Sway Bar Disconnect Functionality

[ekim]

I appreciate and agree with your post, but think you may have sort of blew past this:

I stand by notion that the having the sway bar disconnected is valuable and even essential when in an environment that requires 33+" tires and dual lockers. Especially if we're talking about a rock crawling scenario.

I agree with the notion that the Jeep and Ford factory **automatic/push button** disconnects are a luxury item and may be prone to problems. In the Jeep world there are a variety of solutions that work well. I assume this will be the case for the Bronco too. For harder stuff an adjustable or disconnected sway bar is important, but the factory option isn't the only way to get it done.

So, we may be in partial agreement

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[JT1]

I stand by notion that the having the sway bar disconnected is valuable and even essential when in an environment that requires 33+" tires and dual lockers. Especially if we're talking about a rock crawling scenario.

I agree with the notion that the Jeep and Ford factory **automatic/push button** disconnects are a luxury item and may be prone to problems. In the Jeep world there are a variety of solutions that work well. I assume this will be the case for the Bronco too. For harder stuff an adjustable or disconnected sway bar is important, but the factory option isn't the only way to get it done.

So, we may be in partial agreement

Manual disco's are a bit of a pain if you've been deep in the mud, but for everything else, 30 seconds to pull 2 pins is way better than $750 to fix the rubi bar when they break..

 

[Jwis]

I installed Private Label Manufacturing sway bar disconnects yesterday, on a new 23 2 dr Wildtrak. Would have loved the factory disconnect as it is hydraulic and can actuate under force and reconnect at speed.
My previous ORV was a 05 LJ Rubicon, and the manual disconnect definitely helped with Moab rock crawling. With it disconnected I did not like it on the highway. Though, I did not like the LJ above 55 mph anyway.
Now for the Bronco: I tested it on my landscape rock with and without sway bar connected. Connected it slightly lifted the rear tire off the ground--tippy when I got out. Disconnected it was solid.
The jury is out on the PLM disconnect, but initial quality seems decent, a 10-mile highway drive was not different than factory links. I do not like the way the PLM stows, will be making something to swing up and secure to the sway bar when disconnected.
Colorado Bronco Upfitters is developing a retrofit with factory like programming, certainly a LOT more than the $300 PLM disconnects, but on my wish list.

 

[Jwis]

If you are interested in the Private Label disconnects, spend your money elsewhere. After 400 miles of intown and gentle off road while connected, they are very noisy/clunky. Will figure a way to retrofit a factory sway disconnect to my Wildtrak.
Anyone successfully done the factory retrofit?

 

[andersman02]

If you are interested in the Private Label disconnects, spend your money elsewhere. After 400 miles of intown and gentle off road while connected, they are very noisy/clunky. Will figure a way to retrofit a factory sway disconnect to my Wildtrak.
Anyone successfully done the factory retrofit?

There's been a few, I have. It's pretty straight forward. Pm me if you have questions

 

[BigMeatsBronco]

With these genius replies, It's almost like no one is ever driven in the snow ice or in muddy, rough conditions with the swaybar disconnected or connected .
My observations show not only with the Bronco, but with other vehicles that it makes a huge difference to have the sway bar removed or disconnected in low traction Conditions. For example, just the other day I tried going up a muddy rutted steep hill, It required both lockers and on the first attempt, With the sway bar Connected, I got about 3/4 of the way up, And began to dig in and stopped forward motion . I backed down. Push the sway bar disconnect button, And on the second attempt, noticed the difference in the traction and the ability to climb up it without getting stuck. This is obviously because the traction had increased And equalized the pressure on The front tires. having a balance of weight and traction, And ground pressure... Instead of over pressurizing one tire. Also, I've noticed this in icy conditions. Where having equalized ground pressure on the tires, helps immensely in low traction conditions. I believe in the sway bar disconnect so much, I think it can be improved even further With a sway bar reverser
System that actually pushes down on the opposite tire. A simple set of spider gears in the middle area of that sway bar will create this effect . I plan on building one in the near future to show how well it works.

 

[KT_bronco]

With these genius replies, It's almost like no one is ever driven in the snow ice or in muddy, rough conditions with the swaybar disconnected or connected .
My observations show not only with the Bronco, but with other vehicles that it makes a huge difference to have the sway bar removed or disconnected in low traction Conditions. For example, just the other day I tried going up a muddy rutted steep hill, It required both lockers and on the first attempt, With the sway bar Connected, I got about 3/4 of the way up, And began to dig in and stopped forward motion . I backed down. Push the sway bar disconnect button, And on the second attempt, noticed the difference in the traction and the ability to climb up it without getting stuck. This is obviously because the traction had increased And equalized the pressure on The front tires. having a balance of weight and traction, And ground pressure... Instead of over pressurizing one tire. Also, I've noticed this in icy conditions. Where having equalized ground pressure on the tires, helps immensely in low traction conditions. I believe in the sway bar disconnect so much, I think it can be improved even further With a sway bar reverser
System that actually pushes down on the opposite tire. A simple set of spider gears in the middle area of that sway bar will create this effect . I plan on building one in the near future to show how well it works.

When I was choosing which trim to get I had no idea what the disconnects did in real world, but after having driven off-road now on a bunch of trails connected and disconnected it's a no brainer how much it improves off-road performance, especially on a 2 door with the shorter wheel base. At least thats been my experience.

@BigMeatsBronco I think the Toyota Kdss works something like you are describing but I think that is a hydraulic system.

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