Hellwig AntiSway Bar - Page 2

DevinSixtySeven · #16 (**permalink**) 06-09-2003, 11:12 PM

check with mac's spring, theyre in cali...they hooked us up before.

dont offroad with it connected or you may bend it. other than that, its such a good thing im surprised they didnt stock it...probably the toy offroad reputation = no rear swaybar. lotta other trucks come stock with a swaybar, youll see it on the back of the big duallys and whatnot. isnt really a downside to a swaybar, but as ive noticed myself, you have to actually put it on the truck to get the benefit

-sean

Agent WD-40 · #17 (**permalink**) 06-09-2003, 11:45 PM

I think the rear is a bit stiffer than without the sway bar. It is not too much stiffer, and the increased cornering ability far outweighs the cost.

openspaces · #18 (**permalink**) 06-10-2003, 10:11 AM

I rememebr when I first installed the sway bar there was a definate improvement. However it did feel as if it had a moderate to severe oversteer if the wheel was turned during an "evasive" maneuver.

I've since gotten used to this, and would not think of removing the sway bar for any reason, Short of turning this into an off-road rig, and even then I would buy/fab some disconnects.

ra1nman · #19 (**permalink**) 06-10-2003, 03:39 PM

Just a guess, but wouldent the sway bar decrease your tire life? Since most of the load while turning is going to be on the tires instead of the shocks wouldent that make a difference....
Anyways because the rear is going to be more prone to slip out under winter conditions, I took mine off for before it started to snow since my wifey likes to "wheel" my truck around when i'm not riding with her

stcj · #20 (**permalink**) 06-10-2003, 06:12 PM

I just ordered a Hellwig anti-sway bar from Summit Racing. Here is the link.

http://store.summitracing.com/defaul...7641&x=13&y=13

http://www.hellwigproducts.com/antis...ep_toyota.html

v8Toilet · #21 (**permalink**) 06-10-2003, 09:10 PM

I noticed more body flex and a slightly harsher ride. I also have wheelers Polly bushings for the front anti-sway bar so that also adds to the effect. I didn't think there was noticeably more over steer but that might be because I have stiffened the front sway bar with wheelers Polly bushings.

mitchr · #22 (**permalink**) 06-11-2003, 06:55 AM

I think you also have a greater chance of the rear end braking loose when cornering on wet pavement. The weight of the rear of the truck will not shift as much during cornering hence it can cause both wheels to spin instead of just the one. That said, I would never take mine off I just don't step on the throttle as hard in a sharp turn if I think the road is real slick.

stinky2000 · #23 (**permalink**) 07-16-2003, 10:54 PM

Has anyone installed a Hellwig sway bar with the Firestone Sport-rite or Ride-rite air helper systems? I already have the Firestone system installed and would like to add the sway bar. Any tips or suggestions?

thanks

H2O_MAN · #24 (**permalink**) 07-17-2003, 08:07 AM

I have both on my T100 - works great and the ride is smooth.
As for my Tundra, I'm installing a Hellwig and Roadmaster active suspension. I'll post my findings soon.

delrmx01 · #25 (**permalink**) 07-17-2003, 10:26 AM

the u-bolts might be a little short for the sway bar, you can buy longer ones. all in all -- the the installation is pretty simple and payoff is awesome.

confederate2 · #26 (**permalink**) 08-04-2003, 08:44 PM

I had read some past posts about some of you who bought your antisways from JC Whitney. I just got a new catalog and was going to order but wanted to confirm from a few of you that got yours from JC Whitney if you know if 55ug5376t is the correct number. I have an 03 Tundra 2wd and the only Tundra number they have is the one I just listed but it says it is for 92-02 Pickup, Tacoma, T100, Tundra 2WD and 4WD. Just trying to get confirmation that this is the right number. I thought I recalled when I was at the Summit site that the Tacoma and Tundra used different Hellwig bars. Thanks
Sammy

dudebert_2001 · #27 (**permalink**) 08-05-2003, 11:36 AM

After reading all of the positive reviews of the Hellwig swaybar, I ordered one from Summit and installed it this weekend on my '03 4x4 (with LSD).

My question has to do with the placement of the U-bolts and the impact that it has on the firmness of the ride. I mounted my U-bolts about 1/2" from the inside edge of the shock mounts. The ride seems much firmer now vs. before adding the swaybar - I really notice all of the irregularities in the road now.

I'm wondering if I can get a little softer straight travel ride by moving the U-bolts closer in towards the differential. But I don't want to sacrifice too much in terms of cornering ability.

For those of you who have installed a Hellwig rear swaybar, where did you mount your U-bolts and how satisified are you in the ride firmness / cornering ability? Also, has anyone with a LSD noticed any adverse handling effects during hard cornering?

dudebert_2001 · #28 (**permalink**) 08-05-2003, 11:41 AM

That I have the 4x4 TRD package on my Tundra (as I know this impacts handling)...

openspaces · #29 (**permalink**) 08-05-2003, 02:24 PM

I mounted mine as far out as possible. I did this because it should give me hte most rigid set-up.

If you move the u-bolts in it may change the handling, but I would imagine it would be negligable.

In regards to hard cornering I have a few comments.

During quick turns (evasive type) I noticed a severe oversteer condition. The truck maintained a more level ride, but darted into the corner/turn. I've since gotten used ot this and blame some of this condition ot the junk stock tires.

In regards to the LSD & sway bar it hasn't adversly affected cornering for me. I've accelarated through on-ramps and the set-up allows the inside tire to break loose and spin. It hasn't casued me to spin-out. ONe exception to this is if it's wet, then the LSD causes more "fishtailing", but I don't think the sway bar has influenced this action.

dudebert_2001 · #30 (**permalink**) 08-05-2003, 04:13 PM

I agree that the stock tires (BFG Rugged Trails) are crap. Replacing these will probably be the next thing I do to improve handling.

When I had my bar installed, I went out to an *wide*, open unpopulated street and tried some evasive turns at approx. 40MPH. Aside from a bit of tire screetching, I was able to maintain pretty good control and recover OK. But it did sort of seem like it wanted to dart into the turn...something to get used to I guess.
Unfortunitely I didn't do a baseline performance test just before I installed the swaybar - so its hard for me to really compare before and after. I tried this same test when I first bought the truck and noticed a big problem with understeer - but I corrected that somewhat by increasing the tire pressure from 26psi to 32psi (all four tires). Now with the swaybar installed, I've tried to mitigate any oversteer by increasing the pressure in my front tires to about 2psi more than the rears (32 psi front, 30 psi rear). It seems like this helps maybe.

Since I did my testing on dry pavement, I need to try it again (carefully!) when its raining to see if the rear wants to swing around during a hard turn.