Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hi all,

I've got an early GQ (1988)! It doesn't have the swaybar disconnecting lever found in front of the drivers left knee, or the rest of it!

I as wondering if taking the rear swaybar off completely would give me any advantage off road, and would the decrease in on road handling be anything to worry about???

thanks heaps guys!!!

I have always taken the swaybar off from all of my trucks. MQ160, Bronco, GQ Y60 ... nothing big happened. Only have to be a bit more carefull at high speed when cornering. Tho the off road advantage was quite big. Gaine several cm of axle travel

Nah, just leave the swaybar connected, it does not hinder wheel travel at all for most lifts (up to 6-7 inch). It will make the vehicle handle better on road, reducing some sway, and offroad it can help to transfer more force to the front suspension to flex.

I'm going to the watagans this saturday,so i might do a little experiment for myself!!!

thanks for the input guys!!!

I've disconnected both of mine, and although the front didn't have any affect ( radius arm limits movement ) the rear showed a marked improvement in travel. So much that the 4 inch lift springs kept falling out

Assuming the shocks you have on will allow you to articulate your axle without topping them out. ( I run Rancho 9000's )

billy-x wrote:if taking the rear swaybar off completely would give me any advantage off road,

Yes

would the decrease in on road handling be anything to worry about???

Yes Depends how hard you drive the car, if you think its a sports car, leave them on..

i try to drive like a sports car sometimes and mine are both gone.

hottiemonster wrote:i try to drive like a sports car sometimes and mine are both gone.

Well, yeah, we all thought we knew how to drive when we were your age.

chimpboy wrote:

hottiemonster wrote:i try to drive like a sports car sometimes and mine are both gone.

Well, yeah, we all thought we knew how to drive when we were your age.

This is SO true !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What height over standard is your rig Billy-x, if you have anything around 3 inch or over you could install some longer link pins, to neutralise the position of the swaybar, this won't reduce the amount of flex in the rear at all, as the flex is limited by the shock length. The nissans are quite flexy in the rear and quite firm in the front, the swaybar will exert some force on the front suspension, balancing out the front to rear bias. With the correct length link pins, I have never seen a swaybar be the limiting factor to flex in the rear of a GQ, for all lifts up to 6 inch. Transport might also show some interest if you have removed your swaybar totally, especially as an item fitted from the factory.

I found that with my 93 GQ , putting a 4 inch lift , 80mm longer shockies in the rear & longer pins in the front mad a huge difference without the sway bar compare to it being left in . I also found that my springs are only just loose enough to wiggle in the mounts not completly pop out. Though i have left the front on ... i didnt like the feeling of my door handles hitting the ground!

Does anyone know whether the swaybars off a GU wagon are interchangeable / thicker than those on a coil cab? I've pulled mine off the front and rear but would love a quick release set up because the tall, soft springs and windy mountain roads make for interesting driving each day on the way to work.

I'd get some made up for my existing swaybars but they aren't even as thick as your fingers.

the standard suspension setup actually climbs better with the rear swaybar left on. if everything else is working correctly the rear swaybar doesn't take away any travel (as long as the swaybar links are the right length for your springs)
I have a dashboard disconnectable swaybar setup that I'll swap for a standard one if anyone wants one.

Hi all, disconnecting my swaybar with the lever makes a big difference it travel to the rear of my car. I drove it up on a mound(similar to 30deg travel ramp) in rwd and the back wheel came off the ground. I disconnected the swaybar and the wheel dropped down and enabled me to drive up and OVER! the lump.

Hi guys, thanks heaps for your input,it's helped heaps!

I've taken the rear swaybar off and actually stopped some creaks and moans, i couldn't figure out where they were coming from!!! the swaybar bushes were almost non-existent!!!

I'm off on a day trip tomorrow to see how my rig performs without it!!!
I'll let you know how it goes!!!

Thanks again for your input.

Jono.

hey guys,

My rig was awesome, it went as far as the diff clearance let it!!!

we went to cabbage tree an i got all the way down to the river in the GQ (only has a 2" lift, 31's, and saggy shocks!!!)

It was an awesome day, and the difference in off road performance was very noticable!!!

Happy Driving!!!

I lifted my Gu 3" and found I had very little wheel travel as I didn't extend the sway bar linkages. I have since removed the swaybars and have been amazed at the difference and I'm very happy with the wheel travel. There's a bit more body roll but not too much and in an emergency braking situation it handled quite well.

Johnno wrote:I lifted my Gu 3" and found I had very little wheel travel as I didn't extend the sway bar linkages. I have since removed the swaybars and have been amazed at the difference and I'm very happy with the wheel travel. There's a bit more body roll but not too much and in an emergency braking situation it handled quite well.

This backs up the point Wendle & Area54 were making. When you alter spring height you need to alter the length of the link pins wotherwise the swaybar is working outside the parameters it is used to. That is why after a lift removing the swaybars with the standerd pins makes such a difference.

My tech teacher gave us some wisw advice "you cannot alter something without altering something else". Extra lift = Alters everything else in the suspension/drivetrain.

I got some new link pins made up for my lift. They consisted of a Heim joint with a length of threaded stainless steel rod and a couple of nylon lock nuts with the standard bushes. They work really well and also have a grease nipple on them for the joint itself.

I have a terrano and I just removed the rear sway bar, its given a bit more of a body roll, but my wheels arn't lifting up off the ground anymore as much either. Will put it through its paces out at Ormeau though on the weekend.

Ben

taking sway bar off the rear will give you more travel on GQ, but if you drive hard steep stuff and get the truck verticle it will tend to want to torque flip more. with 6'' lift if you leave it on and wheel hard you will probably crack the mount on the drivers side or snap the swaybar links. to stop this you need to lenghten bumpstops or install a custom swaybar that is suited to offroad travel

Increase link length or use pathfinder rear links alla round 180mm long

Bazzle