Are extended sway bar links required after 3" lift?

[Nooga_Rock]

I've seen people say to just run the front with them removed. Is that fine?

How about the rear? Can I use the stock links, or do I need to find extended ones?

 

[thezentree]

I've seen people say to just run the front with them removed. Is that fine?

How about the rear? Can I used the stock links, or do I need to find extended ones?

You should get extended links, but right now I'm running only a rear sway bar with factory links. I took the front swaybar off to replace the LCAs and just never put it back on. With the rear swaybar only, the body roll is worse but it's not terrible and you'll get used to it.

The right way to do it is to get longer links front and rear though.

 

[sleepydad]

You should get extended links, but right now I'm running only a rear sway bar with factory links. I took the front swaybar off to replace the LCAs and just never put it back on. With the rear swaybar only, the body roll is worse but it's not terrible and you'll get used to it.

The right way to do it is to get longer links front and rear though.

I've seen people say to just run the front with them removed. Is that fine?

How about the rear? Can I use the stock links, or do I need to find extended ones?

I would agree with [MENTION=158195]thezentree[/MENTION] you should get some longer ones... I have a 3" lift and ran with the stock ones for a while but it tore the crap out of the bushing and I ended up bending one pretty good.

I also did run without the fronts for a bit but I did not like how much body role I had without them.

I followed this advise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPhWBhfYipQ

since I put these one I have had no trouble with them and it handles good enough for me. I still think the rear has a little more squirrel than I would like but... always searching for the next sway bar link.

 

[TaylorJ129]

I need some new extended sway bar end links but I have no clue where to find the ones that would fit my truck.. I have a 99’ sr5, V6, 2wd and a 3” lift

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jubsz]

I bought the ones that the user sells on here (I believe Mstudt). They're nice pieces and they don't make any noise once tightened correctly. Another option, that I'd probably have gone with if I had known at the time, is moving the front end links to the rear and buying rear 2nd gen end links for the front end. I may not have gotten that option right but you can either search it on here or someone will chime in. There is some combination of 2nd gen and 3rd gen OEM end links that will be approximately correct for a 2-3" lift.

 

[cl4Rk]

I need some new extended sway bar end links but I have no clue where to find the ones that would fit my truck.. I have a 99’ sr5, V6, 2wd and a 3” lift

Thanks in advance!

Courtesy of [MENTION=98153]MStudt[/MENTION] : https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3289368-post46.html

You could also go beefy and adjustable: Heim Joint Sway Bar Links

 

[Endlessblockades]

Courtesy of [MENTION=98153]MStudt[/MENTION] : https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3289368-post46.html

You could also go beefy and adjustable: Heim Joint Sway Bar Links

If you're considering the Studt/OCD links, I'd recommend his newer forged ball design:

Forged Ball Joint Sway Bar Links
– Overland Custom Design

 

[MStudt]

Courtesy of [MENTION=98153]MStudt[/MENTION] : https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3289368-post46.html

You could also go beefy and adjustable: Heim Joint Sway Bar Links

Keep in mind that OPT Offroad just sells my links. Here's my site

Mike

 

[Devbot]

They're nice pieces they don't make any noise once tightened correctly.

This gave me a good laugh, if only you knew ound:ound:
Though I haven't heard a single complaint about Mike's new style, and I know many people here have them

 

[G_Raw]

This gave me a good laugh, if only you knew ound:ound:
Though I haven't heard a single complaint about Mike's new style though, and I know many people here have them

I laughed too. I'm running Mike's old style. Took a minute to get everything tightened down right and lubed to quiet things down. He worked with me on this and was patient. I have no complaints with these bad boys. Honestly a little disappointed they are made so beefy they probably won't ever break so I'll never get the chance to try his new style.

 

[Jubsz]

This gave me a good laugh, if only you knew ound:ound:
Though I haven't heard a single complaint about Mike's new style though, and I know many people here have them

I know there's plenty of questioning this in various threads here but I wanted to give my experience that happens to be positive. Mine were purchased about 6 months ago and made some noise until I tightened them properly. I'm glad that someone took it upon themselves to create a solution to a common problem for the community and provides support on the forum. I will continue to give people that do such props and hope they make money doing it. :cheers: Criticize where necessary but the talk of noise almost scared me into not buying them. Frankly, I would not have bought them had I read all the information here. Now I'm glad I did.

I do wish mine were the new sealed variety but that's fine. If people continue buying them, maybe there will be an even better variant years from now when/if mine start wearing out.

 

[MStudt]

This gave me a good laugh, if only you knew ound:ound:

Though I haven't heard a single complaint about Mike's new style, and I know many people here have them

The new forged joints are much better than the OG heim version. Both are plenty strong and rebuildable. But, the new joints are a much better fit, and maintenance-free, unlike heim joints.

