Sway bar: front or rear on lifted T4R?

[Jayson44]

I've had my 3" Toytec lift and 35s on for almost 2 years now, and last year I removed the rear sway bar. one of the links was rusted so I just removed the whole thing. rides just fine on the road and I hardly noticed it being gone.

I'm curious if I should put it back on and remove the front instead, though. I get a LOT of bumping noises and the front flex is pretty limited. off road I feel like I'm missing out more in the front than the rear.

anyone have experience running rear w/no front?

J.

 

[Inv4drZm]

I would swap like you said. Then again, shortly after I removed my front sway bar I snapped my rear sway bar right above the center of the diff.

 

[phatcheeks]

I removed my front first. I liked it because it rode smoother over the bumps because it was now truly independent front suspension. I then removed the rear for the same reason plus more articulation. It rode fine going straight but when it came to turning or making sudden maneuvers it was bad.
I ended up putting both front/rear on with 2nd gen rear links and it felt like driving a race car compared to before. I decided to leave them on since its my DD and I got my wife and kid in the car a lot.
Plus I like to drive fast and it helps.
If you get a PCK it will help stiffen up the rear quite a bit as well.

But to answer your question. Id rather have no front sway bar vs rear.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I drove my 4Runner a long time ago without a front sway bar back when I had 33" tires to test out a prototype disconnecting sway bar set-up I was playing with. I hated how much it wallowed and felt like it wanted to roll... I can't imagine how bad it is with my 35's... I drive my vehicles a bit too aggressive on the road to have that much body roll, I actually enjoy how planted and stable my 4th gen feels on-road compared to many other set-ups I encounter every day at work. A few people who've driven with me have commented how surprisingly "sporty" and planted the vehicle is in a speedy corner despite the lift and chonky tires. lol

I've actually been debating what I want to do with the front to retain the benefits of the sway bar but maybe give it a bit more "freedom" without going to something like a LT kit. As for the rear, I'm actually going to be welding in a Panhard Correction kit soon, my upper links are just about worn out and was trying to decide if I should consider an adjustable panhard while I am at it. In my research I think the biggest benefit for rear-end handling for us lifted guys is a PCK vs. an adjustable panhard.

As for the sway bar in the rear? I just threw some adjustable lengthened ones I bought off a forum member years ago and haven't ever really had issues with it being limited by the sway bar ever since.

 

[Jayson44]

As for the sway bar in the rear? I just threw some adjustable lengthened ones I bought off a forum member years ago and haven't ever really had issues with it being limited by the sway bar ever since.

yeah, I have new rear links. I think I'll put the rear back on and remove the front to see how it feels.

would a universal kit from Anti-roc work on the rear? (or the front?) I don't have the fab skills or tools to try that, but maybe worth looking into...

J.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

yeah, I have new rear links. I think I'll put the rear back on and remove the front to see how it feels.

would a universal kit from Anti-roc work on the rear? (or the front?) I don't have the fab skills or tools to try that, but maybe worth looking into...

J.

This is where I bought mine, once I get it and have some time on l I'll update my build thread with the install.

Wait, did you mean the PCK or sway bar?

 

[Hi-desertT4R]

I typically remove the front sway bar when running trails or wheeling. I’ve never removed the rear. I too have a Toytec 3” lift

 

[aemravan]

I'm on 35's with I guess a 3" Icon lift ? I ran with both bars attached, rear gone, both gone, and now back to rear only.

I can tell you that yes, the most limiting one is the front. Without it I freed up quite a bit of articulation in the front. The rear limits it some, but only in the extreme-ish cases.

Having no swaybars and being on 35's with a 3 inch lift +1" body lift and having a permanent RTT on the rig felt like a boat on-road. I drove it like that for a while but ultimately knew it wasn't for me. I recently upgraded to a "rock-crawling" sway bar from TK1 racing. Not free/cheap like putting stock back on, but it gave me just enough added stability on road while still allowing me to fully articulate the dobinsons long travel all the way in the rear. I would recommend to anyone, but does require quite a bit of cutting and welding, not a direct replacement.