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One of the things we like about the Wildtrak trim is that it doesn’t have the electronic swaybar disconnect. It’s nice not having it tied in with the computers as when they break, it makes for an unhappy Bronco. You can always add it in after the fact, then have the ability to disconnect it whenever you please. That said, we’re more fans of simply not running one up front at all. The rear is the game changer for IFS vehicles not weighed down with all kinds of accessories. No swaybar up front and a lighter bar out back gets you great leveling when wheeling and on road stability as well.
The rear swaybar journey started by getting the rockjock setup designed for the Bronco. Unfortunately it uses the same mounts that our rear winch uses, so we had to drill out the brackets a tad to accommodate both. No biggie. The problem came with the other mods we’ve done. The Rock Krawler triangulated four link is a phenomenal addition to the Bronco, but one needs to recognize that with the trackbar deleted, there is a potential for lateral movement of the axle when wheeling. Unless you do something significant with the gas tank, you won’t be able to get a system that eliminates that movement. As a result, we had bent links and mounts with that setup.
This resulted in our first revision. We ordered 6.5” links from RockJock and basic axle tabs from Barnes then mounted them as far outward on the axle as possible. Now there was no more bind when the axle moves. We wheeled this way on many trips without issue. Great success!
But now that we’re changing the suspension up to lower the ride height while gaining significant travel, we ran into an issue-at full droop the 6.5” links would be dangerously close to flipping. Okay, just get longer links! But, now we have clearance issues with the addition of bump stops as well as a potential for having the arms push up into the wheel well when fully stuffed. What about…mounting to the trailing arm? Research time.
We previously had a discussion with a buddy regarding swaybar placement and whether in front or behind the axle was better for body control. He told us that in front was ideal, and while we possibly didn’t dig deep enough to confirm that, there is evidence that suggests mounting the torsion bar higher was more effective. We then started looking at our mounting options. It wasn’t easy as the fuel tank or driveline was always in the way, but with a little modification to the charcoal canister mount and getting our own custom mounts made with sendcutsend we eventually got the torsion bar to mount above the frame, right by the body mount. We then used tierods from Rock Krawler as our extended links just for that extra strength and aesthetic. I need to measure it out but mounting above the frame instead of below it puts the torsion bar much higher.
When you look into mounting your links to the trailing arm instead of the axle itself, you theoretically should lose anti body-roll effectiveness due to the reduced twist on the arm, unless shortening the arms appropriately. But for the sake of comparison and “science” I wanted to see how the higher torsion bar mounting position worked out with almost the same arm lengths (they’re a tad shorter as the arms were cut in two places and welded back together to clear the coilovers)
We then drove 1200 miles to The Rubicon for a redemption run and the interstate manners are phenomenal. Yes, the ride height is lowered which helps with cornering, but there is a very noticeable reduction in body roll and it feels absolutely fantastic.
As far as wheeling is concerned, when wifey was asked about how the ride is feeling in precarious conditions, she went off! She couldn’t fully express how absolutely planted and stable it feels. While it is a bit excessive to use a trail 1200 miles away for testing and comparison, it really worked out well as this is the last trail she ran and with the quick turnaround she remembers most of the obstacles and how they previously felt. She feels the bronco is noticeably more level when flexed out. We did gain a little bit of travel with the new suspension setup, but with the bumps set to protect the UCA and rear fenders then limit straps a little short to account for stretch, currently we’re not too far from what we previously had.
With all things considered I feel safe in saying there just might be something to this idea of mounting the torsion bar as high as possible.
The rear swaybar journey started by getting the rockjock setup designed for the Bronco. Unfortunately it uses the same mounts that our rear winch uses, so we had to drill out the brackets a tad to accommodate both. No biggie. The problem came with the other mods we’ve done. The Rock Krawler triangulated four link is a phenomenal addition to the Bronco, but one needs to recognize that with the trackbar deleted, there is a potential for lateral movement of the axle when wheeling. Unless you do something significant with the gas tank, you won’t be able to get a system that eliminates that movement. As a result, we had bent links and mounts with that setup.
This resulted in our first revision. We ordered 6.5” links from RockJock and basic axle tabs from Barnes then mounted them as far outward on the axle as possible. Now there was no more bind when the axle moves. We wheeled this way on many trips without issue. Great success!
But now that we’re changing the suspension up to lower the ride height while gaining significant travel, we ran into an issue-at full droop the 6.5” links would be dangerously close to flipping. Okay, just get longer links! But, now we have clearance issues with the addition of bump stops as well as a potential for having the arms push up into the wheel well when fully stuffed. What about…mounting to the trailing arm? Research time.
We previously had a discussion with a buddy regarding swaybar placement and whether in front or behind the axle was better for body control. He told us that in front was ideal, and while we possibly didn’t dig deep enough to confirm that, there is evidence that suggests mounting the torsion bar higher was more effective. We then started looking at our mounting options. It wasn’t easy as the fuel tank or driveline was always in the way, but with a little modification to the charcoal canister mount and getting our own custom mounts made with sendcutsend we eventually got the torsion bar to mount above the frame, right by the body mount. We then used tierods from Rock Krawler as our extended links just for that extra strength and aesthetic. I need to measure it out but mounting above the frame instead of below it puts the torsion bar much higher.
When you look into mounting your links to the trailing arm instead of the axle itself, you theoretically should lose anti body-roll effectiveness due to the reduced twist on the arm, unless shortening the arms appropriately. But for the sake of comparison and “science” I wanted to see how the higher torsion bar mounting position worked out with almost the same arm lengths (they’re a tad shorter as the arms were cut in two places and welded back together to clear the coilovers)
We then drove 1200 miles to The Rubicon for a redemption run and the interstate manners are phenomenal. Yes, the ride height is lowered which helps with cornering, but there is a very noticeable reduction in body roll and it feels absolutely fantastic.
As far as wheeling is concerned, when wifey was asked about how the ride is feeling in precarious conditions, she went off! She couldn’t fully express how absolutely planted and stable it feels. While it is a bit excessive to use a trail 1200 miles away for testing and comparison, it really worked out well as this is the last trail she ran and with the quick turnaround she remembers most of the obstacles and how they previously felt. She feels the bronco is noticeably more level when flexed out. We did gain a little bit of travel with the new suspension setup, but with the bumps set to protect the UCA and rear fenders then limit straps a little short to account for stretch, currently we’re not too far from what we previously had.
With all things considered I feel safe in saying there just might be something to this idea of mounting the torsion bar as high as possible.
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) apply a force along their line of action onto the sway bar arm. So wheel motion applies force through links, along their line of action, onto sway bar arm, and thus producing torque in the bar.
