hey guys,
what are some of my options to make my truck handle better? i dont want to lower it and i dont want to change my tire size. i have really soft shocks right now and im already planning on installing stiffer ones soon, hopefully that will help. what about anti-sway bars? anyone tried them? anything else i can do? my truck is very top-heavy around turns. thanks a lot for the help!

 

i take it nobody out there has tried anti-sway bars? come on guys, any ideas? help me out here...

 

I think a search on "shocks" or " sway bar" would turn up a bunch of stuff.

I remember reading a post where one person was considering a set of shocks and a rear sway bar for his pick up cause his truck did'nt have one and he was experiencing mucho body roll.

Long story short, he installed a set of shocks "edelbrock maybe?)and was satisfied with the improved handling enough to cancel the rear sway bar. From his review he claimed body roll was reduced and overall handling much better with shock alone.

 

I purchased a rear anti-sway bar kit from J. C. Whitney and it made a world of difference in my handling. No drilling, welding, etc. to get it installed either. About $140 with shipping. Great add on if anybody needs to inprove handling!

 

Lowering your center of gravity, widening your tire contact patch, lowering your tire profile, adding springs rated for handling, a matched set of anti-sway bars, and premium shocks; this is the typical approach. I have no intention of lowering my vehicle either. I added shocks, the rear anti-sway bar, then the front anti-sway bar. I did each one independently and evaluated them for a few weeks. Each helped, but BY FAR, the biggest improvement was the front anti-sway bar.

 

Max, did your truck come with a factory rear sway bar?
How much thicker was the Hellwig front sway bar over the stock unit?

Thanx in advance.

 

Max
What do you mean "matched sway bars"? Are you talking about buying the same brands front and rear or buying a package where you get the front and rear one?

 

LE PEW- My truck had no rear bar and a 1&1/8" bar up front. The Hellwigs are 1&1/8" rear(#7621) and 1&7/16" up front(#7646). The front bar is heavy,massive, and uses larger end link bolts/nuts with polyurethane bushings.

KYFordFreak- What I meant was that "both" bars should be engineered and tested to give the proper handling results.

 

I installed the front and rear Hellwig sway bars on my SuperCrew (same numbers as MaxMitchell posts above). Greatly improved handling on freeway transitions and doing quick lane changes when evading those 'peripherally-vision impaired' drivers who like to merge into the side of your truck! Also, I'm looking at installing the Edelbrock IAS shocks next. I had a set on an older Explorer and they worked fantastic, without loss of a smooth ride. I do not plan on lowering the vehicle, but will go with some 18-20 inch wheels and wider tires later on to further improve handling and to fill out the wheel well space.