Sway Bar and impact on suspension travel

ffxcores

[fully disclosed]
Supporting Member
Location
Virginia
I think I’ve posted this guy’s videos before – he has amazing videos on suspensions from an engineering perspective, and does a great job of separating his opinion from his direct observations.

In this video he tests total suspension travel with various sway bar configurations - both installed, none installed, front only, and rear only.
View: https://youtu.be/gcgKbUTQJy8


If I still had the rear sway bar in my garage I’d try this out myself. In fact I’ll see if I can find one because I’m really curious and it’s easy to install/remove.
 

Newb

Bought an X
So… I experimented with taking off my front sway bar after watching this. Bottom line, I gained 2.5” of up-travel. Here were the measurements (taken from the fender to the hub):
- W/ sway bar: compressed 19.75”; sitting 21”; droop 24.25”. Total travel = 4.5”
-No swaybar: compressed 17.25”; sitting 21”; droop 24.25”. Total travel = 7”

I put the sway bar back for road safety, because I’m running stock front coils. But I was really liking the nearly perfect balance in up travel and down travel off road, while it was off. I‘d like to take it off again, if I can figure out a safe (and economical) way. (BTW, I’m running SPC UCAs, Bilstein 5100 shocks, 2” spacer, and 33” tires.)
 
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TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
So… I experimented with taking off my front sway bar after watching this. Bottom line, I gained 2.5” of up-travel. Here were the measurements (taken from the fender to the hub):
- W/ sway bar: compressed 19.75”; sitting 21”; droop 24.25”. Total travel = 4.5”
-No swaybar: compressed 17.25”; sitting 21”; droop 24.25”. Total travel = 7”

I put the sway bar back for road safety, because I’m running stock front coils. But I was really liking the nearly perfect balance in up travel and down travel off road, while it was off. I‘d like to take it off again, if I can figure out a safe (and economical) way. (BTW, I’m running SPC UCAs, Bilstein 5100 shocks, 2” pre-load spacer, and 33” tires.)
Are you running preload spacers or top hat spacers?
 

ffxcores

[fully disclosed]
Supporting Member
Location
Virginia
@TerryD made a good point when we were talking about it at the trail: with my Xterra rear leaf pack being much beefier and probably stiffer than the rear in the video, that likely means the rear sway bar being back in won’t be as drastic of an improvement (if at all) on mine. Still willing to try it out one day if a rear sway bar becomes available, but not going to spend money to try it.
 

TerryD

Total Tease
Supporting Member
Location
Covington, Va
The spacer is between the top hat and the coil bucket, so I guess it’s a top spacer (?)
Yes, that's a top hat spacer. The preload spacers go between the coil spring and the spring seats and increase the preload on the coil. The top hat spacers move the entire shock down physically from the mounting point.
 
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