HD Sway Bars with OME Suspensions (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Mar 27, 2003
Threads
28
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224
Location
Lompoc, CA
Does anybody have experience with Man-A-Fre's "Heavy Duty" sway bars - especially in conjunction with OME 850/863 springs? Their website doesn't state the diameter or anti-roll rate increase over 80 series stock sway bars. They include them in a "Premium" OME suspension, along with longer steel brake lines (but no steering stab) for a little over a $ Grand.
Thanks, BigMac
 
Cap'n,

Before you slap leather and buy those, look around some. Go to Christo's site, etc... I don't see the benefit of "HD" sway bars on an 80 unless you plan to autocross it.

None of my buds have altered sway bars, altered evreything else maybe........ :beer:

Junk, what do you think.....?
 
Cruiserdan:
Roger that - I can see the drawbacks of super stiff sway bars (or any swaybars) in a rock crawling situation where you need every bit of free travel you can get, but I'm trying to strike a compromise between freeway driveability and off road capability. The stock bars may well be plenty. I autocrossed a BMW 1600 about 30 years ago - maybe I have forgotten those old lessons about street cars and race cars having NOTHING in common!
 
Back when I went to OME I bought the package from Man-a-fre with the sway bars. First the front didn't work out that well because there was no place to mount the hardware for the cabling to the locker. Now that there is three years on the rear one it has rusted severely and is noisy as hell. I never did put on the front one and am now looking for a rear factory one to put back on. My initial thought was that the firmer bars would help with towing which I'm sure it does but as of right now I'm going to go back to factory.

Rick
 
If you haven't installed the OME kit yet, I'd hold off on the swaybars.  My experience with 850/864 springs was that sway was actually improved over stock.  

Additionally, I've never heard of anyone having problems with the length of the stock brake lines with that height of spring lift.


-H-
 
As long as you don't drop the sway bar mounts post-lift the truck will be stiffer than your stock ride now.

I drove my truck around for about a month without the sway-drops and then another month with no swaybars.  Then I decided to get the drop kit from Slee.  The kit restores the ride to close-to-stock.  

If you do not drop the swaybars you run the risk of over stressing them and ripping them from the mounting points.

If you run with no swaybars (I wouldn't reccomend this one) the truck will be quite tippy and unstable feeling.  The rear end came loose once when I had to avoid a major accident on the freeway.  It was not a very comforting feeing.

If you install DIY or other drop brackets/blocks the truck will feel much like it does now.  Mine feels a bit more tippy, but that comes from the ~4" of added lift, not the sway bars.

Hope my rambling helps...

Hey Dan, that was 6 paragraphs of nothing. :D
 
Rogue,

The Wulf will be jelous............ :bow:
 
This is just seat of the pants. I ran the HD sway bar in the front for my last trip of about 20K miles. (stock mounts) It seemed to make a big difference on the highway. Much more stable. Off road it appeared to limit wheel travel and actually make it more tippy. MAF had the rear bar on backorder when I left so I was unable to install it. I have it on now but my cruiser is still in my garage apart so I won't have an evaluation for another couple of months. Now I have 850J/864's, N73L/N74L's and I made up the extension block/brackets - running 33's. These extended shocks etc. may be futile if I can't bend the bar. Maybe someone could actually make a "softer" bar for more flex off-road instead of just disconnects.
Bill
 
Maybe someone could actually make a "softer" bar for more flex off-road instead of just disconnects.

Nope. :slap: - got my quick disconnects just about done. :D Once I get 'em on and test 'em out awhile, I'll let y'all know what I think of 'em. :banana:
 
Nope. :slap: - got my quick disconnects just about done. :D ÊOnce I get 'em on and test 'em out awhile, I'll let y'all know what I think of 'em. :banana:
Junk, You made sway bar disconnects? If so how did you do it? Can you post a pic?
 
Thanks for all the inputs, Gents. I'll do this in phases - install the OME suspension and Slee's swaybar mount extensions first, then drive it a while before thinking about heavier bars.

I know the springs differ - I wonder if stock LX 450 sway bars are softer than a Cruiser's? Thanks again, BigMac
 
Cap'n

I'll check my LX450 catalog vs My LC and see if the part numbers are the same.... I'll get back to you


Regards...Dan :beer:
 
BigMac,

The LX450 and the Cruiser use the same part numbers on both sway bars, the springs are the only difference........

Regards......Dan :beer:
 
:stupid:
Junk
I have been batting the sway bar disconnects idea around for about a year and havent thought of anything I would like to fabricate yet.
Share the wealth and post us some pics
while you are at it shoot a pic of your rear bumper(crossmember) I seem to recall you said you trimmed it up a bit and would like to see it.
Dave :beer:
 
CruiserDan-
Thanks for checking - that seals it in my mind. I will go with the OME suspension and Slee's dropped mounts for the stock sway bars and see how that feels for a while. Can't wait to take delivery next Tue and hit the road west the following Monday. Thanks again, BigMac
 
Will post pics once its done :flipoff2: :flipoff2:

Sorry - but taking off to wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel.
driving.gif
 
I have the Old Man Emu 2.5', heavy springs and coils and bullbar/winch /batteries in the front. I'd stick with the stock sway bars. I have the HD front and rear sway bars and I've had nothing but problems with them. The bushings all blew out and the roll during cornering and can get pretty bad. When out on the trail, the side to side movement was throwing my passengers around quite a bit.

I just put in the f/r awr joints in the panhards, awr joints in the upper rear control arms (to eliminate the driveline vibration), drop brackets in back and drop blocks in front - the articulation is incredible, but the body roll side to side seems to have gotten worse - a reliable source thinks its the sway bars as they are too stiff. I just ordered Toyota swar bars and hardware to put back on and we'll see how it goes.

Anyone else have this experience ?
 
Since it has been found that the OEM sway bars are probably the way to instead of the HD's, could they be improved on by changing the rubber bushings with some Polyeurothane bushings. It seems like they could be stiffened up at the connecting points and still maintain the flex offered by the factory sway bars... ???
 
I just replaced all the busings on my sway bars with new ones - all the hardware too. Big difference. Most don't realize how hammered they get after the years. Rubber = good - just ask your momma. :flipoff2:
 
Do most of you guys keep your sway bars connected while wheeling?
 

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