Rear sway bar

[B1Toad]

My rear sway bar has a lot of slop, do I buy new links or just buy new bushings and press them in? What's the best course of action/brand for a stock rig?

 

[jjvw]

Replace all of it. New links with bushings and new bushings at the axle.

 

[B1Toad]

Replace all of it. New links with bushings and new bushings at the axle.

Re-use the sway bar itself?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Where's the slop? Where it is held to the frame by its two bushings? Or at its bushings at each end of its links?

 

[B1Toad]

Where's the slop? Where it is held to the frame by its two bushings? Or at its bushings at each end of its links?

There is slop everywhere, both ends of both links and at the axle bushings.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

There is slop everywhere, both ends of both links and at the axle bushings.

Just install all new rubber bushings.

 

[jjvw]

Re-use the sway bar itself?

Yes

 

[B1Toad]

Just install all new rubber bushings.

I'm skeered to try that with no shop press. I'll prolly hurt myself

 

[CMBD]

Threw my rear sway bar in the bin a couple years ago when I installed the lift.

Dont miss it one bit.

 

[PNW_LJ]

Threw my rear sway bar in the bin a couple years ago when I installed the lift.

Dont miss it one bit.

Would’ve been less work to keep it there..

 

[jjvw]

Threw my rear sway bar in the bin a couple years ago when I installed the lift.

Dont miss it one bit.

You're one of those guys.

 

[CMBD]

Would’ve been less work to keep it there..

Not really. But ok

 

[CMBD]

You're one of those guys.

I may be. Whathca got?

 

[PNW_LJ]

I may be. Whathca got?

You don’t wanna meet the dog, trust me.

 

[CMBD]

Yeah jeep people on the interwebs.

No want fo sho

 

[jjvw]

I may be. Whathca got?

You're the type who unknowingly leaves performance on the table out of a proudly mistaken belief that the rear sway bar does something it isn't doing.

 

[CMBD]

You're the type who unknowingly leaves performance on the table out of a proudly mistaken belief that the rear sway bar does something it isn't doing.

Yes. Exactly.

Maybe.

The rear sway bar wasn't doing anything so I didn't let it do what it it wasn't doing on a table.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Threw my rear sway bar in the bin a couple years ago when I installed the lift.

Dont miss it one bit.

Bad decision for tougher trails and the tougher the trail the more important it becomes. Having it there causes no problems nor does it reduce usable flex. My TJ still runs its factory rear antiswaybar with nothing more than 4" longer links to match the suspension lift height.



Here's a photo of John Currie's rear Antirock antiswaybar in his Fireant TJ that he used to win the overall US ARCA rock crawling championship. And make no mistake, an Antirock is still 100% an antiswaybar.

 

[P man]

Keep current rear sway bar and install new bushings at the axle and new links at the frame ends and call it a day.

 

[JEEPCJTJ]

I see no problem with what CMBD did.

I removed mine while pulling my rear springs to make sure my Tom Woods driveshaft wasn't a bit too long. The main reason I removed the swaybar completely was to clean up everything it connected to but winter weather got in the way of that. About a week later I had no choice but to drive the TJ without any sway bars and, to be honest I didn't notice any major difference in drivablity on the freeway, around bends or even turning corners. I will admit that I've only gone a couple hundred miles so far and that I rarely, if ever, drive like a 20 yr old in a ricer or a middle aged guy in a Mustang so at this point the swaybars may never go back on. If it seems like they need reinstalled I'll be the first to let everyone know I was wrong. We shall see.