Removed Front Sway Bar

[PAFirefighter11]

I did this a while ago, but thought I'd post it anyway...

Album:
http://community.webshots.com/album/121495528EuOLET

Basically, the sway bar was removed, disconnects were installed, the Jeep was driven without the sway bar on (nothing changed), and the sway bar was not put back on my rig.

I've had MANY highway, local and off-road miles on this thing since the sway bar was removed. I have no problems or complaints.

I took my rig to a swamp on Saturday. Had a guy in a stock TJ with 30" M/T's laughing at me asking if I was going to bring my rig off-road. So, we got to the swamp (4 YJ's, 1 TJ and a very nice, old CJ-5).

The guy in the TJ pussied out after about 45 minutes... He came on over the FRS radio saying "Anyone know where the closest car wash is?" No one said anything. He then said that him and his friends were leaving to wash his rig.

At the swamp, I didn't get stuck once! The other YJ's still had front sway bars, but they also had 31-37" M/T's. They all told me they had a hell of a lot of respect for me/my "stock" rig. It was a fun adventure! I'll upload some pics if I can find my damn digital camera cable.

EDIT: Here are some pics for ya if you are too lazy to click the album. The album is MUCH more detailed than these pics:

http://www.pichold.com/~/2/sway_bar.jpg
http://www.pichold.com/~/2/bye_bye_sway_bar.jpg
http://www.pichold.com/~/2/flex1.jpg
http://www.pichold.com/~/2/flex2.jpg
http://www.pichold.com/~/2/flex3.jpg

[Joe Dillard]

Mud=The Devil! :pthh: :D

My swaybar & both tracbars are doing just fine where they are too. :clapping:
http://www.fototime.com/7606925406866E0/standard.jpg

[bgbubabrwn]

just a little thought to you on this, i am aware of how our setups are different, *ie stock vs soa, but i would consider still running the sway bar. I also ran without my sway bar for a while, but now it comes off only on the trails... of course it did drive just great without it on the street and upto 70+ but what about emergency situations?? I had to swerve to miss someone in town and was barely doing 30 and put my jeep on 3 wheels, very scary, almost lost control of it. So just for the safety of you and your passangers, its something i would consider reinstalling. I'd hate to see a fellow jeeper hurt because they dont want to pull a few pins before they turn off into the dirt.

[PAFirefighter11]

It's definitely been used to mauever in some pretty quick situations. I took it to a parking lot just to make sure it was capable of being driven how I drive it.. and how I may be forced to drive it. It still works fine.

-=- originally posted by bgbubabrwn -=-
just a little thought to you on this, i am aware of how our setups are different, *ie stock vs soa, but i would consider still running the sway bar. I also ran without my sway bar for a while, but now it comes off only on the trails... of course it did drive just great without it on the street and upto 70+ but what about emergency situations?? I had to swerve to miss someone in town and was barely doing 30 and put my jeep on 3 wheels, very scary, almost lost control of it. So just for the safety of you and your passangers, its something i would consider reinstalling. I'd hate to see a fellow jeeper hurt because they dont want to pull a few pins before they turn off into the dirt.

[LeadFoot]

Come on man, stacking logs to climb? ;)

Take off the front and rear track bars and the flex only increases!!:agree:

Mud looks cool and all and also really fun to wheel til the carnage/clean up comes. When you break something you get to enjoy replacing muddied up parts, not to mention the hell it plays on your bearings, seals, drivetrain,etc.

After breaking an axle shaft, blowing my spider gears, ruining my bearings and seals in my axles, and twisting splines on the other axle shaft and also ruining my clutch and tranny I think I learned my lesson. For now at least. :agree:

[PAFirefighter11]

Hey, I'm basically stock here remember! lol I didn't want to blow my tire on that wood. :P

I'm working on the track bars next. I just moved and the 2 car garage is filled to capacity with BOXES... :( It's going up to 57 tomorrow, and by the end of the week.. 65+!!!! HELL YAH.. Spring better get here soon!

Yes, I know the mud thing. What I usually do is right after any mud... I bring it home, and pressure wash the crap out of my under carriage. I don't care about the paint... Actually, the mud helps prevent some scratching from all those damn small ATV trails I drive on, haha.

