School me on the necessity of adjustable sway bar links

[klavender1]

While still waiting on my Dobinsons IMS lift to come in, I'm trying to get everything squared away. I need new sway bar links anyways. So I will be getting a 3" front (with added weight of a bumper and winch) and 3" rear to maintain rake.
Will 2nd gen rear sway bar links suffice? Are longer sway bar links necessary for the front? I don't plan on removing my sway bars.

 

[lord rigatoni]

i would recommend getting a pair of adjustable end links. when you lift a vehicle you change the geometry and articulation of the suspension from how it is supposed to perform on stock ride height which is what you want but the problem is the front end links are not long enough to compensate for the added articulation of the suspension. having adjustable end links allows you to change the torsion rate of the sway bar which allows you to balance out the added body roll you get when lifting a truck

 

[pauldub]

If you lift the rear 3" you will likely have nearly zero droop unless the shocks are very long. If they are very long, you'll likely need to lower the bumpstops so that the shocks don't bottom out on compression.

 

[pauldub]

Why do you think that you "need new sway bar links anyways"?

 

[Keros]

Longer links will allow the sway bar to rest in a normal position. As the truck gets lifted, the sway bar's core gets further from the link's mounting points, rotating the "arms" that reach out from the core (mounted on the axle), up to the links. These arms are designed with a specific angle in mind... shortening them or lengthening them (via rotating the bar) changes the force applied to the sway bar, and probably the angle the force is applied as well.

So several things can happen... shortening the arms would increase the tension/compression in the end links (same weight of truck but shorter lever), causing the links to break. changing the angle of the force application to the bar can cause the bar to break off because the bar bends during articulation rather than twists, as its supposed to.

Yeah, one would generally want to keep the bar as it was designed to work. So lifting up a bunch, longer links would be ideal if you want the sways to work properly and not rip stuff up. I've seen a bunch of threads about broken sway bars and that longer links fixed the problem.

Adjustable links and adjustable bars are slightly different thing... they let you tune the aforementioned lever arm length to get different ride characteristics. But it's the same idea I suppose.

 

[klavender1]

i would recommend getting a pair of adjustable end links. when you lift a vehicle you change the geometry and articulation of the suspension from how it is supposed to perform on stock ride height which is what you want but the problem is the front end links are not long enough to compensate for the added articulation of the suspension. having adjustable end links allows you to change the torsion rate of the sway bar which allows you to balance out the added body roll you get when lifting a truck

I've searched before asking and know there was a person on here building them. Not sure if he still is. But do you have a recommended links that don't break the bank? Dobinsons wants $150 just for the rear!
Would 2nd gen rear links suffice for my lift?

Why do you think that you "need new sway bar links anyways"?

The boots are torn. Also one of those, while it's torn apart, might as well replace these small parts.

 

[BackOff]

2nd gen for the rears are the cheapest way to go.
Sounds like anything longer just get in the way.

Front use a sway bar "relocate", couple of blocks that move front bar down and forward slightly.

 

[xtremewlr]

Remove the front sway bar, you don't need it. I haven't had one since I swapped out the dead XREAS on mine at the beginning of the year.

 

[klavender1]

Remove the front sway bar, you don't need it. I haven't had one since I swapped out the dead XREAS on mine at the beginning of the year.

How did this affect your on road handling? I like to take corners faster than a typical SUV. :laugh:

Of course it would be easy to remove it just to see for myself.

 

[ads2539]

If you lift the rear 3" you will likely have nearly zero droop unless the shocks are very long. If they are very long, you'll likely need to lower the bumpstops so that the shocks don't bottom out on compression.

2nd gen for the rears are the cheapest way to go.
Sounds like anything longer just get in the way.

Front use a sway bar "relocate", couple of blocks that move front bar down and forward slightly.

I did exactly what BackOff described here for the front and rear on my 4Runner with a 3” Toytec/Bilstein lift. Cost me around $60.

