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**zman32006** · 08-12-2010, 11:27 PM

what are the pros and cons of taking your rear and front sway bars off??

jeepgod · 08-12-2010, 11:45 PM

Better flex but squirrely on the road....some people like it some don't depends on your preference. Also heard that it can wear tires funny too but do not know if it is really true or not.

**lifted1994xj** · 08-12-2010, 11:46 PM

Rear fine, mine is gone but i a lift and stiffer springs not sure how it would react on stock springs. Front no, you need it to help keep it under control if you have to swerve to miss something. Sway bar disconnects are pretty cheap or you could make homemade ones.

XJPioneer · 08-12-2010, 11:56 PM

Personally I don't run either. It is a bit squirmy on the road and it takes some getting used to.

jeepgod · 08-12-2010, 11:58 PM

X 2 on the front one being kept. VERY true, if you want to stay alive and upright in certain conditions

Without the front swaybar being connected, your vehicle will have excessive roll and will be less responsive when you need to crank the wheel in a hurry.

**zman32006** · 08-13-2010, 06:16 AM

ok thanks guys. I read somewhere some xjs came out of the factory without a rear one so ill be taking that off today. and Im gonna search for these homemade disconnects.

**lifted1994xj** · 08-13-2010, 11:31 AM

Here is a write up on how to do them.

Jeep Cherokee Suspension - Homemade Front Disconnects & Poor Man's Swaybar Link Extensions

JRW7072009 · 08-13-2010, 11:42 AM

Take the rear off you will never notice a diference, I would get some disconnects for the front.

I dont run either sway bar but the rear of my XJ is kinda stiff.

**zman32006** · 08-13-2010, 01:53 PM

ah thanks for the link! yeah my rear leafs are parallel to the ground lol I had ad a leafs when i put the lift on. yeah big mistake so I need those replaced cuz it rides stiff. but yeah ill definitely be taking the rear one off.

swells6367 · 08-16-2010, 10:08 PM

I removed the rear bar noticed a little stability diffrence

JeeperMatt · 08-17-2010, 12:05 PM

I've ripped the rear swaybar off every XJ I've owned. I want to say that 97+ Country trim didn't come with a rear sway, however I may be off on that.

I ran my current rig for about 5-6 months without the front (on short-arms), and while it was manageable around town, it was... interesting to say the least at higher speeds, especially with the idiots on the road up here and during rush-hour. Body roll around town was more pronounced and noticeable, although not dangerously so. I ended up reinstalling the front one when I finally snagged some quick-disco's as it just didn't make sense not to have it on if I could pull two pins and be done.

I did make the crucial error of running down the street to a gas station, about 5 miles from the campground during a weekend trip with the front disco'd about a month ago (now on long-arms). Typical punk-ass kids just stepped out into the street from behind a bridge support with no regard for safety or anything else, which resulted in a left-swerve and hard braking on my end (travelling speed limit of 40mph). Driver-rear lifted off the ground nearly a foot and a half and the passenger front stuffed so hard it rubbed the upper coil perch (4.5" on 33's), and a TON of big-tire howl. Dunno if it was solely the front swaybar, or a combination of no swaybar, way better brakes (EBC rotors up front, disc rear, GreenStuff pads all around), and lower tire pressure. Either way it was terrifying. I've had similar emergency maneuvers at higher speeds (aired up, swaybar hooked) and haven't experienced the same roll and unstable attitude.

**zman32006** · 08-18-2010, 07:55 PM

Thats insane talk about an adrenaline rush! haha some people are just stupid plain and simple

jeepgod · 08-18-2010, 08:15 PM

I dunno if this is true or not but it is plausible....A guy was telling me about 2 years ago that he actually rolled his rig after leaving his disconnected while heading to another trail......he was running about 50mph and on dirt but the dirt road turned to pavement and at the point where it transitioned to pavement a deer ran out in front of him and stepped on the brakes....skidded onto the pavement and basically did a sideways faceplant with his rig......he said everything that wasn't tied down was outside and he nearly had to wipe his butt.....it took a rig with a winch to tip it back over

**zman32006** · 08-20-2010, 10:53 AM

Dang that sucks. I dont need anything else breaking on my heep. today my radiator overflow blew a hole. how weird!? my windshield shattered last week, and I blew my radiator hose a month ago. little things like this piss me off

**muddeprived** · 08-20-2010, 01:12 PM

For the sake of your life and everyone else's, leave the front connected. Some models didn't come with a rear sway bar......BUT......EVERY model came with a front for a reason. A coil sprung suspension needs a sway bar to function correctly during sudden maneuvers or quick turns. A lift setup might come with stiffer springs but go out on the freeway at 60 mph and do a sudden left swerve, like you are avoiding a deer. It will not be as responsive as it would with the sway bar connected and that split second loss in maneuverability can be disastrous.

Running without any sways is like playing the lottery: there's a very tiny chance of winning/rolling, but it can happen.

I'm not trying to force anyone to do this, just trying to encourage everyone to think safety first.