Benefit/Harm to Running W/O Front Sway Bar

Hey guys, do any of you run without your front sway bar? I’ve been driving mine since June 2021 without it. Alignment is fine, within spec. The only real benefit I’ve seen is gaining full travel capabilities for each side? I’m wondering if it has anything to do with the popping. /thump I’ve been experiencing lately. Dealer looked at it yesterday and didn’t mention anything about the sway bar haha!

 

They will chime in but there are a handful of guys here that took theirs off.

 

Not really sure about the harm but the benefit would be more/better articulation for offroading. It would move like a boat though in turns.

 

Been driving without one for 5 years. I wheel my truck so I took it off for the articulation benefits. There will be naysayers but to each his own.

 

I’m mostly on road. But I wheel mine too. Thanks for the reply. Definitely boaty on the turns lol

 

First gen here so take this as general observation.

If your truck has stock suspension with progressive coils it will probably lean a lot and be twitchy going into/out of turns, especially at speed. Panic turns could get scary but I can't imagine it causing a truck to roll unless you're driving recklessly.

If you have aftermarket coilovers, particularly with linear coils and a firm spring rate, you won't wallow as bad as a stock truck. You'll get the better articulation other mentioned because your independent suspension is now independent. You'll still lean pretty hard through turns but it is controllable, and you'll get used to it pretty quick.

I have run Fox coilovers with 650lb coils, Camburg uca and no sway bar for over ten years. I am used to it and I sometimes have fun pitching my truck to one side through turns, leaning hard on the bump stop. When my wife started driving my truck on occasion I considered putting it back on to make it safer but since she generally doesn't drive it out of town I left it off.

 

Awesome insight!

I run Kings 2.5s ext travel with out of the box compression. TC Poly UCA’s . I enjoy the way it rides!

 

The only thing, and I can't confirm it, is it might lead to a bit faster tire wear on the outside edges. I suppose it depends how hard you turn. I like to pretend I'm driving a stadium super truck when I drive. The only time I saw such tire wear was before I did a full rebuild on my front end and didn't bother rotating my tires for a while. Since the renewal I haven't seen such wear again. Rotate tires often and it probably will not happen.

 

Most who run w/o claim a better ride on the road as in feeling less bone jarring bumps. They also mentioned taking corners slower

 

I'll quote my other post...

 

Echoing the other replies, removing the FSB helped a ton with off road comfort, and also got rid of the jarring I’d get going over road irregularities at speed. I also take curves a little more carefully but not a huge difference over having the FSB.

 

As stated by @Darkness, removing the sway bar makes the IFS truly independent. So even on the road a bump on one side isn't transmitted to the other side like it is with the SB installed. I seriously doubt it's absence has anything to do with the noise you mentioned. I haven't experienced any ill effects from removing it and I don't have to drive slower through corners, it just leans more.

 

I've tried chasing Warren on the mountain hills and it's true... he does not slow down through corners

 

If the sh!t hits the fan on the highway and you have to saw at the wheel, you will wish you had a sway bar.

 

I had Icons with no sway bar. Ride was smoother without it. Didn’t notice any significant increase in body roll.

 

Side note: Hey from BR, La

 

Not gonna restate what everyone has been stating about body roll suspension etc, all true, I haven't had mine on for a couple months now.

However, would you like to go into more detail about the thunk/popping you're talking about?
Is it a loud pop when reversing in full lock? Or starting to accelerate slowly while in full lock?

 

Either you're distracted or you're tailgating would be the only reason why this would happen.

 

Curios if you have driven the truck without the sway bar?

 

So its really weird. It’s almost the same sound as someone posted up in a different thread here a while ago but I don’t think to OP is around anymore. When I apply brakes at a certain speed, low speed like, 15mph and under, I can feel a pop/thump in the pedal and the steering wheel. Straight wheels, no turning. In reverse if I can hear the popping and or almost stressing of metal on metal pop/stress. Straight wheels and sometime when half way to full lock. Never while turning the wheel do I hear this noise. It’s so weird

 

Maybe a worn out UCA ball joint.

 

My wife's old Camry had something similar and ended up being the brake pads, or at least that's what the Toyota tech determined. There's enough clearance built into them that they can slide and "thunk" in the caliper during breaking. It may or may not be the same thing, but something to consider.

 

I had a clunk with my Taco - never did take it in as I now have the Tundra, but had read it was most likely the drive shaft. It only happened when low speed, and only happened once on the change of direction (i.e. did it when I first would brake going forward, and not again after. Once I would go in reverse and slow to stop, it would do it again, but not again as long as I never put it back in drive). sounds like a UCA - hopefully not a CV joint?

 

Absolutely. You just have to drive like you don't have a sway bar.

 

Looks like a good time to me.

 

That video said that the truck would’ve handled the test better if it had a REAR sway bar. We’re all fucked

 

Oh totally forgot about this… is it only when you accelerate when it thunks? And when braking? I know you said this is all low speed, but try getting going fast off the line and braking hard, does it clunk both times? If so it could be a ball joint (probably UCA)

Did you lift your truck? Factory UCA?

 

hahaha, the might moose test (one that I have seen AND experienced a real life) - I think the point of the guy in the video is very valid - it is a good test that should be taken with a grain of salt (it's an edge case test). The conditions have & are regularly debated as not normal driving conditions (i.e. you're going to be using brakes - it's a great push the limits test but even "super handling cars" fail regularly - does it really need to apply to all vehicles - should all vehicles be held to the same standard when they are designed for different end purposes, etc. etc. etc.). I mean you can plan for edge cases, but if the moose test was an end all says all test then we can all say goodbye to our functional OR oriented vehicles.

More to the point (and the point made well here) - drive the vehicle within the limits of the mechanical setup of your vehicle (i.e. if you don't have a sway bar and a lifted truck - drive it that way; if you want to "fly" through corners - get a beefier sway bar and/or get a "sport handling" setup, but don't complain about OR performance). One thing I would add is to make sure you also have appropriate bump stops (many people don't adjust their bump stops after they do their lifts, or if they're towing regularly heavy loads and not getting appropriate support in the rear). M2C

 

After watching the video, I've been driving for decades now, accident-free, without once having to turn that sharply at speed. I know the limits of my vehicle and never go beyond that. My turns are gradual and controlled.

Also never encountered a moose or similar stupid enough to get in my way. Seen deer beside the road, but simply slowed down. Anyway, if I ever do encounter such a moose (and can't turn enough to avoid it), I'm certainly not going to lose control of my vehicle, risking my life, just to avoid hitting it. I'll simply hit the brakes hard to reduce the impact and let it go with that.

 

Weren't you paying attention? I watch everything in front of me, including that on either side of the road. Nothing (vehicles, pedestrians, animals, etc) potentially posing a risk escapes my attention and response.