Broke rod from sway bar to lower control arm

[Maxx2893]

I'm getting my tires rotated and balanced at discount tire. The tech comes from the back and tells me something is wrong with my truck. So I'm thinking oh great what is it. He proceeds to tell me as we're are walking to my truck that I broke the rod connecting the sway bar to the lower control arm on the drivers side.

Passenger side:

Driver side:

I have no idea how I did it. So what do y'all think. Go to the dealer and get the OEM part or get a sturdier aftermarket part. I have no idea how much this part is. I wouldn't think it would be much because it's just a small part.

 

[Hockster]

I'm getting my tires rotated and balanced at discount tire. The tech comes from the back and tells me something is wrong with my truck. So I'm thinking oh great what is it. He proceeds to tell me as we're are walking to my truck that I broke the rod connecting the sway bar to the lower control arm on the drivers side.

Passenger side:

Driver side:

I have no idea how I did it. So what do y'all think. Go to the dealer and get the OEM part or get a sturdier aftermarket part. I have no idea how much this part is. I wouldn't think it would be much because it's just a small part.

Takes some torque to do that... lol... Dealer might replace if it broke at the threads but in the center like that...hmm... not sure about that...

 

[Vidiot]

For that piece I would head to the dealer and see if they'll replace it for you under warranty.

If they do it, great.

If they don't, I would pull the broken parts and just run it as is.

 

[Maxx2893]

I will probably see if they replace it under warranty if not I'm not sure what my course of action will be. I don't really expect them to due to where it is broken and the way it is bent also. I don't think I have abused my truck but we will see what they say. If they don't fix it under warranty then oh well (I'm not on some ford witch hunt).

 

[Raptizzle]

Toss that swaybar in the trash and don't look back. I can't tell you how much more pleased I am with both on and off road manners my truck has without the swaybar.

 

[LSURaptor]

Toss that swaybar in the trash and don't look back. I can't tell you how much more pleased I am with both on and off road manners my truck has without the swaybar.

Do you have any other suspention mods? I was thinking to do the middle perch adjustment instead of the top because I didn't want the front to get too stiff. Now you've got me thinking removing the sway bar may help soften it up enough to deal with the top perch...

 

[Raptizzle]

I do have some other front suspension components in place. Bottom perch, daystar spacer, boxed upper control arm with uniballs and heims.

I honestly don't think that removing the swaybar will lessen the stiffness in the front end. I drove mine on the top perch without a swaybar for 5,000 miles and didn't think that the removing the swaybar helped the ride quality. What's cool about ditching the swaybar is that now your front suspension will work independently from side to side. Swaybars are for the street and have no place being on anything that will see dirt. You will get a pretty solid amount of body roll but in all honestly I welcome that and it makes it way more fun to drive.

 

[LSURaptor]

I guess it's easy enough to just disconnect it and try it out for a while. I'll have to do it after my wife goes to bed though. I was pushing my luck to even get this thing. If I start wrenching on it immediately, she's going to start throwing shit at me!

I swore I'd never buy another vehicle new again but there wasn't shit available at a reasonable price on the used market. Of course as soon as mine comes in, you can bet your ass that the market will be flooded with bargains...

 

[bstoner59]

I've had my sway off for 40,000 miles...there is no need for it!!!

 

[swoop1156]

So, for my truck who is routinely on the highway at 80-90mph for long stretches of road and parking lot mania -- what charachteristics does the sway-bar hold?