I am dropped probably 4". I have saleen drop leafs which drop the truck about 2". I also have 2" belltech drop shackles.

If a truck is lower than 4", it looks like the bracket on the rearend might hit the bed support if the truck goes over a large bump.

 

So what's the clearance from the bar bracket to the bed support sitting static? And it's a bolt on kit?

 

I will take a measurement in a little bit. There are two brackets. One for guys that are lowered and one for stock ride height.

Bolt in kit. The only modification that needs to be done is to drill two holes in the frame. That is actually the hardest part of the install.

The company is still working on installation instructions.

 

Cool. I'm lowered 2" front and 4" in the rear and this would be a nice addition.

 

I have 1" clearance between my bumpstop and rear axle tube and about 2" from the top of the rearend bracket to the bed frame.

 

That's not too bad.

 

Panhard bars are a half-baked way to provide lateral support. They force the axle to move in an arc. Especially on such a short Panhard bar that was in the picture. Plus the 3" leafs in our trucks provide good lateral support anyways. I'm sure there's a theoretical benefit, but I'd be curious to see some independent data rather than seat of the pants feeling.

Now if they designed a Watt's linkage, they may have a winner.

And for about the same cost or a little less, you can get a Hellwig rear sway bar (part #7662 for 2004-2008) that will be more effective at reducing body roll.

 

I have both the hellwig rear sway bar and the panhard bar. The hellwig bar was a pain in the butt to install. The hardware was incorrect, and the threads on the endlinks needed to be deburred. I never could get everything tightened down enough. When it was installed, it did reduce body roll tremendously. The combination of swaybar and panhard has my truck handling like a performance car....and I love it.

A watts link would be great.....who wants to pay for one on an F150? You are looking at something in the $800-$1200 range. I doubt one could even fit properly on an 04-08 F150 with all of the different exhaust setups being run, the different ride heights, a full size spare in the way, and that large spare tire or towing bracket directly to the rear of our rearend. The panhard is a much cheaper, simpler solution.

Note.....7662 is for the hellwig front sway bar, and it is slightly cheaper. 7663 is the part number for the rear sway bar....and it costs more than the panhard

In this case, taking my truck down an extremely twisty-turny road at a good speed before and after I could feel a difference. For example: The road used for testing has about 7 turns.....one particular turn, I know I could take at 37mph.....thats the point at which my 305s were just start to howl and the truck felt loose. After the panhard install, I took the same corner at 37mph and the truck felt tight, I had more control, and the tires didnt make a sound. Tried it at 40mph....then 45mph....at 48mph, my tires started to howl a bit, but I still felt as if I had complete control. Speed measured by GPS. While this is nothing like having a video camera strapped to my axle to show movement or having load sensors installed all over the truck and feeding back data to a computer (I dont know of any company that does this), it was good enough for me!

 

Allcarfan, I also have the hellwig bars, but I also have Ride-rite air bags and the back end feels like it rolls more than it should. If it's possible, I'd like to see a pic of the frame attachment. I'm not sure if that bracket would interfere with the air bag bracket or not. I like to get this setup, but I'm afraid of an interference issue.

 

Oops. I had the wrong part number for the rear sway bar. Still doesn't change the fact that for roughly the same money ($237 on Amazon) a sway bar is an extremely better method of controlling body roll.

I'm not trying to knock your product down. Panhard bars offer little bang for the buck by comparison. I'm sure it compliments a sway bar, but it doesn't overcome the issue of forcing the axle to move in an arc.

You're right. Nobody would pay $800-$1200 for a Watt's Linkage. But that would be an unreasonable price to start with. A product like that would need to be targeted at the $300 price mark for me to even consider it. And that's only after I get a sway bar and find some money to burn.

I applaud the engineering effort. I think it needs more time in the oven. That's all.

 

I only know of two F-150's with watts links, neither are your average trucks






the panhard, when setup correctly does not force the axle shift as stated above UNLESS you are really cycling the suspension and need to slow down on bumps...




the panhard (when setup correctly) is a good bang for the buck mod
but like any modification when improperly setup can create negative side effects




I have traction bars, sway bars and the panhard - needless to say: I **** alot of cars off on corners with my green truck

 

I welcome all opinions, criticism, and suggestions. That the only way we can grow and provide the people with what they want. I didnt take your post as derogatory. For anyone reading this....the hellwig is on ebay for $233 shipped and you get ebay bucks and free shipping. I think thats where i got mine from 3 years ago.

The "time in the oven" has been tried and true with the lightning guys. After the 04 heritage edition, everyone left us out on the performance parts arena.

@Windsor....can you shoot me a pic of your bags? It might be better for me to tell you, rather than you try to figure it out.

@EsJayEs....can you send me a picture, even if it is hand drawn or in MS paint of what you mean by the axle moving in an arc? I want to ensure that I understand what you are referring to.

shoot me an email at light02atl@yahoo.com

 

Well (hypothetically) if you have two points 12" apart with one point hard located and the other point able to move vertically up and down you have an arc of movement.

 

Can do, but probably not until tomorrow or Saturday. Way to wet to get under it today.

 

Here’s an illustration of the arc caused by a Panhard bar. I figured I'd make sure everybody understood what I'm referring to.



Even with the bar starting parallel to the axle, there will still be an ark. This is why manufacturers that do use a solid axle lateral control setup choose a Watt’s linkage. Panhard bars are crude and are rarely seen anymore. When they were used, it was usually on econo-box cars. Offhand, I know the 1998-2011 Crown Victoria and 2004-2009 Durango use a Watt’s Linkage.

In short, a Panhard bar forces the axle to be deflected, rather than prevent it. The shorter a Panhard bar is, the more severe axle arc becomes.

A Watt’s linkage by comparison accomplishes the same goal with no drawbacks. The axle is stabilized from both sides, and allows for zero lateral movement. I found an excellent animated gif here:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ts_linkage.gif