sway bars and corrugations

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Originally Posted by MLD

Seeking feedback ...................................... Just planning on what modifications that need to be done in preparation.

cheers MLD

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ANTI sway bars are a great invention, will make bugger all difference when driving on corrugated roads but when cornering or when a wheel drops into a hole, wash away etc it helps keep the car stable. Much more pleasant than wallowing around, especially with soft springs. Can be a bit of a pain in limiting suspension travel though, that's why there are 'disconnects' for rough terrain. At the speeds used then an ANTI roll bar is sort of irrelevant. If you're planning on going up the Old Telegraph Track then not having ANTI sway bars would be of benefit as it is quite rough (so I'm told), otherwise re-install and discard the sea sickness tablets :).

To survive corrugated roads you can't beat good shockers/rubbers/bushes and ignoring the idiotic concept of 'just drive fast so that you can't feel the corrugations' and you'll be fine.

Deano :)

Ok wise words from all, thank you.

I'll take from what has been said that leaving the sway bars off won't be a death wish but all things considered they are a benefit.

Fitting a rear sway bar is preferable to one on the front and not on the rear (notwithstanding CAL415's experiment and practical experience).

This leads me to another question: would my money be best spent on a disconnect system like the X-eng X-deflex (or another comparable product) OR on a set of coil helper air bags to artificially increase the spring rate? Give or take a case of Coopers Pale they are about the same price.

cheers MLD

ANTI sway bar disconnects are a great idea if you want the best of both worlds, the benefit of ANTI sway bars for road travel and the benefit of full suspension articulation for serious off road work.
By coil helper air bags I presume you mean 'Poly-air' type air bags or similar. These are also a great product and give you the ability to adjust your (rear) spring stiffness/rate to compensate for extra load. They make a big difference to ride comfort/handling/safety especially when heavily loaded and towing. Weight distribution hitches are fine on road but bloody useless off road as they limit articulation.
For my money if it's a sexy sway bar disconnects system or Poly-airs for a touring setup then the Poly-airs win hands down as the best choice.
If I was setting up a serious off road machine then I'd probably go for the sway bar disconnect system. Horses for courses. :)

Deano :)

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Originally Posted by steveG

I've also just got back from 3 weeks on the Cape. No dramas on my County with rear sway bar removed.
I'd prefer to have kept it on, but the long range tank ...

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Have you seen where the G Wagen 6X6 have the sway bar for the 2nd axle?

It's at the front on the trailing arms and works directly connected to the diff housing without the connector rods needed when it's fixed to the chassis at the rear.

I notice very little difference with or without my front swaybar,
corners a bit flatter fitted but going for big trips offroad I usually remove it.
No rear swaybar as long range tank fitted.
I bought the front swaybar from a wreckers as none fitted from factory.

FWIW without the swaybar my 110 feels more stable with a 2inch lift and heavy duty lovells springs than it did at factory height with standard springs.

Cheers,
Paul.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MLD

Ok wise words from all, thank you.

I'll take from what has been said that leaving the sway bars off won't be a death wish but all things considered they are a benefit.

Fitting a rear sway bar is preferable to one on the front and not on the rear (notwithstanding CAL415's experiment and practical experience).

This leads me to another question: would my money be best spent on a disconnect system like the X-eng X-deflex (or another comparable product) OR on a set of coil helper air bags to artificially increase the spring rate? Give or take a case of Coopers Pale they are about the same price.

cheers MLD

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Buy the Coopers:D.
I have been up the cape on several occasions including OTT up and back with 2 inch lift and no swaybar and fully loaded.
Truck performed beautifully
Patrol owner I was traveling with commented on how well the defender (Xtreme 110) worked through the rough stuff.
So depending on your setup I would try before you buy;).

Not a 110 but I have a front disconnect on my D2a. On road with the bar disconnected it can be down right scary in hard tight turns :eek: ... Off road, apart from much better wheel travel, it's also a lot more comfortable as the axle can walk the corrugations instead of wanting to stay more level, making the body sway side to side a lot. I'd look into sway bar disconnects F & R.

Is anyone aware of a commercially available set of disconnects for a puma other than the X-deflex?

I spent a while looking for them some time ago but only found the X-deflex. Whilst I generally like the over-engineering of the X-deflex, I felt that it was too large and too exposed. Also, they only seemed to have a unit for the rear and my primary interest was with the front.

Kev, Will have to check out your front Disconnect sometime...

Harro, i guess that shows the coils v airbags, my 130 is scary on road without the front swaybar but my coil rates would be much lower being airbags, but my 110 with very heavy duty coils and no swaybars is much nicer for cornering and doesnt feel like its going to lay over on roundabouts.

I've been looking at the X-deflex some more, and because of the LRA tank and airbags the standard setup wouldnt work either way, i am looking at trying to do something myself, maybe see if i can use some of the parts from the x-deflex kit and come up with something slightly different.

RVR110, no x-deflex for the front because it requires to much space. I am off the same opinion about the rear being to large and exposed too especially if its dropped to clear a larger fuel tank.