Swaybar, who needs it!

[Renegade]

Finally got the MJ to a point I could take it for a short test drive with the new lift. I haven't reconnected the swaybar yet & I really didn't miss it. It did body roll a bit in tight turns, but nothing scary. I realize in an emergency manuever it could make a big difference, but I'm used to tall trucks & their quirky handling.

Anybody just do away with it?

Even without it it still doesn't bodyroll NEARLY as much as my TJ on 36's with 7.5" lift & no rear swaybar....of course I'm not sure it's sane to drive that thing faster than 35.

[Oizarod115]

the XJ doesnt have a swaybar... but it's got RE coils and they're stiff as crap, been running sans swaybar for a year or so, that includes plenty of highway and around town...

 

just remember what you're driving. and no i still don't recommend it, things can get hairy.

[ORCA]

I had mine off for about a year before I reconnected it. I was sick of being on the freeway and swaying around...plus I had JKS quickies so I wanted to start using them.

 

However now that I have a daily driver I might just rip it off and sell the JKS's. The rear one has been off ever since I bought the truck.

[TNT]

Properly set-up I prefer to run without it. If you tow that's a different story...

[86FUBAR]

HELL YA i love driving with out the sway bar its alota fun , specialy if u got someone ridn with u that doesnt know or understand . i took it off about 6 or 7 years ago and havent looked back , well , until my kid started ridin with me . it aint on yet but iv been thinking about it , besides its not a race car and i drive with extreme caution (most of the time :roll: ). it body rolled a fair amount with the 4" lift and only slightly more now at 9" o lift . u just gota remember what ur driving and yes it aint the safest thing to do but not much these days is . u also realy gota revaulate ur driving style and skill but definatly fun . :brows:

[Oizarod115]

HELL YA i love driving with out the sway bar its alota fun , specialy if u got someone ridn with u that doesnt know or understand . i took it off about 6 or 7 years ago and havent looked back , well , until my kid started ridin with me . it aint on yet but iv been thinking about it , besides its not a race car and i drive with extreme caution (most of the time :roll: ). it body rolled a fair amount with the 4" lift and only slightly more now at 9" o lift . u just gota remember what ur driving and yes it aint the safest thing to do but not much these days is . u also realy gota revaulate ur driving style and skill but definatly fun . :brows:

 

yeah, and i forgot to say the XJ is on 35s with 6.5"

[Eagle]

Finally got the MJ to a point I could take it for a short test drive with the new lift. I haven't reconnected the swaybar yet & I really didn't miss it. It did body roll a bit in tight turns, but nothing scary. I realize in an emergency manuever it could make a big difference, but I'm used to tall trucks & their quirky handling.

Anybody just do away with it?

Even without it it still doesn't bodyroll NEARLY as much as my TJ on 36's with 7.5" lift & no rear swaybar....of course I'm not sure it's sane to drive that thing faster than 35.

One of the early NAXJA members tried driving with out his front sway bar. He had to swerve to avoid a dog a couple of blocks from home, at 30 MPH. He rolled the XJ and totaled it.

 

Driving an XJ without a front sway bar is scary, and I think due to the lighter weight an MJ would be even worse. It is exceptionally dangerous, because in an evasive maneuver at highway speed the vehicle will be virtually uncontrollable.

 

Further, if you are ever involved in an accident involving loss of life or serious injury, you can bet there will be accident reconstruction specialits going over both vehicles with a fine-tootheed comb. If they find (and they WILL find it) that you were driving with a piece of factory safety equipment disabled -- in liability court you will be toast.

 

IMHO it ain't worth the risk, and it's very foolish. I value my life too much to take the chance. I've survived three serious accidents in my life, two as the driver. In both of those in which I was driving, I survived because I could control the vehicle at highway speeds. Without a front sway bar at least one of those incidents would certainly have resulted in a rollover. (I did a 360 in the middle lane of the Schuykill Expressway in Philadelphia, in rush hour traffic, to avoid a moron who locked up his brakes in front of me FOR NO REASON.)

[ORCA]

One of the early NAXJA members tried driving with out his front sway bar. He had to swerve to avoid a dog a couple of blocks from home, at 30 MPH. He rolled the XJ and totaled it.

 

Lifted or stocker?

 

Once lifted, all bets are off if you remove the sway bar. :brows:

 

However I personally don't run the rear sway bar on my comanche and really don't notice a difference. (Knock on wood) I haven't been in anything serious with that truck...

[MiNi Beast]

No sway bar man. Mines DD and ride the highway, not a problem. Had few close calls in almost hitting someone, missed stop sign at 4 way, But downshifted and jerked right around them. honestly felt it reacted better in fast turning. But still say when center of gravity is off going around curve don't get testy. But once your used to it, it's all good. And you don't have to worry about the woman trying to drive it either, my girl gets scared $#!&-less just going down the the driveway.

[Eagle]

Lifted or stocker?

 

Lifted ... not that it matters. Running without at least the front sway bar is dangerous, regardless of whether or not it's lifted. The factory doesn't spend money on things they don't need. If they could save 50 cents by omitting the sway bar and still sell a safe vehicle, they'd do it in a heartbeat. Those things are there for a reason.

 

I see most of you have convinced yourselves that taking it off is somehow "better." You're wrong, but I don't expect to convince you so go right ahead. I just hope when you have the inevitable wreck as a result, the only person injured or killed is yourself. You have every right to risk your own life and safety any way you choose. You have NO right to risk anyone else's life or safety because you choose to make your vehicle unsafe.

 

End of sermon.

[UNL1MTD]

When I got my MJ on the road at first it was without an anti-sway bar because I donated my brackets to a buddy which hold the anti-sway bar to the body. I don't wheel the truck (2wd) and just driving it around to work or the dump was fine. In fact I thought the ride was pretty smooth.