I need to get in a habit of washing out my engine compartment and the undercarriage.. immediately after I hit the mud. I figure that should help a lot.

My Jeep almost caught on fire due to the mud... It caused my pads to lock against the rotor! I was letting my sis drive it for the first time so I wasn't aware that it was horribly pulling to the left. I smelled something burning (smelled like the clutch aka.. metal burning) .. She then told me it was pulling real hard to the side... I got in, drove it 20 feet and was like SCREW this.. Pulled off the road and saw my rotor was literally GLOWING orange. I couldn't get a pic in time :( But yah, so I got it home, hoses off the entire underside with tremendous determination on the wheels/rotors, and everything was fine.

But yes, I learned.. I hope not to break anything too expensive.. Or I won't be Jeeping for a while! :(

-=- originally posted by LeadFoot -=-
Come on man, stacking logs to climb? ;)

Take off the front and rear track bars and the flex only increases!!:agree:

Mud looks cool and all and also really fun to wheel til the carnage/clean up comes. When you break something you get to enjoy replacing muddied up parts, not to mention the hell it plays on your bearings, seals, drivetrain,etc.

After breaking an axle shaft, blowing my spider gears, ruining my bearings and seals in my axles, and twisting splines on the other axle shaft and also ruining my clutch and tranny I think I learned my lesson. For now at least. :agree:

[chef]

hang onto yhour swaybar, yo umay want it later on down the line. i drove acceptably with it removed when i had the 2" lift, but still preferred it on. now that i've done the spring over, i really want it on when i drive. i wouldn't be able to handle the freeway without it. there will of course be those who disagree and think i'm full of ****, but just try to hang onto it in case you ever do mods. or if you're sure, pm me and sell it to my buddy. he wants one for his upcoming springover.

[jeepinzig865]

Hey man,
If you cant wheel for awhile if you break something, i would highly advise you to stay out of the mud. I promise you that it will break your car! My transmission just went out the other day on my 93 yj. It was from the mud. I blew a motor from the mud. trust me and all the other people when we say stay out of the mud. I know its fun, i like mud the most, but i just cant afford to be breaking stuff that much. i have had to put almost 3g's into my yj just from the mud. Just tryin to help you before you are w/o a jeep. Im without one during spring break, what a drag...

[PAFirefighter11]

Thanks for the warning. I've been hearing this ever since I got the Wrangler. I've found that if I hose down the undercarriage and the engine compartment, wheels and anything else that is important, I'm fine.

Tranny is going to be replaced soon anyway, so I'm not too concerned about that. I should be starting up a job by next week at a local Pontiac / Buick / GMC dealer. Once the money starts to come in, I'm going to seal up everything so I can hit the water/mud and not worry as much.

-=- originally posted by jeepinzig865 -=-
Hey man,
If you cant wheel for awhile if you break something, i would highly advise you to stay out of the mud. I promise you that it will break your car! My transmission just went out the other day on my 93 yj. It was from the mud. I blew a motor from the mud. trust me and all the other people when we say stay out of the mud. I know its fun, i like mud the most, but i just cant afford to be breaking stuff that much. i have had to put almost 3g's into my yj just from the mud. Just tryin to help you before you are w/o a jeep. Im without one during spring break, what a drag...

[Janster]

-=- originally posted by PAFirefighter11 -=-
Thanks for the warning. I've been hearing this ever since I got the Wrangler. I've found that if I hose down the undercarriage and the engine compartment, wheels and anything else that is important, I'm fine.

Tranny is going to be replaced soon anyway, so I'm not too concerned about that. I should be starting up a job by next week at a local Pontiac / Buick / GMC dealer. Once the money starts to come in, I'm going to seal up everything so I can hit the water/mud and not worry as much.

Washing the underside and spraying out the engine compartment only makes it LOOK NICE.

Believe me (and everyone else) - MUD IS THE DEVIL!!

You might not see the results now - give it time. You'll be replacing stuff -over time.

You might want to hold onto that sway bar. Although you're still stock .....when or if you decide to lift your rig, the absense of trac bars AND sway bar makes for some interesting cornering.
The ride smooths out though.
I wouldn't run without a sway bar just for safety.