Almost every truck manufactured since the part’s inception features at least one sway bar. But cost-cutting and driver concerns meant that these trucks left some concerned about body roll and handling. 

Fortunately, during the past few years, alternative sway bar technology has advanced tremendously, with hollow tube design paving the way. Sway bars no longer use exceptionally strong solid bar material; computer technology can form them for drastically more precise measurement.

Learning the importance of sway bars for your lifted truck is vital because having them improves your elevated truck’s safety and how you can operate it. Without sway bars, you put yourself in a vulnerable position whenever you go off-roading or take sharp turns. Let us explain what sway bars are, the manufacturing process, and the testing they go through. Additionally, we will explain exactly how integral they are for the handling of the truck.

What Sway Bars Are

Sway bars, in essence, eliminate roll and greatly enhance handling. They join one half of the suspension to the other through attachment points on the chassis and lower A-arms, and they rotate to reduce rolling while turning. Gravitational forces provide a body roll force when the vehicle approaches a turn, so the twisting motions of the sway bar minimize this impact.

The stiffer the sway bar, the better defense for counteracting these rolls. However, excessive sway bar rigidity causes enormous strain on the outer loaded tire, reducing traction. To find the best sway bar for your truck, you’ll want to find the measurement of the lb./in. rate of force needed to twist one end versus the other.

Numerous trucks come with the standard front sway bar because the tires were thin and had softer sidewalls decades ago. Nowadays, drivers want sophisticated super-sticky tires that have traction and outperform tires from the past. When you give your truck balance, your vehicle will be the fastest and safest on scenic bending roads. With the front and rear tires working in unison, you should notice how balanced your truck feels. Ultimately, well-configured sway packages provide smooth handling and are customizable, allowing drives to fine-tune things to meet their needs. 

The Sway Bar Manufacturing Process

There have been different approaches to manufacturing a sway bar throughout the years. Yet, the typical way to make a bar is to take basic bar materials and bend them into the desired form using press and bend molds. This approach is often an inexpensive way to create them, but it has some downsides.

By individually doing each process, it increases the potential for manufacturer error. The area around the sway bar compresses as vehicles get more intricate. There is less space for mistakes; therefore, the item must be flawless to fit in the vehicle. Another downside of press bends is that they might leave multiple severe markings on the product. Scuffs like this on a solid bar make the component less visually appealing.

Many companies use specifically designed machinery to correct the inconsistencies and complete the bars in one fluid procedure. Machines loaded with raw materials go through a sequence of operations to create the beautifully bent bar. A computer records how each curve compares to the others, guaranteeing exact results every time.

How To Test Sway Bars

Sway bar testing techniques, like other aftermarket components, might differ from one vendor to the next. Some lower-end goods are essentially larger copies of original components with higher rates that do not go through testing. Meanwhile, other suppliers thoroughly evaluate how they perform on the track, off-roading, and on the street to find that perfect blend for optimal performance. Combining rigorous testing and feedback from other drivers allows a manufacturer to make the best sway bars possible for your truck.

What Sway Bars Do for Handling

As a precautionary measure, almost all trucks, regardless if they are old or new, have factory-installed understeer, otherwise known as “push.” Understeer allows you to turn sharply at high speeds, causing your front tires to screech as your truck remains steady and straight. This implies that the rear tires do all the work to maintain a straight line because they have the most control.  

The inverse of understeer is oversteer. This drift happens when the front tires stay on the road as the rear tires lose their grip, and your truck naturally tries to pirouette when you turn. This maneuver isn’t for the faint of heart—it takes time and confidence to pull off.

By distributing weight to various areas of the suspension as the vehicle enters a turn, sway bars may offer better handling for oversteer and understeer. Truck owners may install a rear sway bar in many circumstances because the manufacturer didn’t install it originally. Even if a rear sway bar is already present, it’s always wise to upgrade to a more robust rear sway bar that dramatically helps your oversteer.

Another factor regarding handling is the body roll of the truck. Most performance suspension configurations attempt to keep the vehicle’s structure as parallel to the terrain as feasible to improve its handling. However, eliminating body roll may result in a very harsh ride; thus, the trick is to find a compromise that maintains the suspension design while providing a pleasant riding experience.

While the ordinary driver might not realize the importance of sway bars, a truck aficionado expects more from their vehicle than the average person. You want something with better handling, stability, and traction to ensure the best performance when you’re behind the wheel. Don’t settle for the factory design that plays it safe.

Finally, the strongest handling advantage you can strap onto your lifted truck is a well-designed, lightweight sway bar set. It’s evident how important sway bars are for your lifted truck. If you’re looking to install the best sway bars made by quality technicians, Supreme Suspensions® is your answer. Supreme Suspensions® is an elite truck suspension shop that can modify your truck with lift kits, wheel spaces, and other truck accessories that make others fawn over your vehicle.