BellTechs and Hellwigs face rearwards and get very close to the spare....there are ways to modify the links after lowering to make it fit better around the spare tire!!!! The Hotchkis sway faces forward to eliminate the clearance issues around the spare...One Catch though......I believe Hotchkis sway bars are sold in the front and rear package only....Very nice parts though!!!

 

I've got a hellwig and it works great. Like slammed said, you will have a problem with the 20" spare...., I am using a 17" rim & tire for the spare .

 

Belltech faces (forward) not back.And it mimics the srt10 bar...because it attaches to the shock ends and both arms then go forward and attach to a mounting plate on the frame just like the srt10 bar does also but the belltech is a thicker bar and solid design throughout.The Hotchkis one bolts up the same as the belltech one on the bottom of the shocks,then moves forward but doesnt have mounting brackets like the belltech and its a hollow design.The hellwig faces rear and uses extensions going up to the frame to stop frame roll.

Here is the Belltech one on my ride below,notice where it bolts and what direction the arms go.

 

Any chance you got pics of where it mounts to the frame?

 

Thanks for clearing that up Tomahawk!!!! I had seen the Hotchkis and Hellwigs personally but was going off someone elses info on the Bell Tech one....I guess he was wrong also!!! I know the front sway Bar on the Hotchkis was Hollow But didnt think the rear one was due to its much smaller size????

 

Not a problem slammed one..at least you try to share information as you get it,i like that!!when i was under my friends ram,i had a wrench in my hand and it inadvertently hit the bar,it sounded hollow.

here is the endlink going up to the frame and into the attachment bracket and here is the atttachment bracket off the vehicle.

Slammed...please pm me with (info and $$) on the drop spindles and your lowering rear shackles.

 

I've been in the market for a rear sway bar. Are you pleased w/ the Bell Tech? I think they might be more suited to the sport truck application than hellwig which may be more for towing, etc. I would love to have the hotchkis but the price is a little steep right now.

 

yes it works very well,i can take a off ramp tight to the white line now all the way around while giving it gas with no movement what so ever,its kinda funny when a BMW is trying to get away and you are actually turning tighter than he is and he is slower in the corner.i did a half circle off ramp 2 weeks ago at 70 with no brake all... kept in the white line.The rack and pinion,kumho ecsta tires,lowered and the sway bar make it turn good.

 

do these bars help with the death wobble that you get when you go over a couple bumps in a row. when i hit that i get a little sideways with my 20's.

 

tomahawk - what size spare tire do you have?

 

Good thread...I've been wondering about sways. Thanks!

ran_c: I believe (but could be wrong) it will probably be worse with a sway because the bar tends to lock the two sides of the truck together to minimize independent movement over said bumps. I also believe the best thing to remedy what you are describing is fully independent suspension, which I doubt we'll see on a truck anytime soon. Does anyone need to correct me on this...or maybe you could just elaborate on my lack of detailed knowledge.

Hope that helped more than hurt! Later...

 

Here's how a sway bar works.

Normally, without a sway bar when the car corners the weight of the chassis
shifts toward the outside of the turn compressing the springs on that side. The
springs on the inside generally extend a little, or do nothing. Relatively to the
chassis itself, it appears that the outside suspension compresses and the inside doesn't.

A sway bar couples the suspensions on each side to each other, *AND* relative
to the chassis. If you could put the car up on a lift and actually compress
the suspension on one side by hand, then a sway bar makes the compression of one
side also try to compress the suspension on the other. Ok.. it's still not
really obvious why that's useful so I'll say the same thing a different way.

A sway bar effectively increases the spring rate on whichever side
is compressed the MOST. If the sway bar were absolutely solid with no
twist so there's a 100% coupling between each side then
an attempt to compress one spring actually becomes an attempt to
compress both springs. It doubles the spring rate. If the bar has some
twist, then it may only increase the spring rate by say 50% on whichever side
is compressed the most.

So you're driving down the road and you go over
a bump that goes across the entire lane. The sway bar
does nothing. Both sides compress normally. You go around a
corner and the chassis starts to lean and compress the outside
suspension and now it's as though you have a bigger spring
out there, so the car remains more level.

We know it keeps the car more level. So what? Limiting the lean of
the body is good because it means that when you take a quick set into
a turn, that the body isn't still moving sideways after the tires at their
limits. Otherwise you turn in quickly, the tires grip, then the body finally finishes
leaning, when it stops, the tires loose grip. This is especially noticable in most
cars in the slalom where you lean one way then the other and so forth.

My spare is the stock 17 inch tire,even if you could put a 22 under it it cant interfere because it faces forward and away from the spare.

Does the ford explorer,the new one have independent rear???

 

Does the ford explorer,the new one have independent rear???

yes, as does the Expedition..

 

Well...I stand educated and somewhat corrected! I don't consider SUVs to be trucks, but independent rear on an SUV is just another step closer to having it on a truck. Thanks guys...

 

Wobble issues are remedied with better aftermarket shocks..., Bilstein's, Rancho's, Edelbrock., Monroes, etc.

 

Belltech faces (forward) not back.And it mimics the srt10 bar...because it attaches to the shock ends and both arms then go forward and attach to a mounting plate on the frame just like the srt10 bar does also but the belltech is a thicker bar and solid design throughout.The Hotchkis one bolts up the same as the belltech one on the bottom of the shocks,then moves forward but doesnt have mounting brackets like the belltech and its a hollow design.The hellwig faces rear and uses extensions going up to the frame to stop frame roll. Here is the Belltech one on my ride below,notice where it bolts and what direction the arms go.

dodge tomahawk,

This sway bar would work well with my dual after market exhaust, because
it faces the other way. Is any drilling required? It looks like a nice product.

Thanks,

Sil

 

I just had the Belltech put on my truck. It clears the the spare with no problem, and the truck handles awesome now....

 

I just had the Belltech put on my truck. It clears the the spare with no problem, and the truck handles awesome now....

keven,

I like that it installs forward and not back. Then my duals out the rear
dont come into play. Just worried if there's drilling involved.

Sil

 

Yes there was drilling involed but not sure how much.....Talk to Slammed1 he installed mine....I wish I could tell you more about the install but I was there when it was installed...

 

Yes there was drilling involed but not sure how much.....Talk to Slammed1 he installed mine....I wish I could tell you more about the install but I was there when it was installed...

Thanks keven!!

Maybe Brian will see the post.

Sil

 

The hotchkis sway-bars work great!

 

Yes...they do :tup:

KB

 

The BellTech has 10 self-tapping screws to use for the bracket install.......no drilling just the use of the self tapping screws only!!!!

The sway works well for body roll and I personally tested it in some curves up to 60 mph with no tire squeal or and very little body roll.......hey it wasnt my truck so why not beat on it HUH!?!?!?!?

 

The sway works well for body roll and I personally tested it in some curves up to 60 mph with no tire squeal or and very little body roll.......hey it wasnt my truck so why not beat on it HUH!?!?!?!?

YES!!! :rck: LOL Did you test the differences between it and the Hotchkis system Brian. Feel about the same or were they different?

KB

 

The BellTech has 10 self-tapping screws to use for the bracket install.......no drilling just the use of the self tapping screws only!!!!

The sway works well for body roll and I personally tested it in some curves up to 60 mph with no tire squeal or and very little body roll.......hey it wasnt my truck so why not beat on it HUH!?!?!?!?

Brian,

Thank you.

Sil