Lift + sway bar question (don't shoot me I did search for like 30 minutes)

[PWD4R]

I am soon going to install the suspension lift I gathered. Coils are 881 front and 890 rear.
I see a lot of people getting disconnects (which I wouldn't be opposed to) or extended links but:
First - do I even need sway bars? The rear seems like an easy no (took the rear off my last vehicle) and the front doesn't seem to be a big deal however I have read people saying it'll wear your shocks much quicker. I drive it very seldom as I have a DD and this is mainly a wheeling rig with maybe a road trip here or there. Maybe 1k-1.5k total miles in a year.
Second - with the exception of limited down travel are there any other cons to leaving the stock bar on?
Third - should I just quit being a lazy ass and just get some disconnects or extended links?

And I won't take offense if you reply to this thread with helpful threads, but keep in mind I did read about 6-7 of them.


I guess I will throw this in there too as I only did minimal reading on this but with a 3" rear and 2.5" front lift do I need extended brake lines if it will see a decent amount of time off road and flexed (where I go likes to see if it can take a wheel off the ground for ya)

Thank you all in advance.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Chuckles89]

With how little you drive it, I would take both off.

I ripped off my rear one and haven't put it back on for probably 6 months at least. I usually disconnect my front one when I go off-road. It's definitely beneficial to disconnect the front. Not sure that the rear makes much of a difference...

I'm planning on putting the rear back on with extended links once I get my new e-locker axle to put on.

 

[PWD4R]

I have an e-locker so does that make any difference? I wouldn't think so but I have seen a few that said they want to put the rear back on when they get the locker. Is it just because you don't need flex as much due to the locker?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Chuckles89]

I'm just doing it then so I don't have to take it off and put it back on in a month or so when I swap axles. haha

 

[PWD4R]

Oh okay. Do you know anything about the front sway bar in relation to expedited wear on the front suspension?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[nely]

I removed my front sway bar on my Tacoma and with a load in the bed, (2 dirt bikes and gear) the truck started to sway left to right REALLY bad and dangerously driving down on the freeway home. The taco as have no sway bar in the rear.

The rear sway bar removal I wouldn't mind doing. No way would I remove the front again. Disconnects for offroad is good. But full on removal I wouldn't do


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tucson4runner]

Oh okay. Do you know anything about the front sway bar in relation to expedited wear on the front suspension?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've heard this as well and have had both of mine off for about 4 years. The lifted suspension had been on for 5 years. Everything still rides like new except for the used 9 wraps I got for the rear, they squeak but still hold well. This is my dd so I have put 30,000 on it since the lift. I have had to replace the bushings on the front coil overs once but that's the only work my suspension has needed. I went with the extended brake lines because I wasn't sure how much lift the 9 wraps would give me. You should be fine if your sticking to 2" of lift. Hope this helps.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[PWD4R]

Thanks. I am doing 3" in rear and read you shouldn't need it but who knows how knowledgeable people are without seeing more from them lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TXLX1]

You'll probably hear every opinion since you asked. I drove mine lifted with no sway bars, and I didn't like it on the freeway. So I added the rear sway bar with extended links (95 4runner links), and have rear sway bar 100% of the time. I get a ton of flex in my opinion, and I have pretty big bumpstops in the rear anyway.

I guess it would really depend on how you like on road ride without. I think if you run a pretty stiff front spring setup and a rear sway bar with links, it's a pretty decent setup.... for me at least.

 

[PWD4R]

The 881 isn't very stiff I don't think. I also have a shrock bumper and winch so it may be a little... Not enough lol. And I forgot to ask do I need to get new bump stops? Ugh so much maintenance lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TXLX1]

The 881 isn't very stiff I don't think. I also have a shrock bumper and winch so it may be a little... Not enough lol. And I forgot to ask do I need to get new bump stops? Ugh so much maintenance lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Check out the sonoran steel website, individual suspension parts sections. There is some narrative on certain parts. I don't agree with every bit of it, but it's pretty good stuff.

 

[PWD4R]

Check out the sonoran steel website, individual suspension parts sections. There is some narrative on certain parts. I don't agree with every bit of it, but it's pretty good stuff.

Thank you. I will go look in a bit.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Roc Doc]

The anti-roll bars are designed to work together and removing one or both will affect the understeer or oversteer characteristics of the vehicle and could make it a real handfull in an emergency maneuver.

In a slow speed crawler, OK, but anything that is being used on the hwy should have the bars connected, and if lifted the links should be extended.

My old crawler didn't have any anti-roll bars, but I had Rancho 9000 shocks up front and I'd dial them up to max damping when on the road, (short trips only).

 

[Roc Doc]

This a good cheat sheet. It's really meant for sports cars, but the same principles and forces apply.

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

The anti-roll bars are designed to work together and removing one or both will affect the understeer or oversteer characteristics of the vehicle and could make it a real handfull in an emergency maneuver...

Roc Doc knows what he is talking about. When you remove a sway bar or both, the feel of the vehicle changes, but that is nothing compared to the safe handling of the vehicle that Toyota designed into the truck. The safety can be changed dramatically, and it will almost always be a negative change, unless you know more than the Toyota engineers.

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

The 881 isn't very stiff I don't think. I also have a shrock bumper and winch so it may be a little... Not enough lol. And I forgot to ask do I need to get new bump stops? Ugh so much maintenance lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Which shocks are you going with in the rear? To answer the question of longer bump stops or not may take a bit of research on your part, or even experimenting. The stock shocks have a compressed length of about 13.5" (don't quote me; I'm remembering reading that in the past from an unknown source). If you can find that the new shocks have a compressed length of 15.5", for example, then you should be extending the "hard" bump stop position by 2". When I say "hard" bump stop position, I am talking about the ultimate limit of the travel, not a progressive bump stop. Doing that will help prevent damage to the shock by over-compression.

If you need some cheap bump stops, take a look at the option to use bump stops from the '95-'05 GMC Jimmy, Olds Bravada, or Chevy Blazer which can be found from a junk yard; that'll save lots of money. Take a look at the bump stop installation in my build thread for a photo, HERE.

 

[PWD4R]

Does that help?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gadgetguy]

Ive got the same setup aside from the top plate spacers and chucked both sway bars when I installed the lift. It was a used lift to begin with and although a little bit of sway etc. in the corners it really isn't bad at all. Just drive it for a week without and see what you think. I DD mine and do about 14,000 miles a year and have currently put about 10,000 miles on with this set up and no sway bars. I also drive it respectively knowing it's lifted so I suppose that helps.

 

[PWD4R]

You know, after looking at my invoice receipt thing, I have noticed they gave me things I opted out of. I opted no for the diff drop, no for the top spacer (already have like an 1.5" one and didn't want the full 3" because I don't know how to do a diff drop), and I don't recall asking for trim packers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gadgetguy]

If you can put the rest of the lift on yourself the diff drop will be a breeze. You'll see what I mean when you climb under there.