Sway bars, do they wear out?

[wrcsixeight]

I removed mine to remove surface rust and repaint it. 6 bolts, 5 minutes max.

I drove my top heavy Van today without it.

If Somebody else had removed it unknown to me, I don't know if I would have known the difference.

I even drove it more aggressively than normal, around some traffic circles and could detect only minimal more lean than normal, and that might be cause I was expecting it.


I guess I should state that I do have stiffer springs up front than stock, and rear air bags(slightly above minimum PSI), but I've been used to those for years.

If anything, Hitting a pothole with only one tire was smoother than it would have been with the Stabilizer.

I am almost considering carrying 35 lbs less around, and leave it off.

 

[Stu_Rock]

The way they "wear out" is when they break. Otherwise their performance stays roughly the same over time.

Bushings can wear out, and if the vehicle has really fat, worn-out bushings, it would feel almost like having no bar.

Driving a van without a front bar would be really unsafe for high speed maneuvers. Your upgraded springs probably extend the performance envelope, but that bar is still important.

 

[wrcsixeight]

Yeah I have not done the highway thing with it yet.

When I replaced the springs, I did most every other front suspension component that can wear.

Since that photo was taken 16 months ago, I have also replaced the idler arms, and drag link.

And the Flexible brake hoses,
and the ....
also the ..

work in progress.

 

[david_ES2]

Depending on the cars suspension you may not feel much of a difference with sway bars off because they are so small and flexible. Like the one on the rear of.my 04 honda, it was a 12mm weighs barely 1lb, so flimsy, with enough pressure im sure i could snap or bend it. I upgraded to a soild 22mm bar, weighs about 10-15 lbs. Cornering is a night and day difference.

 

[Colt45ws]

I agree, its probably just small. I looked it up, and from the sizes of bushing that rockauto is giving me, it has a 15/16" bar. Thats roughly 24mm. For comparison, my 4200lb CV has a 26.5mm up front and its the grandpa package.
You have a lot more spring though even factory and that makes a difference. Then you went with even heavier springs. So, you are probably not leaning enough on those springs to cause it to come in during most of your driving. Its probably just there to bias it toward understeer. If you tried pushing it past the grip limit with and without the bar I bet you would have seen a difference.

 

[The_Eric]

Look into a heavy duty part as a replacement. Many times the parts catalogs offer 2 or 3 different diameters. Of course, you'd need the corresponding bushings and likely the brackets too. This will help keep your van steady and stable during turns and other maneuvers.

 

[Kestas]

Sway bars don't take a set as springs do. Unlike springs, sway bars aren't under a static load when sitting, and are used in both directions. As Stu said, the only time they need replacing is when they break.

 

[eljefino]

Urban legend says they can rust inside the frame bracket bushing, because they don't dry out there, and actually snap inside the bushing with no outward signs of problems.

Probably happened to someone, somewhere, once. Looking at it on level ground you wouldn't notice the problem.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: david_ES2
Depending on the cars suspension you may not feel much of a difference with sway bars off because they are so small and flexible. Like the one on the rear of.my 04 honda, it was a 12mm weighs barely 1lb, so flimsy, with enough pressure im sure i could snap or bend it. I upgraded to a soild 22mm bar, weighs about 10-15 lbs. Cornering is a night and day difference.

Do you autocross? I think my buddy had the stock RSX 19mm bar in his 2000 Civic and it made the car pretty neutral. Your bar sounds a bit scary if the rest of your suspension is stock?

 

[wrcsixeight]

15/16" looks about right.

I usually drive to maximize fuel economy with this Van. That does include keeping my speed up around some corners, but rarely to the point that the tires would protest.

I will re install it as I hadn't considered emergency handling, and with the way more and more drivers are becoming distracted here, It is just wise.

I've never seen an upgraded sway bar available for this Van. I have seen rear sway bar kits, but some are said to interfere with the 35 gallon tank without some pretty serious modification.

If I have more than 35 psi in the airbags, the van barely leans in any turn. My new front coil springs Moog 7272 are not that much stiffer than the old 7270 diameter ones I removed.

 

[mechtech2]

End links wear and break all the time.
The bushings may go bad.
Very rarely will a stock sway bar break. Rust doesn't help.
They normally don't wear, or wear out.