 

When I had a passenger that was large in size the jeep always sat crooked, which I thought was funny, but no big deal.

 

Only time the thing got super scary to drive was when it was hauling a load in the bed. For example 2 yards of mulch in the bed. I couldn't go much faster than 45 because the front end was so light I had terrible steering and the truck just wanted to change lanes with the breeze. Thats about the only time it really puckered me up. I never had to take evasive action in the truck though.

 

I put the anti-sway bar back on not to long ago and just last week I hauled 1200 pounds of topsoil, the truck didn't get wobbly on the highway or feel unstable in the least. I also did the same haul with 2 yards of mulch and albeit weighted down, it wasn't scary to drive or steer.

 

Normal driving hasn't really suffered in comfort either. I personally don't see the appeal in removing a functioning device that adds safety at no sacrifice on the road. When you get to wheeling I definitely understand the need for the axle articulation and I disconnect my TJ for that reason.

[Renegade]

Running without at least the front sway bar is dangerous, regardless of whether or not it's lifted. The factory doesn't spend money on things they don't need. Those things are there for a reason.

 

 

I agree & disagree. Coil suspensions definitely need'em. Yet they are useless on a leaf setup since the suspension itself is so rigid. Just the companies covering their a$$es IMO.

Only reason I asked is since we have leaf packs in the rear it might be liveable & relatively safe. As far as liability goes, as soon as the lift was added your a$$ is grass anyway in most states.

 

For the record, I found some spare end links I had & hooked it up. The handling is definitely better & it's there to stay.

[jared]

well i am not saying its better without.

 

but i drove my cherokee with no sway bars at all. i bought it with none. i never had a single problem with doing so, and i did have to make some manuvers in a quick time and it wasn;t a big deal. i rolled a honda civic before that had front and rear swaybars, they really didn't do anything to stop me from rolling, but it was the EXCESSIVE SPEED i was going. so drive safe if you have a lifted truck or a stocker with or without sway bars. its really not that hard to roll a truck goning 30 mph

[HOrnbrod]

However I personally don't run the rear sway bar on my comanche and really don't notice a difference. (Knock on wood) I haven't been in anything serious with that truck...

 

SouthLakeSoldier: You have a rear sway bar on your Comanche? Aftermarket or what?

[dakal]

i run my sway bar on road and quick disconnects off road. running w/o sway bar/ sudden avoidance means wreck. i drive 50 to 60 milesperhour off road and enjoy the extra movement, but on road no thanks :D

[ORCA]

However I personally don't run the rear sway bar on my comanche and really don't notice a difference. (Knock on wood) I haven't been in anything serious with that truck...

 

SouthLakeSoldier: You have a rear sway bar on your Comanche? Aftermarket or what?

 

I personally don't run the rear sway bar on my comanche

[HOrnbrod]

Reason I asked is because MJ's didn't have rear sway bars from the factory.

[offroader461]

must be aftermarket...MJ don't have a factory rear bar...only front...XJ's came with a rear bar and i deleted mine but still have the fronts on both my XJ and MJ...drove my MJ after i lifted it for about a month w/o it and immediatly put it back on...Thats why most lifts address the sway bar with either:

 

drop brackets, longer links or disconnects

 

if the bar wasnt necessary they wouldn't need to put this stuff in a lift kit...just my .02, i run mine and only disconnect it OFFROAD

[pingpong]

I have done it both ways :oops: As eagle has pointed out the risk is not worth the benefit. If by some unlucky chance you have an accident and you kill/serously injure/injure someone the lawyers will have a field day on you for not having proper safety equipment. IF you are involved in an accident in a "PROPERLY" lifted vehicle, you have a chance of keeping some of your worldy belongings.... if not... well just bend over and take it like a man.

[ORCA]

Weird, I guess it was after market. The PO didn't know much about the truck and apparently neither do I....

 

Too bad I threw it out :thwak:

[DirtyComanche]

I always ran without. I found the handling in all situations to be acceptable. I could have made it roll, but I don't drive like that. What was scary was when the UCA bushings exploded.

[Oizarod115]

probly not worth the trouble considering this

 

http://www.4xshaft.com (tom-woods driveline website)

Core charge is $100.00. Core required for main-shaft. To receive full core credit, original main-shaft must be returned in good condition. Bent main shafts will not be accepted for core refund Return freight will be at customers expense.

 

Prices begin at $370 and includes a custom Constant Velocity (CV), Double Cardan Drive shaft.

 

appears that's a machined stock shaft? whoops... i'd have figured tom woods' stuff would be the HD unit, lemme check AA then

[HOrnbrod]

Weird, I guess it was after market. The PO didn't know much about the truck and apparently neither do I....

 

Too bad I threw it out :thwak:

 

Yeah, you had a rare jewel there. The only folks I know that ever made a bolt-in rear sway for the MJ (SWB only) was/is Performance System Technology in NJ. Design was bad on theirs as they used the stock upper shock mount with a simple "L" bracket for the sway bar retainer. I think a well designed rear sway for a lifted MJ with discos would be useful for highway driving.

[Pete M]

I've got a couple 8.8 sway bars in the garage and when the 90 goes back in for it's continued service, I'll be holding up a bar to see how well it might fit. Just for kicks. :D

[HOrnbrod]

I've got a couple 8.8 sway bars in the garage and when the 90 goes back in for it's continued service, I'll be holding up a bar to see how well it might fit. Just for kicks. :D

 

Sounds good Pete. Even with the metric ton springs in back, I'm still getting a bit more body roll than I like with the camper, and I think a good anti-roll bar in the rear would help a lot. Suppose I could hold up an XJ bar in the back too if I had one to see if it would possibly work.........