[ramrt1993]

So I'm one of those guys who likes to drive his truck as fast as possibly around corners...for me its much more exciting than just 'driving fast'..105 MPH seems slow by now! So I figured I should replace my stock sway bars with some stronger and bigger bars. I contacted Addco, and they said they will be started production of sway bars for our trucks in 5-6 weeks. I checked out Hellwig sway bars, and they have a 1 7/16" front sway bar and a 7/8" rear sway bar. They're each $150. I'm curious how much bigger these are than the stock bars, and how much they will help. Is there anyone who has tried them?

 

[snrusnak]

I'm not sure of the stock size but just something to think about: Sway bars are good on the street usually as they help the vehicle feel more in control, but in reality they are just a cover up for a poor handling suspension; or in other words they make a certain suspension feel like it can handle better than it really can. This is all fine until you reach the vehicle's limit of cornering capability. Without the big sway bars you would realize you are reaching this point as the vehicle would start to feel out of control, and it'd give you a buffer to slow down or back off a little. With huge sway bars this point becomes a tiny window and you don't see it coming, so what happens is the vehicle feels very well controlled then all of the sudden it will break and lose control. I learned the hard way in my s10 by upgrading it to the zq8 suspension (extreme package) which had massive sway bars and went around an off ramp very fast and all the sudden the rear inside wheel came off the ground without warning and needless to say I lost control. I just want to give you this info so you realize that it can be dangerous. I'd guess the RT has bigger sway bars over the non RT trucks anyway, so IMO I wouldn't put anything bigger on, but if you do and don't push it to the limit then it will feel stiffer at regular speeds. Just be aware of it if you do.

 

[ramrt1993]

You're freaking me out Sean...I've come pretty close to losing control a few times, mostly my rear end fishtailing..I thought sway bars would help with that. Looks like I'm gonna have to do some thinking before I get them.

 

[GTyankee]

Look at the videos about the tv show made by Stacey David on Speed TV
they did a series on the Ram Express they call the DRAG N Wagon

some company is making a set of sway bars that are larger than the stock ones, front & rear

I may be incorrect, but it may be the episode called E3 spark plugs, loads of great ideas on the episodes
http://staceydavid.com/episodes/drag-n-wagon-interior-recycling-oil-model-building-contest

http://staceydavid.com/projects/drag-n-wagon

 

[TheSatinPumpkin]

The RT don't come with a rear sway bar?

 

[snrusnak]

You're freaking me out Sean...I've come pretty close to losing control a few times, mostly my rear end fishtailing..I thought sway bars would help with that. Looks like I'm gonna have to do some thinking before I get them.

Just something to be aware of. 1 7/16" is a HUGE sway bar IMO, I don't know what the stock one is on your truck though. I'd also be surprised if the RT didn't have a rear sway bar.

EDIT: Also if you've had your rear end fishtailing and that's your concern I wouldn't put any bigger of a bar on the rear. It could cause the same thing that happened to you that happened to me, where the inside rear wheel will actually lift off the ground because the sway bar is stiffer than the weight of the rear of the vehicle, so the tire will actually lift off the ground easier than the body of the truck will roll or "sway". Actually, I'm pretty sure they are actually called anti-sway bars, aren't they? The name fits...lol

Just keep in mind you're cornering with a 5,000 lb truck that has a decent plain jane suspension, it's not a sub 3,000 lb corvette that has magnetic suspension that makes automatic adjustments 1000's of times a second. Have fun but be safe! And if not for yourself then please be safe for the drivers around you!

 

[ramrt1993]

The R/T has a rear sway bar..the Express does not. My plan was to get bigger sway bars, and I needed to know how big the stock ones are so I would know how much of an improvement it was.

I have watched nearly every show Stacey David has on his website, including the ones about the Ram Drag N Wagon. That's where I found out that Hellwig made sway bars.

So I know Addco is about to make sway bars, and Hellwig already has some overpriced sway bars in my opinion, I just need to know whether it's worth upgrading sway bars and what the stock sway bar sizes are.

 

[snrusnak]

If no one responds with the answer you could crawl under and check with a caliper if you have one, or could get a close guesstimate with a tape measure or similar. If you go bigger I'd recommend only going bigger in the front as the back of the truck does not have a lot of weight and also is a solid axle. I think on the rear it'll do more harm than good.

 

[ramrt1993]

I don't think I can get my hands on a caliper, so hopefully somebody does have the answer lol. I think you're supposed to do both if you're gonna do one..according to my understanding, upgrading the front and leaving the back stock would introduce an oversteer. Doing the opposite would cause understeer.

 

[snrusnak]

I don't think I can get my hands on a caliper, so hopefully somebody does have the answer lol. I think you're supposed to do both if you're gonna do one..according to my understanding, upgrading the front and leaving the back stock would introduce an oversteer. Doing the opposite would cause understeer.

Yeah it's just hard to get a truck which has poor weight distribution front to rear to handle really good. I'm sure the products from those big name suspension companies will do you good. Lowering the center of gravity would probably be a huge help if you want better handling, since it is a heavy vehicle, maybe look into that as well. A 2/4 kit is pretty inexpensive and easy to install I believe. Be sure to post back with what you end up going with and how you like it, I know others on here were asking the same questions for their express's.

 

[HemiLonestar]

You can get a truck to handle WELL, but it will never be a sports car.

 

[snrusnak]

You can get a truck to handle WELL, but it will never be a sports car.

LOL was that a crack at my grammar!?

 

[Graygoose]

The R/T has a rear sway bar..the Express does not.

Not near my truck to verify, but you sure? A guy on another forum did the Hellwig front and rears on his black Express.
7708 and 7709's, front and rear.

 

[snrusnak]

Not near my truck to verify, but you sure? A guy on another forum did the Hellwig front and rears on his black Express.
7708 and 7709's, front and rear.

He probably added the bars all together. Probably didn't have a rear one and had a smaller "standard" front one, being the express was supposed to be "cheaper".

 

[ramrt1993]

^ What he said

 

[HoustonHemi]

FWIW, my 09 SLT RCSB did not come with a rear swaybar. :4-dontknow:

 

[HemiLonestar]

LOL was that a crack at my grammar!?

Not at all, just an emphasis on the fact that you may get the truck to handle well (that better?) but the fact remains it is a 5000+ lb truck being flung around.

 

[05ramguy]

The RT don't come with a rear sway bar?

most trucks don't come with rear sway bars so the truck oversteers (fishtails) instead of understeers-which is where you lose control over the front end of the vehicle-because its a lot easier to regain control of a fishtail than it is of an understeer situation. so if you do put a sway bar on the rear beef up the front one also.

 

[HemiLonestar]

Probably why the SRT RC's got a rear sway but the QC's didn't.

 

[GTyankee]

Stacey David E3 spark plug testing, as i mentioned above
Testing E3 spark plugs [S5 Ep.11-1]
5:20 into the video, they tell about the sway bars sizes, stock & replacement