Sway bar disconnect worth $2k?

[Little Foot]

I had it on my jeep until I swapped them out for the antirock which stays connected at all times.

-with a solid front axle, yes it helps a great deal.
-with IFS on my truck and wife’s grand cherokee it wouldnt be of much benefit.

i rock crawl and hit moderate to difficult trails with all 3 vehicles.

Going with a BL not just for the disconnect but all the other items included over a WT.

When looking at your post, what are your thoughts on the Black Diamond. I feel that they are comparable with the main feature being the Sway Bar Disconnect. I have very little off roading experience, but don't want to say, crap I should have bought the Bad Lands without Squatch vs Black Diamond with Squatch....Unfortunately for what I want to spend, it will be either one or the other....Then if I can justify the Black Diamond over the Bad Lands, then I start thinking about the thousands of dollars I'd save on going Base, losing two of the GOAT modes and MGV interior, but I plan on staying with the Standard Interior option anyway. On base, I will add bash plates, bumper, SAS, hard top, overhead switches and the 4WP steel rear bumper......

I would love to hear your thoughts since you have and are currently running SFA and IFS. Most of my off roading will be trails here in the North East, but I would like to be able to take a trip to MOAB, etc...Every year or so as a father son trip with my little guy....All input from anyone will be greatly appreciated.

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[Razorbak86]

I'm in the absolutely "no" camp here. I respect the extra suspension travel that the disconnect gives you, and for that reason I'll have a manual disconnect installed when they become available (or really it'll just be a cheap manual quick disconnect). However, as an engineer, I honestly think people are over valuing the impact this will have on the trail. This is an independent front suspension vehicle, which everyone is hung up on needing more travel to "compete" with a Jeep while rock crawling... Well, everyone forgets that the value of that SFA on a Jeep not only comes from the extra travel, but the fulcrum effect and downward force on the wheel with the least traction is what makes it effective. The broncos IFS means that the wheel with the least traction won't have any downward force on it other than gravity and the weight of the tire/wheel/arm when it's at it's limits. The front locker really is the most important thing you can get that impacts your crawling.

I'm with @OK_Hunter on this one brother. I will spend a couple hundred to buy quick disconnect end links and save about $1.8k by installing myself. The whole idea of engaging the disconnect under load sounds nice but barely anyone who wheels will actually do that. If you know you're going off-road, it's best to go ahead and disconnect before you start the trail. Then, you don't have to worry about it down the trail when things get hairy. That is just my $.02. You just can't be afraid to maybe get a little dirt on ya' when it comes time to disconnect.

Dave (@broadicustomworks), you might want to chime in here, based on your recent experience in Uwharrie…

But after wheeling on Sunday here with the soft top on my TJ....it really had me second guessing all of that. Again.

[…]

After my experiences with the 4-lo clutch-brake-gas-rock ledges and mud I am very much looking forward to that one-pedal and underestimated the value of it prior.

But not now. Knowing what I know now I'd order whatever I had to on the Bronco just to get that one option.

And the SBD. It took me 20 minutes with a hammer and prybars to get mine off and they are ziptied up, still off. Interesting hour and half ride home without the SB...but in no way was I laying down and fighting that after riding trails all day, covered in mud.

Ordered a set of JKS quick release end links directly once I got home.
For those who have not experienced some of these things before...the Bronco definitely, definitely brings some user-friendly stuff to the table that will make trail riding and rock gardens so much easier.

 

[broadicustomworks]

Dave (@broadicustomworks), you might want to chime in here, based on your recent experience in Uwharrie…

Certainly, and thanks!
I very much am looking forward to the SBD in my BL.
When I went to Uwharrie yes we knew we were about to go offroad, so pulled over to disconnect.
I went in already knowing I had quick disconnects and having one of the nicest older Jeeps in the crowd with the newest parts, figured I'd be waiting on others.
Not so.
They were "Quick disconnect", as they had hitch pins on the shafts both upper and lower.
The TJ I was in was mostly on level ground, in a gravel parking lot, so not really under much, if any, load.
I beat on them with a hammer for 20-30 minutes, sweating my bawls off until I shamefully had to borrow some tools from another guy and take the actual QD brackets off of the sway bar. The bushings would not budge off of one side at all.
Zip tied up my SB and rode on the rest of the day.
Drove 1.5 hours back home with it disconnected, even though wheelers said "You'll roll it, that's dangerous!".
Promptly ordered a set of JKS "Quicker" Discos and installed them finally a week later this weekend. Adjusted them to the correct SB angle per the suggestions and tried them out about a dozen times.
To avoid all of that I am very much looking forward to the "push a button" SBD in the 6G, especially offroad.
I'll pretty much just hit the button when going into offroading, and hit the button before pavement again.
We didn't get to all the trails we wanted to because I exhausted 30 minutes of our trail time early on, a lot of energy, and a lot of frustration.
Granted, new parts on a new Bronco or Jeep go a long way, but you have to be smart with what you order.
These end links were $175. By fat not the cheapest, but well worth the $.
For those who want to do it manually and not get the SBD, go for it.
But do some research and don't order cheap crap because it supposedly serves the function.
Order a name brand kit with good reviews and user photos.
But for those who do get the SBD, you'll appreciate it a lot.
Especially AFTER going in the mud all day and having to deal with all of the muck on the bottom end of everything after wheeling all day.

