Sway Bar Needed Or Just There To Limit

[Spectormj]

I know my rig is stock but I'm wanting to get some movement into my flex 

I'm not sure if the sway bar is gunna be a pain to undo or if i should just hack the dang thing off with my sawzall

 

I never used my sway bar on my old wrangler after i got quick dicos but I'm not sure how the mj will ride with it unhooked

[onlyinajeep726]

It'll sway a lot more in turns, but on a stock height MJ, it shouldn't be terrible.  Just don't take turns and corners too fast.  May consider extended front brake lines or lowering yours if you're going to be doing a lot of flexing, especially if the wheels are turned while flexing.

[Spectormj]

So hack it out with the sawzall is what your saying? 

or would it be a better investment to make quick discos and just never hook em 

[HOrnbrod]

Jesus..............

[Spectormj]

Horn do you have any ideas what would be better 

adjustable or none 

[onlyinajeep726]

You don't need to hack anything off with a sawzall... :thumbsup:

 

You can go about removing it in several ways.  The easiest is to just unbolt the linkages and remove them.  Then you can just tuck the actual antisway bar up out of the way and secure it so it doesn't swing back down.  Or, at the point, you can just unbolt the whole bar and remove all of it.  You may find out though that you hate the amount of body roll/sway you get from removing it.  The MJ has no rear swaybar in stock form, whereas an XJ does.  I removed my rear from my XJ, but opted to keep the front one intact.  I have quick discos for when I'm offroad.  The sway was too much for me, but my center of gravity is higher on the XJ since it's lifted.

[HOrnbrod]

I know my rig is stock but I'm wanting to get some movement into my flex

 

Why? If your rig is stock, I ASSume most of your mileage is racked up on the street. If so, why are you "wanting" flex? Removing your sway bar in a mainly street rig MJ will make any typical ill-handling MJ even worse than it is now. If you are involved in an accident because you couldn't get out of the way or even caused one by not making a critical turn when you had too, your a$$ is grass when they examine your truck and find no sway bar. If you do - do occasional light off-road, just get some quick discos for the bar and disco it for flex when you do. But not on the street. Save yourself a lawsuit, and maybe save a life because you could avoid an accident.

 

Damn - I hate preaching, but in this case I'll make an exception because you seem like a decent kid and want to learn.

[jimoshel]

Cars got along OK without sway bars (anti roll bars) until the mid fifties sometime. The front suspension was much stiffer on the cars then. Primary purpose of the sway bar is to keep the car level when going around corners, Not have the outside of the car dropping more than the inside. Suggestion. Remove it without damaging anything and drive it awhile. If you don't like, put it back on.

[jimoshel]

D*mn Don, Yer fast. 10-4 on the discos.

[Spectormj]

ok for now ill leave it as is till i get my lift 

[GirsMJ86]

Running without one currently on my '88 that has a 4.5" lift, I can't stand it. To me it feels just way too unsafe, too much roll for me in corners or any motion that causes sway. If I keep the thing I'm going to be getting some longer links and re-installing the dang thing. If I did any kind of off-roading and wanted more flex, I'd just get some discos and call it a day.

[Minuit]

I'm with Jim. Disconnect it, drive it a little bit, and prepare to put it back on (just so you know what it's like, honestly).

[jimoshel]

Another option would be to replace the stock springs and shocks with stiffer units.

[Incommando]

I ran without one for a bit on my '88 with 4.5" of lift. It was OK in most driving situations but anything approaching an emergency lane change maneuver caused more body roll than most people might be comfortable with. Once I got the longer links I re-attached my bar and I liked it much better. I have quick discos for the new build.

[Jeep Driver]

On the back roads of E TN, you are either going into a turn or coming out of one just to go back into another. I could not imagine running without one.

Last Sunday I was in Winston/Salem and hit the PnP there, found the illusive 28mm off and XJ.....HUGE difference over the 25mm.

 

Couple of weeks ago I had the front bar off a 2004 Grand, 1 3/16 or about 30mm but the reach from the mounts to the eyes was too long. I've since figured out how I can use it and I'm looking for another.........hen's teeth.

 

There are others that are 1 1/4 but are hollow.......worthless........seems the 2004 is the only year for the BIG solid bar.

 

 

Look to the entire suspension as a package, not as individual pieces.

 

For those who say the MJ suspension is not worth improving......nonsense.......but improve every part of it and it will stay planted in the turns pretty well.

[mvusse]

4.0 stock MJ was okay (but just barely okay) without sway bar.

4.0 MJ lifted 6.5" without sway bar was almost impossible to keep in my lane (bump steer with body roll)

 

2.5 stock MJ without sway bar would roll side to side from turbulent air at any speed over 65mph. And not just a little bit either. This was definitely not safe.

 

Personal experience, your mileage may vary.

[benjy_26]

I don't run sway bars on any of my Jeeps, or on my K5. I don't find it to feels unsafe, unstable, or in anyway law-suit inducing. I also tend to run mud tires with a big void ratio on the street. The relative lack of grip might mitigate the more violent body roll some of these guys are seeing. Another thing, for the times I want to drive a sports car, I have a proper sports car with the engine behind me driving the rear wheels. I do not drive any of my trucks aggressively on the street (they're all grandpa Jeeps in that sense), I always leave plenty of space between myself and the people in front of me, I "drive friendly", and I always drive according to conditions. This saves me fuel, weaf and tear, stress, money on citations, and lets me mind freak my buddies when they see me driving a locked or spooled vehicle on mud terrains in the ice and snow without slipping and sliding around like everyone else. I think that the whole sawybar/no swaybar issue is a matter of personal taste. Some feel like they need it, some don't really miss it.

[benjy_26]

Oh, and you'd be surprised how much flex you can get from the stock quad link jeep suspension when you use poly bushings, unhook the sway bar, and use the proper length shocks. ;)