Is it better to have a smaller sway bar in back?

[Lefty]

I've read that some recommend a smaller sway bar in the back end of the truck. Mine 2003 Ranger edge came with both front and rear bars, each about 5/8" thick. I have beefed up the back end with leaf spring clamps, a definite improvement. I've also followed TRS advice and installed a 1" bar in the front. The results are noticeable. But now i am wondering if I should find a bigger 1" Bronco II bar in the back. Surely someone here has tried this. Is there any improvement? Or should I be content to keep the smaller bar in the back?

 

[19Walt93]

Usually the rear bar is smaller because if the rear suspension is too tight compared to the front, the car/truck will understeer- Nascar guys would say it pushed. Can You borrow a bigger bar from someone to try?

 

[Lefty]

Usually the rear bar is smaller because if the rear suspension is too tight compared to the front, the car/truck will understeer- Nascar guys would say it pushed. Can You borrow a bigger bar from someone to try?

Interesting... I was thinking to score a bar at a U-PULL yard. If it doesn't work then I'm out just $28.00 and a day's work.

That's not a lot, but still it's a day's work.

 

[cbxer55]

I've got a Hellwig on the back of my 98. Think it's 7/8s. Handles swell. Also have the matching Hellwig front, which is larger than the factory one. So they go good together. Bought them as a set in 2002.

 

[Lefty]

I've got a Hellwig on the back of my 98. Think it's 7/8s. Handles swell. Also have the matching Hellwig front, which is larger than the factory one. So they go good together. Bought them as a set in 2002.

Thank you for a definitive answer! I wish I could afford Hellwigs, but I will continue to quest for a Bronco II bar. I read that similar year Ford Explorers have sway bars that will fit, but they seem to be closer to the Ranger size.

 

[cbxer55]

I enjoy tossing mine around a curvy road. It does swell. Not as good as my 2021 Honda CBR600RR, but it's great on a rainy day.

 

[Lefty]

That's a big yes to good handling. Yes, especially fun in the twisty bits, but it's also a big yes to safety, about emergency stops and/or swerves to avoid bad stuff. Better sway bars get increasingly more important at highway speeds, also more with any kind of body lift or with oversize wheels and tires.

Off road is different, of course, but most of us drive on pavement most of the time.

 

[BroncLander]

That's a big yes to good handling. Yes, especially fun in the twisty bits, but it's also a big yes to safety, about emergency stops and/or swerves to avoid bad stuff. Better sway bars get increasingly more important at highway speeds, also more with any kind of body lift or with oversize wheels and tires.

Off road is different, of course, but most of us drive on pavement most of the time.

On my jeep I had removable sway bar links. If I wanted to tackle a major obstacle, I could pull the pins and disconnect my sway bar completely and then throw them back on in a quick minute before pavement

 

[Lefty]

On my jeep I had removable sway bar links. If I wanted to tackle a major obstacle, I could pull the pins and disconnect my sway bar completely and then throw them back on in a quick minute before pavement

Yup. Removable links are good. In fact, all links can be removed or disconnected if they haven't rusted too badly. I had a Jeep, but i never bothered. I never encountered that type of extreme terrain.

The link or link pin is that vertical bar with the while polyurethane bushings.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I don’t have anything to say about what rear sway bar is best… yet…

My green Ranger got the Explorer front sway bar. In the rear my goal is to use all the Explorer goodies (sway bar, traction bars, dampener shock, rear mounted shocks, spring under axle) plus pack clamps. We shall see how that goes. I’m hoping for a lowered monster in disguise.

My Choptop I did removeable links in the front, got Explorer front links and drilled the lower to take a 1/2” hitch pin and bam, removeable links. I’m not convinced it helps that much, it’s still a big spring toy. Even with new tires.

I’m ok with that though, I accepted it for what it is when I built it. The green Ranger was built as everything my Choptop wasn’t. Everything I build has a purpose. My F-150 is a fricking tank, because it’s my work truck. I have a plan for all of my fleet.

 

[Lefty]

I don’t have anything to say about what rear sway bar is best… yet…

My green Ranger got the Explorer front sway bar. In the rear my goal is to use all the Explorer goodies (sway bar, traction bars, dampener shock, rear mounted shocks, spring under axle) plus pack clamps. We shall see how that goes. I’m hoping for a lowered monster in disguise.

My Choptop I did removeable links in the front, got Explorer front links and drilled the lower to take a 1/2” hitch pin and bam, removeable links. I’m not convinced it helps that much, it’s still a big spring toy. Even with new tires.

I’m ok with that though, I accepted it for what it is when I built it. The green Ranger was built as everything my Choptop wasn’t. Everything I build has a purpose. My F-150 is a fricking tank, because it’s my work truck. I have a plan for all of my fleet.

If I remember correctly you tipped me about using a '97 Explorer bar. It was a great improvement for dirt cheap. Thanks buddy!
I found a rear Explorer bar in the junkyard, but didn't pull it. It looked like it was just 5/8" thick, same as my stock Ranger.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

If I remember correctly you tipped me about using a '97 Explorer bar. It was a great improvement for dirt cheap. Thanks buddy!
I found a rear Explorer bar in the junkyard, but didn't pull it. It looked like it was just 5/8" thick, same as my stock Ranger.

That indeed was me, lol

And you are quite welcome

 

[rubydist]

Let's put a little more detail in the answer to the original question, so we are all clear.

Basically, the front sway bar is there primarily to control the amount of body roll in corners. A larger front sway bar reduces body roll in the corner. It does this by increasing the load that is transferred to the outside tire, which increases understeer.

The rear sway bar is used to dial in whether the vehicle understeers or oversteers, and how much. Note that all production American vehicles are designed to understeer, because most American drivers are poor, and a vehicle that does not understeer requires a much better driver. (Most drivers over-correct in a panic, and a vehicle that understeers does not respond as quickly so it helps save people from their bad reactions.)

As you make the rear sway bar larger, it reduces the amount the vehicle understeers and eventually you get the rear bar large enough that it will cause the vehicle to oversteer.

When you take the front sway bar from 5/8" to 1" as you did, you reduce the body roll significantly (a 1" bar is more than 2x the stiffness of a 5/8" bar). But you also increase the understeer significantly. So, to get the vehicle back to a similar balance in handling, you need to also increase the size of the rear sway bar. How much to increase the rear bar is a function of the balance you want and the weight balance of the vehicle. So, you will likely not need to make the rear bar much larger to get back to a more reasonable handling situation.

And, in case it is not obvious, making the sway bars stiffer reduces off-road capability, because it limits how much the various wheels can individually articulate going over rough terrain. This is one of the main reason that serious off-road vehicles have no sway bars or have sway bar disconnect systems.

So, I would suggest a larger than 5/8" rear bar, but you probably do not want to go all the way to 1" like you did in the front. 3/4" or 7/8" will likely be enough.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I do know that a 5000 pound V8 explorer with the big sway bar up front and a rear bar with junk tires will by far out handle a 3600 pound 4x2 Ranger extended cab with decent tires and just a stock front sway bar only... the front of the Ranger just pushes so dang bad... I think it's mostly the long wheelbase...

I haven't ran any sway bars on the '90 Ranger in over a decade, no regerts, drives great, lot of body roll but after you get over the pucker factor it is stuck to the road... after the drivetrain swap on the '00 Explorer I "might" leave the rear sway bar in play but I want the front to just willy nilly do it's thing...

 

[stmitch]

Yep, rubydist has the right idea.
The balance between front and rear sway bars has a big impact on overall vehicle handling. If you want more oversteer, increase the size of the rear sway bar.