 

[Forum148]

This is the website of the guy who makes them on here. If you are interested in purchasing a pair it might be worth waiting because he has new sealed heim joints coming out in five weeks or so.

Overland Custom Design

 

[mcaninch35]

Longer links will allow the sway bar to rest in a normal position. As the truck gets lifted, the sway bar's core gets further from the link's mounting points, rotating the "arms" that reach out from the core (mounted on the axle), up to the links. These arms are designed with a specific angle in mind... shortening them or lengthening them (via rotating the bar) changes the force applied to the sway bar, and probably the angle the force is applied as well.

So several things can happen... shortening the arms would increase the tension/compression in the end links (same weight of truck but shorter lever), causing the links to break. changing the angle of the force application to the bar can cause the bar to break off because the bar bends during articulation rather than twists, as its supposed to.

Yeah, one would generally want to keep the bar as it was designed to work. So lifting up a bunch, longer links would be ideal if you want the sways to work properly and not rip stuff up. I've seen a bunch of threads about broken sway bars and that longer links fixed the problem.

Adjustable links and adjustable bars are slightly different thing... they let you tune the aforementioned lever arm length to get different ride characteristics. But it's the same idea I suppose.

Thanks for this- makes a lot of sense!

 

[klavender1]

2nd gen for the rears are the cheapest way to go.
Sounds like anything longer just get in the way.

Front use a sway bar "relocate", couple of blocks that move front bar down and forward slightly.

This is what I'm going to go with. Except I'm going to remove the front bar. If I don't like it removed, I'll get new standard replacement links and a relocate kit.

 

[alia176]

This is what I'm going to go with. Except I'm going to remove the front bar. If I don't like it removed, I'll get new standard replacement links and a relocate kit.

Since you like to take fast corners, I can guarantee you'll hate the amount of body leaning with no front sway bar!

 

[BackOff]

If you spend most of your time on-road you may like the front swaybar on.
If you like to play off road... ditch the front sway bar.

These things ride better overall without the front swaybar and the suspension works better. IMO

 

[xtremewlr]

If you spend most of your time on-road you may like the front swaybar on.
If you like to play off road... ditch the front sway bar.

These things ride better overall without the front swaybar and the suspension works better. IMO

This is fact. The front end feels WAY better without the front sway bar on the road. And it works better offroad.

 

[Epic Ed]

The problem with entirely removing the sway bar isn't related to nominal body roll while normal cornering or even on winding highways going up/down mountain grades. It's the sub-optimal control over the vehicle in emergency situations when making evasive and very non-standard steering movements. Everything's going to feel just fine under any normal driving conditions until you're in a situation that isn't normal. Then you're kinda ****ed.

 

[volkinator]

The problem with entirely removing the sway bar isn't related to nominal body roll while normal cornering or even on winding highways going up/down mountain grades. It's the sub-optimal control over the vehicle in emergency situations when making evasive and very non-standard steering movements. Everything's going to feel just fine under any normal driving conditions until you in a situation that isn't normal. Then you're kinda ****ed.

This is my mentality as well. I removed the front in my 3rd gen but drove it like a lifted truck and generally picked back roads. Now the 4th gen is DD and road trip vehicle with the family. So it's staying on for me

 

[klavender1]

The problem with entirely removing the sway bar isn't related to nominal body roll while normal cornering or even on winding highways going up/down mountain grades. It's the sub-optimal control over the vehicle in emergency situations when making evasive and very non-standard steering movements. Everything's going to feel just fine under any normal driving conditions until you in a situation that isn't normal. Then you're kinda ****ed.

This is a valid point that I hadn't thought of. It's cheap enough to add a $40-$50 relocate kit.

 

[Epic Ed]

This is a valid point that I hadn't thought of. It's cheap enough to add a $40-$50 relocate kit.

The relocation kit doesn't give you the same latitude with wheel travel as completely removing the sway bar, but I think it's a good compromise for those who are still using it as a daily driver.