Swaybar Disconnects - Ford Raptor

[Xjrguy]

xjrguy:
How's that bubble that you live in?


<SNIP>

Nice ad hominem.

The bubble I live in is pretty ****ing expensive and so are the things I've worked hard for in my life, so I try not to expose liability by making an unsafe modification to my 99% street driven truck.

Anybody that runs this **** (No swaybars) on the street and gets into an accident and causes severe damage or bodily harm is just fodder for a victim or victim's family who has retained a competent attorney.

Yeah, kinda like these guys:

http://www.schwebel.com/press/nations-top-selling-vehicles/


Notice the closing line on the page?

"If you or someone you know has been injured as the result of a vehicle rollover, it is crucial that you talk to an experienced personal injury lawyer as soon as possible."

 

[BigJ]

I get the concern. I share it. But its based on the premise that disconnecting the swaybars make the vehicle unsafe. Does it? I suppose that's the question that, if left connected, is a moot point in an accident.

Anyone know what the Power Wagon manual says on the subject? Does Dodge lock out the disconnect ability "on road" somehow? Does it reengage after a certain speed? I think we can infer a lot from those answers... I'll look into it.

 

[MagicMtnDan]

Dan, all that info is about Jeeps and Rock Crawling.....

There seems to be 2 kinds of information available online about anti-sway bars: (1) what they are, how to adjust and maintain them, etc., and (2) removing them for offroading (on vehicles unlike the Raptor which, as you know, is a rather unique vehicle).

I've tried to take what's available and apply it to our situation so we can, hopefully, learn more about the pros and cons of anti-sway bar removal.

I even mentioned that most (all?) offroad trucks don't use them and I speculated as to why.

We're all here learning from and with each other.

 

[Xjrguy]

I get the concern. I share it. But its based on the premise that disconnecting the swaybars make the vehicle unsafe. Does it? I suppose that's the question that, if left connected, is a moot point in an accident.

Anyone know what the Power Wagon manual says on the subject? Does Dodge lock out the disconnect ability "on road" somehow? Does it reengage after a certain speed? I think we can infer a lot from those answers... I'll look into it.

According to this article the system re-engages the front sway bar above 18MPH. It also appears (via that article) that the disconnect may only work in 4WD. (this is also referencing 2005MY)

http://www.wawii.com/powerwagon/LegendaryDodgeRamPowerWagonReturns.htm


EDIT:

Here is an article referencing the 2010 MY Power Wagon

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2009/10/part-4-first-drive-review-2010-dodge-ram-power-wagon.html

 

[bstoner59]

The truck isn't unsafe w/out the swaybar...I have over 20,000 miles without it. On road off-road slow fast you name it. Does it handle different..yes of course. The best thing is sliding sideways through a turn with whoops and rocks at the apex and having the hood level across the horizon...much more control and no 'bouncing' off rocks or whoops because the front end can't work independenly.

As for jeeps those are short wheelbase high CoG narrow vehicles...that alone is a recipe for rollover. Can't really compare the Raptor to those.

 

[Bojangles]

The truck isn't unsafe w/out the swaybar...I have over 20,000 miles without it. On road off-road slow fast you name it. Does it handle different..yes of course. The best thing is sliding sideways through a turn with whoops and rocks at the apex and having the hood level across the horizon...much more control and no 'bouncing' off rocks or whoops because the front end can't work independenly.

yes, yes, and yes.

 

[frogslinger]

I really have no idea what you are trying to say .

Im going to "attempt" to respond.
Yes the COG will increase your tendency to roll, but this truck is not the height of a F250 with a 10 inch lift on it. So for you to roll you will need to be driving like a complete idiot or roll a bead, either way your screwed

If you are limiting articulation, aren't you limiting your travel? Limiting your articulation will stop your front end from dropping out, which is limiting your travel.
Then again I'm no expect in sway bars, I've never run one on any of my trucks

Was not trying to say anything... however

1) you brought up COG... not sure why... however saying that the camaro has a different COG to a raptor is like saying being shot by a 22 hurts (the camaro's really good cog)... well yes but not when compares to being shot by a 30-06 (the raptors really not as good one)

2) no you are not limiting travel you are limiting articulation. If you hit a 5-6 inch tall bump whoop or speed bump with your sway bar engaged the front tires will travel up around 5 inches then hit the bump stops. Travel was unaffected. If you roll one tire into a two foot deep hole, it will not "reach" for the bottom. Articulation has been limited.

3) I know lots about sway bars... more of a tarmac junkie than an offroad one. Their purpose is to prevent lean generated by centrifugal forces. They do it well. They do however hamper offroad abilities in some circumstances.

Side note... roll over occurs when the total lateral force provides enough movement to get the COG past the pivot point (generally the outside edge off the outside tires)... this is a matter of feet of lateral movement of the top of the truck relative to the bottom in the case of the raptor. Sway bars do not reduce the force... they just redistribute it so its effect is lessened.

Ironically roll overs will only occur in off camber situations or where a significant opposite lateral force is applied to the tires (think really good traction or catching on a curb)... if you are sliding around the dirt you should be fine.

 

[Xjrguy]

The truck isn't unsafe w/out the swaybar...I have over 20,000 miles without it. On road off-road slow fast you name it. Does it handle different..yes of course. The best thing is sliding sideways through a turn with whoops and rocks at the apex and having the hood level across the horizon...much more control and no 'bouncing' off rocks or whoops because the front end can't work independenly.

As for jeeps those are short wheelbase high CoG narrow vehicles...that alone is a recipe for rollover. Can't really compare the Raptor to those.

Dude, please.....everyone here knows you drive like Rue McClanahan (RIP) so there is no risk of you ever flipping over .....hahahaha

 

[BigJ]

According to this article ...

Just got a reply from a Master ASE tech who works on those things. You're right xrj: "Jason, has to be in 4HI or 4LO, preferably under 14 MPH. They don't recommend disconnecting the sway bar and driving it that way. The system will attempt to re-engage the sway bar 18 MPH and above."

Seems to me Dodge doesn't want you driving it on the road disconnected.

Dude, please.....everyone here knows you drive like Rue McClanahan (RIP) so there is no risk of you ever flipping over .....hahahaha

HEY! That's enough out of you. Show a little respect for the late, great Mrs. McClanahan. She rocked, and that's all there is to it. I will NOT have you invoking her, or any of my golden girls names with such disrespect.

 

[MagicMtnDan]

Ironically roll overs will only occur in off camber situations or where a significant opposite lateral force is applied to the tires (think really good traction or catching on a curb)... if you are sliding around the dirt you should be fine.

As to your the last part of your sentence, "if you are sliding around the dirt you should be fine", it depends.

At the speeds the Raptor can be driven offroad, around curves, things can get hairy quickly especially in soft dirt/sand washes.

It's my contention that the faster the Raptor is driven off road the more anti-sway bars are needed.