After your lift kit and tire upgrades, there are plenty of other upgrades and enhancements you can make to your custom lifted Jeep. One that’s often overlooked but you might’ve heard of, especially if you intend to take your Jeep to the trails, is the quick-disconnect sway bars. This upgrade enables better articulation and smoother trail performance for your rig, but are they really worth it? That’s the question we’re here to answer today, so keep reading for our breakdown of the pros, cons and real-world value of this upgrade.
What Are Quick-Disconnect Sway Bars?
Just about every vehicle produced today comes with sway bars — also known as anti-roll bars. Designed to reduce body roll during cornering, sway bars link the left and right sides of your suspension system. This leads to improved stability and handling on the road, but if you intend to use your lifted Jeep for off-roading it can have negative side effects.
They can limit your suspension system's ability to flex and adapt to uneven terrain, which is where quick-disconnect sway bars come into play. These upgraded sway bars allow you to easily detach the sway bar when you decide to hit the trail, without even using tools. Most systems use pins, levers or spring-loaded mechanisms to make the process quick and easy.
Off-Road Benefits
Now that you know what exactly quick-disconnect sway bars are, if you didn’t already, let’s start by highlighting the benefits they bring to off-roading. The most obvious benefit is that they allow your Jeep’s wheels to move more independently, which is why they’re a perfect upgrade for off-roaders. This extra articulation will help to ensure each wheel stays in contact with the ground even while driving over rocks, ruts or steep inclines. Here are some other key benefits:
- Better traction; more wheel contact means fewer slips, better control
- Smoother ride; your suspension can absorb terrain more naturally, reducing jolts, body stress
- Reduced stress; less resistance from sway bar means less strain on your axle, suspension parts
On-Road Considerations
Just because something is better for one thing doesn’t mean it’s going to be good for everything. There was, after all, a reason that sway bars were added to vehicles in the first place. So it’s important to always reconnect your sway bars before hitting the highway or driving back through the city. If your Jeep feels loose or unstable while turning, especially at higher speeds, you may want to check to make sure your sway bars are properly reconnected. Here are some other drawbacks you might notice with disconnected sway bars:
- Increased body roll; more lean in corners, negatively impacting handling
- Reduced responsiveness; sudden maneuvers may feel sluggish, unpredictable
- Legality; some states or insurance companies may require sway bars for road use, leaving them disconnected could impact these requirements
Installation & Maintenance
Unlike many aftermarket upgrades, quick-disconnect sway bars are relatively simple to install thanks to fairly inexpensive kits that you can purchase and add to your stock or aftermarket sway bar. There are plenty of professional kits out there from big name brands in the off-road space like Rough Country, Teraflex and JKS. Just make sure you choose a kit that properly fits your suspension system. You’ll want to regularly grease moving parts as they’ll need lubrication to stay smooth and quiet. And lastly, check that your sway bar sits evenly and doesn’t bind after installation.
If you don’t feel comfortable making the installation yourself, or simply don’t have the time – it can take up to a couple of hours – feel free to get in touch with us right here at LiftedJeeps.com. We’d be happy to help you find the right kit and get it installed for you.