Disconnecting sway bars - front? and/or rear?

[jkeith.w]

You absolutely do not need to disconnect the rear sway bar in these trucks so just throw that thought away.

Back to discussing the rear sways .... leave them connected. You can hit full articulation on a 3rd gen with the rear sway completed connected. Doubtful? See the pics on the first page of my build. I have the rear maxed out in articulation with only the SS bump stops capping out the flex.

Ah - here's something I actually have experience with! (can't say that often on these forums)


In your scenario, the SS bumps are several inches lower, so the axle isn't really stuffing near the limits of its actual uptravel. And with the raised SS swaybar mounts, the down-travel side has additional length because of the mounts. So your statement is likely 100% correct as far as an SS-lifted 4runner, but is not applicable to other scenarios; a standard OME lift, for instance.


You cannot actually max the rear on an even mildly lifted 3rd gen with the stock swaybar, in the stock mounts, with stock drop links, and stock bumpstops. - The rear axle is limited by the swaybar.
(I can take a photo next time we screw around with this stuff at work if it is helpful.) I'm hoping the raised SS bracket makes the difference; we'll see.

 

[rudogg760]

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You cannot actually max the rear on an even mildly lifted 3rd gen with the stock swaybar, in the stock mounts, with stock drop links, and stock bumpstops. - The rear axle is limited by the swaybar.

(I can take a photo next time we screw around with this stuff at work if it is helpful.) I'm hoping the raised SS bracket makes the difference; we'll see.

Here's mine stock bumps stock springs stock end links just a spacer lift

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[jkeith.w]

Here's mine stock bumps stock springs stock end links just a spacer lift

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Yeah, once you start lifting you lose that articulation. Are you on the bumpstop on the passenger side rear in that photo?

Seeing how well these things work near-stock makes one wonder why we lift them at all

 

[rudogg760]

Yeah, once you start lifting you lose that articulation. Are you on the bumpstop on the passenger side rear in that photo?

Seeing how well these things work near-stock makes one wonder why we lift them at all

Yea it was on the bump stop, it performs great off road, I've been putting off a serious lift kit cause I haven't wheeled it hard enough to want to upgrade.


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[jkeith.w]

Yea it was on the bump stop, it performs great off road, I've been putting off a serious lift kit cause I haven't wheeled it hard enough to want to upgrade.


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To be honest with you, if I were to do it all over again, I might lean heavy on a BL for tire clearance and maintain factory geometry. (I'd lift the drivetrain with the body, though, for clearance.)

 

[JohnMc]

In your scenario, the SS bumps are several inches lower, so the axle isn't really stuffing near the limits of its actual uptravel. And with the raised SS swaybar mounts, the down-travel side has additional length because of the mounts. So your statement is likely 100% correct as far as an SS-lifted 4runner, but is not applicable to other scenarios; a standard OME lift, for instance.

The SS lift features longer shocks. This is to suit the new higher ride height and still provide a 'normal' amount of upward and downward travel. Not to just keep the stock length shocks and raise the ride height several inches, and leave the shocks nearly topped out, with little 'droop' travel.

However, because of the geometry of a shock, if the extended length is a bit longer, the compressed length is going to be longer as well. Without the extended bump stops on the SS lift, the suspension would bottom out on the shocks themselves, before it got to the stock bump stop. This would wreck the shock in a short amount of time.

Another option that would both give you the added travel *and* the original bottomed out upward axle travel would be to extend the shock mounts on either end - but generally speaking, we're talking about bolt-on lift kits here, not where you cut and weld on new shock mounts.