Running a zook without swaybar?

[mick85]

hey just curious to know what the advantages and disadvantages are of runnnig a leaf sprung zook with the swaybar off / on? anyone got any ideas? does it affect handling etc whats it do?

im running 2 inch lifted springs, vs wagon rear shocks up front, 2 inch extended shackles

cheers, mick

[MART]

Buy or make disconnects , so when onroad they are connected and offroad they are disconnected , I only disconnect one side on mine but they are different to yours , as mine don't fowl the suspension travel with one side disconnected , but you should have them for onroad driving as I'd like to see what your insurance company sais if you ever had an accident , Cheers Paul.

[mrRocky]

i found my zook handled better in corners and had more overall stability with the swaybar off

[ljxtreem]

early 1 liters never had them, I allways ran with them off, even on my vitara.
sway bars restrict susspension flex, thats why we take em off.

I realy dont think removing a sway bar from a sierra subtracts from it onroad handling, big soft coil sprung cars, it does make a huge difference.

Mock

[mick85]

when you talk about making disconnects mart, howd u go about them - do you have any pics of how one is set up and can any of u post what ur car looks like with swaybar off and what gear your running?

what flex etc do u get?

thanks guys

mick

[Brendan-s]

Patrolden had a good setup on his old Rodeo. From memory I think he cut the swaybar in the middle, put a plate on either end and had bolts going through the plates for on-road use. But seriously, unless you're running one leaf at each corner I dont see why you need swaybars on a leafy. The leaves act like a swaybar as it is, because they don't want to flex sideways like coils do, rather just up and down.

[moose]

Patrolden had a good setup on his old Rodeo. From memory I think he cut the swaybar in the middle, put a plate on either end and had bolts going through the plates for on-road use. But seriously, unless you're running one leaf at each corner I dont see why you need swaybars on a leafy. The leaves act like a swaybar as it is, because they don't want to flex sideways like coils do, rather just up and down.

Hey Bren , your new beast would still have swaybars ??
do a couple of comparison pics ....Bars ON , bars OFF !!

[midnight]

early 1 liters never had them

Would that explain why I cant find the mounts to put the swaybar on?


I was trying to find the mounts so I could get it regod, but they just werent there. So I never put them on.

[Brendan-s]

Patrolden had a good setup on his old Rodeo. From memory I think he cut the swaybar in the middle, put a plate on either end and had bolts going through the plates for on-road use. But seriously, unless you're running one leaf at each corner I dont see why you need swaybars on a leafy. The leaves act like a swaybar as it is, because they don't want to flex sideways like coils do, rather just up and down.

Hey Bren , your new beast would still have swaybars ??
do a couple of comparison pics ....Bars ON , bars OFF !!

Good call, that would be interesting to see the difference. I'll do that maybe this afternoon... I'll also get those ride height figures up hopefully this arvo too (finally back home and get to play with it all today!)

[Brendan-s]

Took the swaybar off this afternoon, no noticable difference at all when driving. Nowhere to take shots of before after so hopefully lunchtime tomorrow will compare it with a mate's stocker ...

[suzuki boy]

I took mine off and it never went back on!

If anything maybe a little better on road and heaps better off road!

[PJ.zook]

Yup im with everyone else, first thing i did was remove em, never really noticed a difference onroad.

[mick85]

Yup im with everyone else, first thing i did was remove em, never really noticed a difference onroad.

there is more that one!>?!!?!?!? is there?

[ljxtreem]

early 1 liters never had them

Would that explain why I cant find the mounts to put the swaybar on?


I was trying to find the mounts so I could get it regod, but they just werent there. So I never put them on.

Yep

Mock

[Gwagensteve]

I think only the later 1.0 wagons (the "luxury" versions) had sway bars as my 83 tray doesn't

wierdly, Christovers 1.0 LWB styleside had a factory REAR swaybar, but no front bar.

With regard to disconnects- They are fiendishly difficult to make reliable and durable, and easy to use. personally, I would pull the sway bar and see how you like it. If the body roll spooks you out, look into a disconnect. If not, leave it off.

I have thrown many sierra sway bars away. I think they handle better on road without one and off road there is no comparison.

