¿ Suspension Travel Limiting Straps?

[kitkat]

I had front disconnects in mine, from a TJ and had the right bolt size and whatever. Was really nice on the trails and didn't overextend only because you drive too slow but I would very much like to strap them before I put them back in. Took them out because they were a pain to connect and disconnect (not the same type as the JKS).

[kmax]

Hey guys - a little late to the party - normal for me. I've never removed the rear sway bar for exactly the reasons noted earlier in this thread. I was afraid the rear springs would literally drop out as they did for GetLost4x4. As for the front, knowing the strut is the downward travel limiting device, I disconnected the front sway bar. Actually, I removed it for a year and a half. The articulation was massively improved and the XK didn't teeter-totter anymore because I rarely lifted a wheel. I should note, the Superlift 4" puts the front end back at "stock" geometry which allows the strut to truly limit downward travel, as opposed to a spacer (like RR) which compromises the downward travel and puts the upper ball joint at risk. All that being said, at 62K, all four of my ball joints were shot due to many off-road miles and living a couple miles up super crappy dirt roads. What I should have done was replace the upper ball joints/control arms with the Jeepin By Al pieces as they really weren't much more than OEM. Alas, my lack of research... Anyway, I got the old parts back and after running no front sway bar for all those trips off-road (and three trips to Moab), I decided to take a close look to see if I had used the ball joints to their full limit. I had. After cutting off the rubber boots to take a look, I saw where the upper joints had badly scalloped the outer most part of the cup meaning they hadn't begun to pop out, but they had been some degrees further than their design limit. This occurred on both sides. The lowers were worn but showed no signs of trying to go beyond their limit. They were so loose, they wouldn't hold position as you rotated them around. Floppy. The front end was much improved (as expected) upon replacement of all ball joints. As I didn't want to trash the brand new ones, I have since reinstalled the front sway bar which does a great job of limiting downward travel of a lifted front wheel, thus saving the upper ball joint. If you're running a spacer lift, limiting straps are not a bad idea. For the rear, I would definitely use them if I were ever to disconnect the sway bar. I should also say the removal (or disconnection) of the front sway bar improved the ride big time though it did lean some in the corners. Wonder why...

I think this is the picture 07JeepXK was talking about.

[07JeepXK]

Yup, those were the pictures I was refering to. I've had my rear suspension totally articulated to the max and my springs didn't fall out with the sway bar disconnected. I guess it all depends on your setup. I know Getlost was running rear Bilstein 5150's that were really meant for a 4 inch lift, not the 2 inch lift he had. Thats why his springs would fall out.

[superacerc]

Those were the pictures i was referring to as well. Thanks kmax. It's not only amazing but inspirational. My question is then, Next weekend when i go wheeling should i remove the front sway bar connections and just put them back on after I finish? Should i just leave them off since they aren't going to articulate that much on the street? I have the spacer type lift. I do plan on replacing my struts eventually and the UCA's with jeepinbyals version and the lovely replaceable ball joint.

[kmax]

Superacerc - with a spacer lift, I would suggest leaving the sway bar connected until you get the Jeepin By Al UCA's and balljoints. With the typical spacer lift, the upper balljoint will reach its downward travel limit before anything else. The Jeepin By Al UCA's appear to have addressed your specific issue. I'd err on the conservative side until you gots those babies installed.

[superacerc]

Thanks. That's what I'm going to do. I think I'll do just fine for now. Hopefully I'll get some decent pictures of our trip and post them in the pics section.