In an effort to improve the Expod's handling while towing my boat around I recently went through all the suspension components of the 10 year old Expod and checked everything out. Ended up replacing all the ball joints (front AND rear...), the shock upgrade to Bilsteins, and one weak-*** looking rear swaybar. The stock rear swaybar is only a half inch tube. I upgraded to a Belltech 1" swaybar, and after several road tests I can say that it actually made the old Expod feel much better on the road. Most notably in on and off ramps of course. But I would strongly recommend the upgrade, especially if you have oversize or wide tires on your truck. It's relatively inexpensive, I got one from AutoAnything for about $117 with free shipping. The part number for the 2nd Gen Expods and Navs is #5550 and it comes with new poly bushings.



-Mike


Belltech 5550 rear sway bar for Expods

 

Nice.

What's an Expod?

 

With stiffer swaybars I've seen it cause the rear axle to 'float' in hard corners, especially in the rain and snow. Have you noticed if that happens or not?

 

Maybe if I pushed it to it's limits in a slalom course I could get it to lift a wheel, but in typical highway, 'round town, towing, quick lane swaps, etc... it just feels more stable and in control. But in the short time I've had it installed it's been fine. It's the size the local cops put on theirs and it's recommended by Addco. I'll update if I encounter any problems with handling. It's cheap enough and easy enough to install and evaluate it for your application. If you can push it to a limit that you don't think is safe or an improvement to overall handling, reinstall the stock bar.


-Mike

 

Hamfisted, thanks for the pics of the two sway bars side by side...kinda solidified my decision whether to get this bar or not! Just ordered the same for my 2003 Expedition. I tried and tried to find a Poly bushing for it, none available. Then I went below to measure some things and just simply moved the bar around with my hand and saw it bend and flex enough to say, wow that is pretty weak! I replaced the end links already, and that alone made an improvement. I'm looking for improved handling, and hope it helps with towing my travel trailer (about 6K lbs full). With the added tongue weight of the travel trailer and some more payload during our RV/Camping trips, I imagine the back end will benefit from the reduced sway. I should get the 5550 sway bar in time to install before the new year. Will update you on its improvement level.

 

yes,side by side image help alot.

 

This thread is 3 years old, but there is more info needed for completeness.
Adding a larger rear anti-roll bar will help handling, especially when towing.
The factory bars are adequate for good handling, but it costs more money for the larger bars which will provide better handling.
Economics usually means that police issue or optional "Sport" packages get the larger bars.
The factory bars are a matched set which will usually provide balanced handling.
If the size of one bar is increased the other bar really should be upgraded, too.
A car can be made to have oversteer or understeer by changing the size of the anti-roll bars.
Installing a larger diameter rear bar will create more oversteer or a tendency to have the rearend swing around in an extremely sharp turn.
A larger front bar would create more understeer or plowing in sharp turns.
A balanced set of bars will allow a vehicle to execute a turn in the most efficient manner possible.
Then it's up to springs, shocks, tires, center of gravity for more improvements.
Raising a vehicle or increasing the distance between the suspension and the wheels just makes it harder to control things.
Anti-roll bars do not increase trailer towing weight capacity at all, but will make a tow vehicle more stable in crosswinds and winding mountain roads.
I would bet if our cars came with heavy duty anti-roll bars no one would really notice, other than their cars handle very well.