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Best sway bar bushings for 34mm sway bar?


GTD

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OEM bushings or anything from the NCP line from Napa would do.

 

The bushings themselves aren't going to make it handle any better or worse. You basically just need good links that aren't broken to make the sway bar function correctly on these trucks. The majority of your handling comes from the strut/spring combo, ride height and the alignment specs.

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Over the years I've used three different bushing types. Factory/Aftermarket rubber, Polyurethane and solid bronze. End Link Kits factory/aftermarket rubber, polyurethane and Hemi joint. Two different styles of bars; formed and straight with splined arms. 

 

There is a marked difference between them all.  For a daily driver that sees no track time it's hard to beat the MOOG "Problem Solver" line. Heavier end bar links with poly bushings that have a lube free fabric liner. Quiet and predictable.

 

Do some track time? Polyurethane in both locations will increase roll stiffness enough to notice. I'd still use the MOOG PS end link kit and a replacement urethane bushing for the bar. This will increase roll stiffness a bit more and will affect the first inch or so deflection more. It will feel sharper in a quick change. It may feel harsh to some and requires a bushing lube to be quiet. Silcon grease. If the vehicle has bars on both ends do both ends as it will alter roll rate. If you're asking the questions, you are not experienced enough to tailor (tune), the bias rates with bushings and end links apart. 

 

Solid kits are track use. Could you use them on the street? Yep, and I've even made a few kits for this purpose. When I was younger and noisy things made me happy and my back was in better shape.  

 

Here is a quick-quick on bars. They control body roll apart from spring rate. They do this by twisting the bar in opposite directions. When the bushing or end link can deflect, and they do deflect, the bar is doing NOTHING until the entire defection of the end links/bushings and bar bushing has been taken up. Once that is accomplished the bar starts to work but that rate of roll will be different than that of the bushing material. Some people will notice this transition, some will not.

 

Two schools on this. Soft springs and big bars or high-rate springs and little to no bar. Track makes a difference on effectiveness of each solution. But on the street where bumps are unavoidable soft rates and big bars wins by keeping the tire ON THE GROUND and here in lies the rub with a pickup truck. Because they are sprung and damped for load the spring rates are way to firm for running empty so increasing roll stiffness WILL make it even harsher and can unload a tire over a bump. Stinks if that bump is in the corner of an off ramp and you 10 over your comfortable exit speed. 

 

My 2 cents worth. 

 

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