks like no sway bar until I can save up for new shocks or until someone makes an inch wider sway bar.

 

It's midnight here, I literally have TB of pics and Vids of my truck, short notice best I can do. But you get the point. See how the Rancho's, like Freedom's have a flat base at the bottom of the coil? The iron-man and Dobinson's don't, like all other good struts.

 

I never noticed this until just now reading my own post, lol! See my 2nd pic, the spring is scraped up after I removed the Rancho's, the scraping from rubbing matches yours.

 

The second to last pic look at the Rancho in the foreground, see rub marks?

 

I run 810lb, still wouldn't drive without sway bar. But on the street, I drive like I'm on the street. Heavy curve at 60+ ... No sway bar... Your toast!

 

Not required, but added to help with geometry.

 

This. I tried removing the sway bar after my 2.5" lift. It drove fine but I spend a lot of time of dry pavement and the sway bar made me feel better. I would take it off for an off-road trip and just be cognizant of turning abruptly.

I am not sure but my thoughts are that ice and snow would reduce traction. The sway bar preventy body roll on turns and maneuverability that produce enough g-forces to affect the body. Wouldn't you already be minimizing those types of turns when on a reduced traction road?

I'm also interested in this topic because I don't have a lot of time driving without the sway bar.

 

Mine is removed. I did a lot of winter driving in the mountains of Colorado last December. Truck did fine even in a snow storm. It'll have a lot more body roll but you get used to it pretty quickly. It made me drive more cautiously and slower but that's not a bad thing at all.


Had to play in the snow a bit while I was there


No sway bar

 

To attempt to stop rubbing with Rancho's I fabbed these drop brackets, Rubbed a little less...

 

If your a 'granny driver'on the street your fine. If not... Sway Bar! If your worried about just short, single extreme off road trips every now and then... remove 4 bolts, big ass zip ties to keep it out the way. Personally, my thinking is, unless you have long travel, keep it on.

But, I'm on oddball, on the road, drive my Tacoma like I stole it, off road, I drive it like I bought it from a second cousin who stole it. In other words I push it to the limits...

No way, me personally would drive on the road without a sway bar. I mean, with an impact, it takes what 15 mins to get it off?
If your going somewhere... Just take it off!

 

That'll destroy your CV boots when the swaybar makes contact with them.

Also, even on standard, non-extended travel coilovers, the swaybar is going to limit your wheel travel.