On a 76 K5 with 6" suspension and 33s how bad would a disconnect drive on the street? Im not talking a lot of driving, mostly just 2 miles each way to the grocery store and back. Thanks guys!
CK5
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swaybar disconnect on the street?
- Thread starter az_762_nato
- Start date
This topic has been discussed countless times. Just take it off.
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207859&highlight
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207859&highlight
thanks! Dunno why it didnt come up in my search, I musta fat fingered something!
roadnotca
3/4 ton status
With 4" Tuff Country EZ Rides and ORD greasy bushings, I had to put my sway bar back on.
GRINCH
1/2 ton status
It's not the day to day driving that is the problem... It is when the crap hits the fan and you have to do evasive maneuvers. I have a 90 with 6" of lift and 37's. I run it with the bar and then disconnect it before I hit the trail.
Your call but I would rather be a little on the cautious side myself.
Your call but I would rather be a little on the cautious side myself.
BILTIT
1/2 ton status
With 4" Tuff Country EZ Rides and ORD greasy bushings, I had to put my sway bar back on.
I run TC 6'', greasables, and a disconnect in my 80 pickup and i can tell the difference when its connected or not. I am swapping to a D60 and want crossover but have to lose the swaybar so i may not do it. It rides fine with it connected.
I have had a bunch of people say they disco'd the swaybar and didn't notice any difference so they just pulled it out. I just pulled the swaybar out of my stock '89 Blazer last week and noticed the difference immediately.
With 4" Tuff Country EZ Rides and ORD greasy bushings, I had to put my sway bar back on.
I have the same springs and stock bushings. I also run x-over so I don't have a choice. It's off and I have had not issues.
These things are tanks that are lifted. COG is raised. It's not your family SUV. Anything requiring abrupt evasive is not going to happen. It's going to get ugly real fast.
It was very strange when I first removed it. I don't notice it anymore.
roadnotca
3/4 ton status
Stock bushings have additional spring rate. That was my only point, EZ Ride springs with the added flex from the ORD bushings may be "too much" for DD. The sway bar reconnect may be a cool compromise. Haven't tried off road yet; had to hang-out for work.
Same trail, 2" EzRides w stock bushings, no bar, no problem. 4" EzRides w ORD greasers, no bar, rub/chatter at full lock and flex.
This re-install is with the ORD sway bar disco kit installed and connected, to compensate for the 4" lift.
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BKinzey
1/2 ton status
If you remove your sway bar it's just going to get ugly faster.
I just don't understand the if you're going to drink & drive might as well not wear seat belts either attitude.
I just don't understand the if you're going to drink & drive might as well not wear seat belts either attitude.
If you remove your sway bar it's just going to get ugly faster.
I just don't understand the if you're going to drink & drive might as well not wear seat belts either attitude.
I think the point was missed - The sway bar being connected or disconnected is not going to do a lot in an extreme avoidance maneuver.
Tires will plow, the body will roll and there is a huge chance of a roll over whether the bar is present or not in a true "oh sheaoht" event.
The sway bar prevents body roll.
The body/frame stability keeps the center of gravity (COG) better situated in between the tires by limiting the body roll.
Having it connected could prevent a roll in light to moderate avoidance maneuvers under certain circumstances.
EDIT: The COG is 31.13" from the ground on a stock 79 Blazer.
4" of lift and 35" tall tires raise the COG about 7.5 inches from factory stock.
Anytime you change anything relating to the suspension or tires from a factory size, design, installation, you are changing the handling, safety, response and maneuverability of the car, truck, or SUV.
Be safe.
This is a visual of what I am trying to exemplify. The body roll is limited by the sway bar keeping the COG centered on a turning movement.
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The sway bar is not just there to prevent body roll. The sway bar helps ensure understeer by more heavily loading the outside front tire (shifting the roll couple distribution to the front). Without it, the vehicle is more likely to oversteer (spin) and a spinning vehicle is MUCH more likely to roll. Think about it, race cars with virtually no body roll still tune the oversteer/understeer balance with sway bar rates. You can compensate for no swaybar to some degree by running stiffer front springs and softer rear ones - but I am going to try to find a way to run a sway bar (with disco) along with x-over steering when I get that far.
Got rid of mine years ago, don't miss it. Just remember,these arn't sports cars from the git-go. That piece of round stock doesn't make much differrence on the road, but with its absence off-road you gain so much more in flex.
Any ideas how your going to do the sway bar w/x-over?
Not yet 
I am open to suggestions though
My only two thoughts at the moment are putting the sway bar on the axle with links up to the frame somehow (and trying not to get it hung up an every rock). Or keeping the sway bar mounted to the frame with some crazy links to avoid the draglink or reversing it and attaching it to the engine cross-member with the "arms" facing forwards with some crazy links.
I am open to suggestions though
My only two thoughts at the moment are putting the sway bar on the axle with links up to the frame somehow (and trying not to get it hung up an every rock). Or keeping the sway bar mounted to the frame with some crazy links to avoid the draglink or reversing it and attaching it to the engine cross-member with the "arms" facing forwards with some crazy links.
BILTIT
1/2 ton status
Supposedly there is an aftermarket sway bar which can be used.
Streetgliderx
1/2 ton status
here is some drop brackets i made. all they need is a right sized tractor pin and they could be disconects too... i just never disconect it.
roadnotca
3/4 ton status
Good job, and that's exactly what ORD does.here is some drop brackets i made. all they need is a right sized tractor pin and they could be disconects too... i just never disconect it.
Something like that, but with longer links to the spring plates may work to clear the drag link in a x-over setup, but the driver's side link would need to be moved outboard of the spring pack to clear the frame which would require lengthening the sway bar.
BILTIT, any details on the aftermarket sway bar?
Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread this much
BILTIT, any details on the aftermarket sway bar?
Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread this much
