Two Crazy questions

[Sal-XK]

This might be a dumb question but here it goes anyway. I know disco's are to release the sway bar easily by just pulling the pin. Is there any reason you can't just crawl underneath and disconnect the thing your self then bolt it together when your done?


Also someone explain to me why disconnecting both sway bars is worse then just releasing the front.

[LWM]

I know Old McDonald took his front sway bar off and never put it back on again (even when he traded it in).

[NeilSmith]

You could but thats why they are called QUICK disconnects. :)

[Adondo]

Nothing is wrong with it. Mine had a loose bolt, which broke when we were 'wheeling last year. Suddenly the XK... A) had a really nice soft ride, and B) also had a banging sound.

The banging sound was the sway bar end thumping its mount as we bashed along. I just pulled the bar's end back and away. Problem solved. It was a hairy ride back on the highway as it felt top heavy and unstable.

I haven't done it yet, but my plan is to drill a shoulder bolt, and use small ''tractor'' pins to lock it in for the highway. I'll probably use a bungy to hold the end of the bar from hitting anything.

And... by the way, considering how the swaybar and its links are designed, I see no reason whatsoever to remove BOTH sides. So the moving swaybar follows one side or the other's movement, who cares? When I do my bolt/pin thing, it'll just be ONE side.

It's amazing the difference it makes getting rid of the swaybar.

[Sal-XK]

cool I will have to try that. The sway bar also has no load on it while the XK sits level correct. I also picked up an assorted case of grade 5 hardware (304 pieces $25) to carry with me making trail repairs easier. What about the rear sway bar, in the disco thread a couple of peopled agreed just disconnecting the front was necessary.

[Adondo]

It rode awful nice with the front bolt broke. I don't know if I'd also remove the rear bar. Maybe in Moab on extreme stuff like Poison Spider. It might be a bit too tippy with both disconnected.

The rear does keep it pretty even, so when the front goes back in, it's not that hard to line up again. I just pushed/pulled a bit while putting the new bolt in. It would actually be easier with a pin or stud though, because with a bolt, the threads have to line up perfectly or it binds. With a stud, you'd just need to push the bar back onto it while you reef on the underside of the Jeep. That's why I will make a stud out of a shoulder bolt. I already thought about just removing the bolt with a socket wrench, but lining up the threads while out on the trail would be a major PITA. And... the empty swaybar's bolt hole would get crap in the threads.

[Sal-XK]

I'm going to a work day on the 25th at Uwharrie so I'll have to give this a try.

[strokeZ]

I agree w Adondo - when my front link broke the articulation was really good and I also got that slapping sound - although I really have nothing to compare it with since it was the first time with the new lift and it broke in like 10 minutes of being on the trail. The problem was when I got back on the road. Even with one link off the front dove when making L turns (the rt link broke). I was not confident over 60 mph.

[Sal-XK]

Well, as some of you may know with the sway bar connected you spend most of the trail with at least one tire in the air. Some times I'm amazed at how little it takes to get one or two tires off the ground. I have tons of miles off road in the XK so I'll be able to tell the difference real fast.

[strokeZ]

Yeah I could tell right away. If you look at some of the pics superacerc took, its pretty apparent the benefit of offroading with the front disconnected. I think there was only one spot where I went down a rocky river bed that I went tri-pod with only one front link off....I was pretty happy about that.

[LWM]

The front disconnects might have to be my next mod!

[1USMC]

The front disconnects might have to be my next mod!

Yup, me too, I'm listening and learning...

[superacerc]

You can definitely take them off and put them on whenever you want.
I leave my rear disconnected all the time and my front stays connected. When on road the front becomes dangerously spongy in my opinion if it's disconnected. No problem when off road except it can wear your ball joint quicker when extending alot. The rear stays pretty stiff cause of the solid axle when it's disconnected so doesn't affect the road manners too much.

Just go experiment. Take them off and drive around the block and put them on one set at a time to see how it feels. It only takes a few minutes to remove them.