Front sway bar
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
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From: Durham NC
You really don't need a swaybar with the stock parallel leaf suspension with fresh eye bushings and pins. The springs themselves act similar to a sway bar.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 27,291
Likes: 1,055
From: NM
You know, I've heard that before and sort of blindly accepted it, but I don't think it's true. A sway bar on the front will transfer load to the rear spring diagonally opposite it on a turn; I don't see how a beam axle or leaf springs has a similar effect. There have been plenty of OEM installations of sway bars on solid rear axles, there must be a reason. There are several people on the forum who've added sway bars to the stock fronts, I'd be interested to hear how well they work.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: NM
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
"good shocks" are ones that are valved to match the vehicle's spring rate and weight with quality internal parts. What they are not is 3rd world mass produced with "one size fits all" parts with very little quality control.
Some of the better brands in no particular order are Bilstein, Koni, QA1, Tokico, Aldan.
There are still higher end shocks, Penske, Ohlen, Moton that are hand built to order, but they are better suited to racing applications.
When buying high performance shocks, you should not buy out of a catalog, but call the manufacturer's tech support department and talk to their engineers/tech staff, then go with their recommendations. They have a vested interest in providing their best product for your application, word of mouth from satisfied customers is their best advertising. Yes, quality shocks will be more expensive than the nationally advertised big box store inventory, but still reasonable, about the same cost as a set of headers and less than a set of aluminum wheels with far higher bang for the buck in performance and safety added than either.
Some of the better brands in no particular order are Bilstein, Koni, QA1, Tokico, Aldan.
There are still higher end shocks, Penske, Ohlen, Moton that are hand built to order, but they are better suited to racing applications.
When buying high performance shocks, you should not buy out of a catalog, but call the manufacturer's tech support department and talk to their engineers/tech staff, then go with their recommendations. They have a vested interest in providing their best product for your application, word of mouth from satisfied customers is their best advertising. Yes, quality shocks will be more expensive than the nationally advertised big box store inventory, but still reasonable, about the same cost as a set of headers and less than a set of aluminum wheels with far higher bang for the buck in performance and safety added than either.
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