I want to remove the sway bar on my truck.(ok I removed it when i did a clutch replacement and all the bolts snaped). So how imporant is the sway bar? I use the truck as a weekend driver. 1986 toyota 4x4.

Honestly when offroad the sway bar can be a bit of limiter as far as articulation goes, but for on road driving I feel it's a must. If your trailering your rig to the trails then I'd say leave it off and see how you like the handling on the trails, but if your gonna be driving any distance on road you really should consider buying a new set of bolts and putting it back on. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Might try driving without it for a while and form your own opinion. I've not had a sway bar on my '85 for well over 10 years now. It leans a little bit more in the turns but it is a truck not a sports car. In fact I used to run disconnects on my sway bar and one trip I forgot to put them back on and after a 400 mile drive back home, I noticed that the truck actually handled a little more predictable without the bar attached. So from then on, no front sway bar.

A buddy of mine found out his pickup sway bar had been broken for about a year (bar itself broke inside one of the frame bushings). Once he finally discovered the break (the source of the grinding noise he was hearing for a year), he was worried about replacing it. Asked him if he noticed anything, aside from the noise, since it was broken. He said he did not (and at the time was driving the truck about 30K miles/year for work), so told him to just take it off as he did not even know it was broken, since the break had rendered the bar ineffective. He did and has had no sway bar for a few years now.

But that said, some folks can't stand to drive without the bar. So best to find out if you notice it or not:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/SwayBar.shtml#AreTheyForMe

Thank you .
The sway bar remain off...

I have no sway bars on my truck. It's huge, SAS with tons-o-lift and flexy springs and I do just fine without one. You just have to know the rigs limits and don't push it. Afterall, it is a TRUCK not a sports car. Just keep that in mind.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the sway bar was designed into the mechanics of your truck. Maybe daily driving doesn't cause too much of a difference, but when you have to swerve suddenly or make any abrupt change of direction not having that sway bar is gonna make a huge difference. Anywho give it a try, good luck.

I found that a relatively light Toyota on 11.5 or wider tires actually handles *better* in emergency situations without the sway bar installed (at least the older generations with no rear sway bar). This sway bar only controls the front end of the truck, and sharp cornering will put most of the weight transfer onto the outer front wheel of the truck, while the outer rear does not see the same transfer of weight. This can result in SEVERE over steer, causing the rear end to suddenly and violently whip out from behind you without warning, especially on wet pavement.

I spun my 87 4Runner around the first time I made a right turn on wet pavement, and several more times in the first two years of ownership. Once the sway bar was removed, the cornering became much more predictable... I have yet to spin out again in the 9 years since removal. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

I'm startin' to think I need to go out and tear off the sway bar on my truck!!! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> This is diffinetly a matter of preferrence thing. I'm just inclined to use it the way the Toyota folks and their R&D department designed it.

DRTDEVL.....I'm assuming that your not in Iraq for vacation and instead on deployment. If so I'd like to tell you that I appreciate what you are doing for me and everyone else in this great country of ours. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" />

I ditched mine about 4 years ago and never had any regrets

i had mine off (well...broken bolt) while i was running 32x11.5 tires w/ 3.75"bs. the truck rode really nice & comfy, not harsh at all. Predictable cornering & body lean.

but now that i have my camper on (600lbs or so), i subconsciously feel safer to put the sway bar at work again. It does ride harsher...especially bamming over pot-holes on the down or up travel.(maybe the fact that i'm still running the original front shocks!!!)...I haven't tried without sway bar yet...It must be a preference thing...