IMHO, on road they make the car understeer too much and take progression out of the cars transition to a slide when you reach the limit of adhesion.

Steve.

[skez]

they make a big difference on a coily

[Guy]

I did a little test with mine, and found that with the sway bar off it was bar more predictable.
With it on the last few cms of travel seemed to happen quite abruptly, whereas with it off it was a very linear.

[mick85]

i think by taking it off its put my alignment out a little bit meaning for the car to go straight the steering wheel needs to be down to the left...

even tho i just had this problem fixed with the swaybar on, can it be easily fixed with it off? and have the wheel straight once more?

[Guy]

i think by taking it off its put my alignment out a little bit meaning for the car to go straight the steering wheel needs to be down to the left...

even tho i just had this problem fixed with the swaybar on, can it be easily fixed with it off? and have the wheel straight once more?

The swaybar does zip for wheel allignment

[vicelore]

i think by taking it off its put my alignment out a little bit meaning for the car to go straight the steering wheel needs to be down to the left...

even tho i just had this problem fixed with the swaybar on, can it be easily fixed with it off? and have the wheel straight once more?

just pop off the horn undo the big gold bolt in the middle get the car straight then push the wheel back on . its got tons of little spliens so just jump a few.

this might help you it was when i changed mine.
http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/viewtopic ... light=help

[mrRocky]

my lwb 1 ltr sierra ute had swaybars front+rear
also had 0 flex

[foolsp33d]

been driving with my swaybare on the last few months and only recently taken it off as i added shackles.. Personally I feel the zuki likes to wander about on the roas alot more without the swyabar, but this may be due to the shackles also.. I have noticed a gain in body roll, but only when pushing to hard into tighter corners.. so easily overcome by dropping a few k's..

With the swaybar and Std shackles..

Swaybar removed and ext. shackles


thinking springs and shocks next...

[Gwagensteve]

That's the effect of the shackles reducing caster not the removal of the sway bar.

We run our shackles without centre bars like you, but it does make the front end more vauge, but there is a big increase in flexibility like this.

Steve.

[fool_injected]

That's the effect of the shackles reducing caster not the removal of the sway bar.
Steve.

ah, noticed the difference when I took my shackles off but did know why

[cjdeane10]

So removing the swaybar helps improve a leaf sprung zuk?

What about Coily's?
Do you reccomend removing the swaybar?
Do they make a big difference - good or bad?

[grimbo]

if someone has a zook with a swaybar on and wants to know what the effect will be by removing it the best thing is take it off and see for yourself. it takes 5 minutes to do it and only you can work out if it is good for you. Different people have different setups and driving styles that all make a difference to how the car behaves on the road.

I had at various stages of the build up different amounts of body roll which meant I had to change my driving to suit the conditions but I didn't find it undrivable. it was possible to punt the Zuk through 90Ëš corners at speed and lift wheels quite easily but it never felt like it was going to roll because I knew what to expect with my car.

So just take it off, drive it carefully for awhile and experience it for yourself. if you don't like the feel put it back on.

[cjdeane10]

I was only worried about the safety aspect - will the coily handle like a bucking bronco without the swaybar?

Or, if there isnt any major discernable risk in removing it, i will try it out and go for a spin.

Just didnt know if there was a difference (about removing the swaybar) between coily's and leafies that we shoudl know about.

[Gwagensteve]

The process is the same and the effect is broadly the same. Just pull it and go for a drive.

The lifted coilers we have had in the club have all had the bar pulled.

IMHO coilers need a swaybar in the rear as they have very low roll stiffness in the rear compared to the front, especially hardtops.

[BigJay]

I removed the swaybar on my 1.3 WT with 2" BL , and 31's and it was much better offroad, would flex better and made no major difference for the small amount of onroad driving I did. Although, one weekend I went away wh the zook fully loaded, and it was a nightmare on the road, was almost like the shocks had been removed!! Only got 5 mins down the road before I went home and bolted the swaybar back in...and fixed the prob...strange

[cjdeane10]

Something like:
remove swaybar on leafie = good move off road, bad move on road
Remove swaybar on coily = bad move on road, good move off road

????? Does this sound right ?????