 

[Brongo]

I am right now between the wildtrak and the BL. I am trying to figure out if it is with the 2k difference. Thoughts?
And I probably won't be doing a ton of rock climbing and more trail riding.
I also wonder if the resale will be helped with having it.

I was in the same boat. But since I wanted Lux and MGV it made the decision easier. I still think the black grille and wheels on the WT look best though. So for me the disconnect is just a bonus.

 

[Brongo]

When looking at your post, what are your thoughts on the Black Diamond. I feel that they are comparable with the main feature being the Sway Bar Disconnect. I have very little off roading experience, but don't want to say, crap I should have bought the Bad Lands without Squatch vs Black Diamond with Squatch....Unfortunately for what I want to spend, it will be either one or the other....Then if I can justify the Black Diamond over the Bad Lands, then I start thinking about the thousands of dollars I'd save on going Base, losing two of the GOAT modes and MGV interior, but I plan on staying with the Standard Interior option anyway. On base, I will add bash plates, bumper, SAS, hard top, overhead switches and the 4WP steel rear bumper......

I would love to hear your thoughts since you have and are currently running SFA and IFS. Most of my off roading will be trails here in the North East, but I would like to be able to take a trip to MOAB, etc...Every year or so as a father son trip with my little guy....All input from anyone will be greatly appreciated.

BD doesn’t have disconnect though, does it?

 

[Little Foot]

BD doesn’t have disconnect though, does it?

Unfortunately it does not. It has Rock Crawl mode in the GOAT modes, but best I can tell from the website, if you have SAS package on it, it has all the base options as a Badlands with SAS except no Sway Bar Disconnect option. When I price out the two with the same options, it is about a $3,300 difference between the Black Diamond and Badlands, 4 door MIC hard top, base interior, 2.7, auto transmission & tow package.

 

[RubyRedGT]

I agree with Dave's statement this morning. Don't have jeep at the moment but I've wheeled jeeps for 20+ years in Moab, Colorado, Arkansas, N. Carolina (incl Uwharrie) and a SBD is pretty critical for challenging terrain. Granted most of my wheeling was more hard core, and a SBD may indeed make more difference on SFA vs IFS vehicle, but I switched months ago from BD to BL for (1) SBD and (2) the upgraded Bilstein suspension. That said, for only mild off road, I'm sure one can go w/o these BL features.

 

[Thane]

Disconnects on IFS is a different beast than SFA Wranglers.
For IFS with less travel, each inch needs to be optimized. Removing the swaybar entirely allows this, but requires suspension upgrades and you will loose lateral stability in turns at speed.
If your driving style/use can accomidate no swaybar then you have great advantages on trail and corrogations, bumps... Towing heavy loads or fast street driving you may need it. Manual disconnects are painful to operate and maintain and put other components at risk.

I have ran without a swaybar for over 8 years on IFS and considerate a great advantage in rough conditions.

The Bronco disconnect reconnecting over 20MPH is lawyers driving your rig.

 

[SCADABronx]

Another factor to consider is that the Badlands model may retain some additional value in resale, as it is the one model most associated with rock-crawling. Your cost of SBD ownership may be less than $2k.

 

[Gamecock]

Disconnects on IFS is a different beast than SFA Wranglers.
For IFS with less travel, each inch needs to be optimized. Removing the swaybar entirely allows this, but requires suspension upgrades and you will loose lateral stability in turns at speed.
If your driving style/use can accomidate no swaybar then you have great advantages on trail and corrogations, bumps... Towing heavy loads or fast street driving you may need it. Manual disconnects are painful to operate and maintain and put other components at risk.

I have ran without a swaybar for over 8 years on IFS and considerate a great advantage in rough conditions.

The Bronco disconnect reconnecting over 20MPH is lawyers driving your rig.

I agree...the value of it is underestimated with IFS...it is important that you be able to disconnect it somehow. I am tired of messing with manual systems (for me, manual meant wrench and removal, since major manufacturer disconnects for IFS trucks are few and far between). The Bronco has really good flex and ramp travel for a stock vehicle...as long as you are disconnected, and I wouldn't want to give up anything in that regard.

 

[MUDLVR]

Is it possible we could get some input from those that actually disconnect sway bars in previously owned vehicles.

-> Does it really help?
-> How often do you disconnect?
-> What kind of off-roading do you do?
-> The little bit more articulation you get worth the assumed 'floaty' feeling that comes with the handling (Scarier feeling to tip over due to sway)
-> Does it make passengers more motion sick going over bumps or help?

I've been living in Colorado and off-roading for years. Had an FJ Cruiser for 10 years and now this 4Runner. First thing I always do is take the front sway bar off and leave it off. You get so much more articulation on the trails and it's barely noticeable on the road that it's missing.

The only time I notice that there is no sway bar is if I am getting off a sharp hairpin exit on the highway, and even then it's slight.

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