Mike

 

[repo]

Sway bars can turn in to some real dark art stuff when you try to grok the physics of how it actually works. Longer links increase the leverage and make it stiffer. It works as a torsion spring not just up and down. The proper way is probably to move the bar mount lower. I doubt it makes that much diff so I have 2nd gen rears in the front and 3rd gen fronts in the rear to flatten out the bar and its seems fine. I went back to OE rubber bushings from poly, the poly ones seem to bind it up.

 

[MStudt]

Sway bars can turn in to some real dark art stuff when you try to grok the physics of how it actually works. Longer links increase the leverage and make it stiffer. It works as a torsion spring not just up and down. The proper way is probably to move the bar mount lower. I doubt it makes that much diff so I have 2nd gen rears in the front and 3rd gen fronts in the rear to flatten out the bar and its seems fine. I went back to OE rubber bushings from poly, the poly ones seem to bind it up.

Moving the sway bar lower is just mimicking what a lift does, and you're right back to needing longer links. If you want to avoid adding longer links you can raise the sway bar like Limited owners do in order to clear the locker actuator. Raising the sway bar will achieve the same thing you're looking for with longer links, and that's getting the sway bar close to parallel with your lca's.

Mike

 

[repo]

Moving the sway bar lower is just mimicking what a lift does, and you're right back to needing longer links. If you want to avoid adding longer links you can raise the sway bar like Limited owners do in order to clear the locker actuator. Raising the sway bar will achieve the same thing you're looking for with longer links, and that's getting the sway bar close to parallel with your lca's.

Mike

Are we talking about front or backs?

 

[repo]

Ignoring clearing other components, would leaving them shorter (less leverage from bar angle) change the bar rate to be better for a 4x4 (less flat driving)? It would put less force on the opposite wheel right? Or does it do the opposite? It still confuses me because street cars are trying to do the opposite, then you add lifts in and I have a hard time visualizing what exactly is happenig. I want the most traction on grossly uneven surfaces, but also the least added flip over potential on the street (and off road), which is basically the opposite. ???

 

[Devbot]

^ I have a feeling you're trying to get the best of both worlds and you're gonna have a hell of a time going down that road if so. If it's not making sense to you it's because it's a futile fight people have tried to upkeep for decades. Everything is compromise to a degree when building up a 4x4 - you will never have something that can walk through boulder fields and climb up cliffs with ease while also driving better than a Cadillac on the highway home.
You might wanna look into quick discos, so you can use them properly on pavement but disconnect them offroad. With IFS the vast majority will suggest you remove your sway bar/links if you're serious about wheeling. They'll clang around like hell when not hooked up but they beat the hell out of laying in mud and trying to unbolt them.
Or you can merely stiffen your suspension to the point they're not necessary, which means rollover risk would increase, but again - that's a compromise. Just don't have a lead foot on corners.

 

[repo]

^ I have a feeling you're trying to get the best of both worlds and you're gonna have a hell of a time going down that road if so. If it's not making sense to you it's because it's a futile fight people have tried to upkeep for decades. Everything is compromise to a degree when building up a 4x4 - you will never have something that can walk through boulder fields and climb up cliffs with ease while also driving better than a Cadillac on the highway home.
You might wanna look into quick discos, so you can use them properly on pavement but disconnect them offroad. With IFS the vast majority will suggest you remove your sway bar/links if you're serious about wheeling. They'll clang around like hell when not hooked up but they beat the hell out of laying in mud and trying to unbolt them.
Or you can merely stiffen your suspension to the point they're not necessary, which means rollover risk would increase, but again - that's a compromise. Just don't have a lead foot on corners.

I think Cadillac might be the wrong example to use but get what youre saying. I have stiffened the suspension and kept both bars (with poly) so leaning to hoon side of things but it's not much fun getting bounced around offroad. It drives extremely confidently on-road. I'm gonna keep the sway bars flat with the longer links and see if going back to the rubber bushings balance things out a bit. I think counter-intuitively you're actually less likely to roll over without swaybars offroad, but more likely on-road. Disconnecting links is prob what I really want.

 

[octanejunkie]

I think counter-intuitively you're actually less likely to roll over without swaybars offroad, but more likely on-road. Disconnecting links is prob what I really want.

Don't the links [MENTION=98153]MStudt[/MENTION] make disconnect?

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

 

[MStudt]

Don't the links [MENTION=98153]MStudt[/MENTION] make disconnect?

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

They'll disconnect when you unbolt them.

No one makes disco's for 3rd Gen's since you don't need them. Add longer links and go have fun without having to worry about binding CV or losing a rear spring.

Mike