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Dual front Sway Bars- Discussion/Conversation


Dsetz

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Hey all!

I've got an 84 Ranger 4x4 with the front sway mounted behind the axle. I've been looking at my 94 X Sway, which is mounted in front of the Axle.
It appears I could add the in-front-of-axle sway to the Ranger without much modification/fabrication.

So, I'd like a discussion centered around the pro's and con's of doing so.

My build vision and intentions for the truck:
Building the Ranger to be somewhere between a Ranger, Lightning and SuperDuty( Super Lightning Ranger :p ). I want reliability, power, speed, load and tow capacity, and generally a good balance between streetability and off-road acceptability. Likely the truck will always be on a road- be it blacktop or dirt. I'm not much for trail crawling or pre-running. There is snow here... like 8 months of the year.
I don't have intentions of lifting the truck. Maybe 2" at most. Tires below 31"

1 -Everyone says front/rear sways should be balanced. The 84 has no rear sway. I have to imagine an un-laden 1st gen Ranger has virtually no lateral sway in the rear anyways (low and light).
However, I will be adding the X rear sway. So if I add a sway in the rear and front, is it "balanced"?

2- Will more Sway bar reduce the TTB effectiveness?
End Link quick-disconnects would be very easy to access, if so.

3- Will a rear Sway reduce the wheel travel offered by the 63" Chevy leaf drop shackle set-up?
I am kinda assuming the 63" mod will provide more wheel travel than I need.

4- Any other ideas/concerns/pros&cons from y'all?
I've seen 1 post on TRS about someone doing something similar in a 2wd. Makes sense for a road Ranger, for sure.

Thanks,
Durc
 


alwaysFlOoReD

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With a heavy front sway bar the truck likes to push in corners. Adding another will make that worse. Adding a rear sway bar will counteract the front push. Basically a sway bar loosens grip. More front sway bar, more push. More rear bar, more kick out. Road racing most people like a neutral feeling, so both front and rear break loose about the same time. There are driving techniques that can overcome deficiencies but having the suspension do the work is better.
 

Dsetz

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"Push in corners" is confusing my mind. Lol, sorry. Did a bit more reading.
So too much front sway= potential liftoff of front inside tire.
Add rear sway= increased oversteer.

Haven't driven the 84 at speed. Do know the 94X cornered much better than my 88 2wd( no idea its setup, shortbed couldn't have helped).
Should be said the 84 is a long bed.

Now I'm wondering if the X sway is superior to the 84. Appears longer, sits 2-3' farther forward, and terminates closer to the spindles.
I also have to wonder if the 84 sway terminating into the radius arms has a negative affect on them as well? Or is that a better setup than the X linked to the torsion beams? Hmmm.... I'm ASSUMING the Ranger setup is better off road and the X is better on road.

X has to have quite a bit more rear weight and lateral sway potential.
So I assume if I went to a straight X F&R sway swap, I would have increased oversteer compared to the X? And just an X rear sway would be worse/more?

Another thought then(sorry lmao), is lengthening the X sway flanges to lengthen/soften it and running it in addition to the 84 sway as a sway "overload". Probably purely redundant, or worse as you indicated.

Or likewise I suppose I could shorten the flanges to bring the X setup into balance for the lighter, lower center of gravity Ranger. This is sounding potentially the most sensible at this point for all around use.

Hmm guess ill need to do some hands on experimentation at some point.
 
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alwaysFlOoReD

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More front bar = more understeer
More rear bar = more oversteer

Also;
The more bar you have the more bumps will bounce the truck. The bar prevents movement of an individual wheel. If you hit a speed bump there would be no added effect. So having a disconnect could be the answer for on/off road performance.
 

Dsetz

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2WD / 4WD
4WD
Beautiful and thank you!

There is of course 4x4 dynamics to consider as well- which I'd say is an understeer situation? And would be improved upon by a rear.

So I think to improve my model I do away with the radius arm sway in favor of the axle mounted X sway which seems a superior design- which might allow me longer radius arms.

Guess ill try it with the X rear and if its too much ill hunt around for a smaller Ranger rear sway.

Try and find that sweet spot. Don't want too much bounce.
 

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