Addco 684 1" Sway Bar for Jeep

I do not usually review items but none of the other reviews mentioned how the bar increased the stiffness in straight line driving, caused by the considerably stiffer bar. The Jeep now has much less body role than the original equipment but the ride is now so stiff, one rear seat passenger said they felt like they were riding a pogo stick. The vehicle now rides like a Heavy Duty Truck rather than the smooth ride it had. One thing to note my Jeep did not have as much body role as others I recently test drove, maybe the springs or shocks were shot on some of the other vehicles I test drove. I could see how this bar could compensate for worn springs or shocks. I think there is a reason the truck came with the 9/16 " bar for the best balance of ride and handling. I have requested a to return the bar and have changed back to the original bar as I think that this 1' bar negatively impacted the handling on our less than perfect Michigan roads.The part fit great and was easy to install on my 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee.Hope this helps!It should also be noted that I installed all new upper and lower control arms and the upper ball Joint on the rear suspension so the vehicle is tight with relatively new shocks and brand new Michelin Defender LTX's. All but one forgotten suspension component was purchased on Amazon and I am very happy with all the other components. I thought that this bar would be a good addition to my build but the 700% increase in torsional stiffness quoted by another reviewer was just too much for the truck.Found this on VikingSpeedShop.comI think it explains the issue I was experiencing quite well.The Truth About Sway BarsWhat is a Sway Bar and What Does it DoSway bars are awesome, they are easily one of the most cost effective handling solutions for any vehicle out there, but there are some hidden downsides that many companies don’t talk about. We are going to give you the good and bad sides to running sway bars on your vehicle along with how sway bars work, and what they do.How Sway Bars Work (The Good)Sway bars, or anti-sway bars, are a torsional spring that attach to the underside of your chassis and the lower control arm via a sway bar endlink. When entering a corner the weight of the car is pushed outwards towards the outer tires. This compresses the suspension on the outer part of the vehicle and decompresses it on the opposite side. This in turn imparts a twisting force (torque) on the sway bar which then creates a lifting force on the outside control arm. The force counters the weight transfer and the result is a flatter handling experience.This seems to be a win: win situation because it gives you the same effect as increasing the static spring rate on the vehicle, but without the associated change in harmonics and ride harshness. However, as we learn early in life, there simply is no free lunch.What Companies often Forget to Tell You (The Bad)Newton’s third law of motion states that “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” This is the case with the sway bars as it is with everything in our universe.When the sway bar creates a lifting force on the outer control arm an equal amount of lifting force is generated on the inner arm; due to sway bar geometry. This force pulls on the unladen control arm and tries to lift the tire off the ground. This force is resisted by the static spring and compression dampening of the shock itself as the control arm tries to go upwards. This reduces the amount of dampening travel available to the shock if the car switches back quickly, an effect called “jacking” where the suspension continuously shortens due to the shock not being able to properly react fast enough to force inputs. While this is not a guaranteed effect, a larger bar will increase the likelihood of this occurring.Another issue is that while driving you will encounter uneven bumps in the road. Without a sway bar the suspension acts fully independent of each side, which allows a single shock / damper to absorb and dampen oscillations without imparting significant loads on the other static dampers. This is an ideal setting for allowing the suspension to do its job … dampening oscillations and maintaining tire interface with the road surface. When you install a sway bar you are creating a second, direct load path for the connected corners. When the right front hits a bump, that force is now transmitted to the left front. This creates an unsettling effect compared to the first scenario as the suspension on two corners now reacts sharply to forces. This effect increases as the sway bar stiffness increases.A third issue has more to do with the fact that many people do not corner weight their vehicles. When you involve a large sway bar the uneven ride heights and static load on the individual dampers creates a static torque in the sway bar. This increases the differential that the right and left side have when it comes to handling. That is to say, turning right and turning left create different handling personalities, amplified by the bars pre-load.Lastly, a caution for vehicles that are running big bars on LSDs "Limited Slip Differentials". Lifting the inner wheel is common with big bars, and if this happens consistently during moments of acceleration the unladen tire will spin, heating the differential fluid and causing accelerated wear on the limited slip differential. (Added thanks to insight from Brian Burdette)

Installed on 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, V8. 3" Iron Rock Offroad lift on '15 Stock JK Rubicon Wheels and TiresLike most WJ drivers, my Jeep never really handled all that well. After doing a 3" spring lift on it, the problem only got worse. After the lift the jeep leaned side to side on the road. It was enough to make me feel almost carsick when riding in the passenger seat. After reading all of the good things about this product online, I decided to take the plunge.The install was very straightforward, take off the 4 bolts that hold the sway bar bushings to the axle and the other two bolts that connect the bar to the sway bar end links. Install is just the reverse. I purchased the Energy Suspension 1" poly bushings along with this sway bar based on recommendations from others. The extra money was worth it, the Addco bushings didn't appear to be nearly as high quality as the Energy Suspension ones.In regards to ride quality, this sway bar is really stiff. In fact, I find that this sway bar is a tad bit stiffer than the factory front sway bar. Apparently the 99-03 WJs came with a hollow sway bar. Converting to a solid swaybar from 04 should make the front and rear about equal. While it took a few days to get used to the new planted feeling in the corners (vs. leaning i to the corners like I used to), I really like how my Jeep handles now. I feel much safer when cornering at all speeds but ESPECIALLY on the highway.As a word of caution, this sway bar will absolutely limit your flex/articulation of the rear axle. If you are going to go off-road, I recommend you disconnect this sway bar. It is easy enough to just take out one of the sway bar end link bolts where it connects to the sway bar and hit the trail. While I have not personally experienced this problem, I have read of people cracking the subframe where the swaybar link bolts to the body due to the rigidity of the bar. I don't know if this was due to off-roading or not, but I would be sure to disconnect the bar when offroading.

Arrived fast, easy install. Made all the difference on my 99 WJ. After I put a 2.5 spacer lift, new steering stabilizer, and 4 Bilstein shocks on it, the handling was terrible. As many have reviewed, this made the most difference. I don't notice the oversteer some have mentioned, and it feels much firmer out back now -- no wobble! I don't think the ride is rough either, as some have mentioned. Personal taste, I guess, but I am used to driving trucks. This is a must have addition to all WJ's. Not a bad price for such an improvement!! May want to unlink one side if you go serious off-roading and need articulation. This thing will kill articulation!INSTALL: Had to reuse the factory bolts because the sway bar brackets come with SAE bolts that won't fit the welded nuts on the mounting pad. Also, the holes for the brackets need to be elongated inward to fit the factory pads. Cheapo brackets, really, but they will work. Not a big deal, but may stump some people. Definitely grease the bushings that come with it with a high quality silicone grease! Don't forget to preload, either!

brought it back to better than before the lift