Ran my 4x4 with the sway bar connected for 2 years off-road...

I was out at the Hollister Hills OHV park last month with some guys from a local club. One of them watches me crawl over a rock garden and just goes "dude why is your sway bar still on?" I told him I thought it was supposed to stay connected for stability or something. He showed me the difference on his rig with quick disconnects and I felt like a complete idiot. Has anyone else missed something that obvious for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael_bennett1117d ago

Man that's exactly how I felt when I finally unhooked mine! I ran with it connected for like three years thinking the wobble was just part of off-roading. First time I disconnected and hit a washboard trail it felt like a whole different vehicle, like the suspension actually worked instead of just fighting itself the whole time.

wesley_thompson9d ago

I used to think people were overreacting about disconnecting the sway bar, figured it was just some internet hype. But after reading your story and some others, I finally got curious enough to try it myself last weekend on a rocky trail I've run a hundred times. And yeah, I was dead wrong. The difference was night and day, my truck actually flexed instead of just bouncing off every rock like a pogo stick. Makes me wonder how much unnecessary wear I put on my suspension all those years driving around with it locked up tight. Kind of embarrassing to admit I was that guy arguing against it for so long.

perry.karen17d ago

Three years? Oh man, I did five before I finally wised up and disconnected mine. The first rocky trail after that felt like I was driving a completely different rig, like the shocks actually had room to breathe instead of locking up every time. Honestly, I still kick myself for not doing it sooner, that factory sway bar setup is just a disaster for off-road articulation.