Looking to put a rear sway bar on my 2016 F350. I will be running air bags as well. Looks like Hellwig and roadmaster are it for options.Anyone have a preference? seems like hellwing clamps to the axle and runs up and over the driveshaft, while the roadmaster is more like the oem sway bar and mounts on the shock hangers (am I right?). Are there any benefits to one style as opposed to the other, like height clearance? thanks, Nick.

 

The hellwig "bigwig" is very popular on here due to the substantial diameter of the bar compared to the stick unit which helps reduce sway better.

 

I have always had good luck with Roadmaster.

 

Seems like hell wig is 1 1/4" and roadmaster is 1 3/8".
Roadmaster is quite a bit more money too. Does the mounting difference matter at all?

 

I have a 2008 duty. I think on my truck the helwig mounted to and behind the axle. I think you had to remove the spare tire to use it. I didn't like that

 

Why do you think you need a rear swaybar on your truck? Millions have been sold and are driven and used without them. They don't come with them from the factory except with the camper package.

I'm not familiar with the Roadmaster or could say what difference it has (mounting, etc), but from the experiences of others installing the Hellwig on 2011+ trucks it requires temporarily removing or loosening up the DEF tank to be able to get your hand and wrench up where it needs to be to get it mounted and tightened up. Those who are dealing with heavy/tall loads in the bed and lots of body roll or instability swear adding a swaybar helps and seem to be very happy with the Hellwig. However, when it's empty, some have complained that it hampers the rear suspension operation, where hitting bumps or potholes or driving on rough roads means that movement is transferred to the whole rear suspension rather than mostly the one corner, causing the ride to feel more jarring and reacting more severely than it would as it came from the factory.

Seems to be why Ford adds the swaybar as part of the camper package, because campers are going to be heavy and tall in the bed. So if you're dealing with somethings similar and have been unhappy with how the truck behaves in that scenario, it seems the Hellwig might be a good choice. Or you could even order a factory swaybar and install that for a less extreme solution, or maybe even find one from a wrecked truck in a junk yard, but that will probably be hard to find since so few trucks come with them (and the oldest trucks are pushing only 5 or 6 years).

Otherwise if you're not positive your truck has a problem only a swaybar can fix, then I would say it doesn't hurt to hold off and drive it a while longer before making a decision either way.

 

Negative on that. I have the hellwig and it vastly improves handling loaded and empty. Mind you I have a tendency to drive my truck like most on here never would. Levelled, with bilstein 5100's, 295/60/20, rear sway bar, I'll make your sportscar look silly on a high speed mountain run reaching speeds in excess of 100mph unless you're a really good driver. My truck is a pavement princess and rarely sees gravel. I use my '03 or '95 for bush roads.

Also I feel it makes a big difference while trailering. The truck just stays so flat always. My horses probably hate that bar. Lol.

 

Also of note the aftermarket bars are a lot more effective than the factory one. My buddy changed his 2010 out from the factory bar to the hellwig and it made a big difference he says with his camper on. Much stiffer.

 

I doubt that...

 

Roadmaster pix ?

 

I could care less really. Doubt away. Part of why I hum and haw over switching up to 4.3's is I don't want to lose top end. At high speeds imo the rear sway bar makes a big difference. I've raced a few cars that I guarantee are much faster than my truck but as things approach sort of over 70mph a lot of people just don't have the confidence/ability needed to truly corner a vehicle. Any vehicle.

If you're doubting that my truck handles significantly better than a stock setup. Well you're just wrong. I live in an area of mountainous highways revered by street bikers and driving enthusiasts. This is where I grew up,my stomping grounds so to speak. I've had a few fast cars myself but nothing exotic. The setup in my truck handles amazing for a pick up but I'd easily bury this truck with my 350z that was my last truly fast(ish) car.

 

How much do you care that it could still be less?

 

I run racks and tool boxes. I think a sway bar would help me. My old 96 had a hell wig and I liked it. My 2005 f350 does not. My new truck is a 6.2. I know the ford bar isn't as good as the hell wig or roadmaster. Just wondering which of the two is better or less of an issue with fitting other stuff like air bags.

 

Fire kite. I guess I do care because it seems like others care enough to post in response to aftermarket sway bars, even though they have no personal experience with them it would seem. For an enthusiast site it sure seems a lot of people like to jump right up and suggest not modding a truck, which is strange to me. No one has ever looked over/ridden in my truck and been like 'to bad it wasn't left stock'.

My truck has the hellwig rear bar and I run it in the middle adjustment position. As with most mods I don't think it's just the swaybar that makes all the difference but it's a piece to the puzzle when combined with other supporting mods.

As for fitment I also have timbrens and they fit fine. Unsure of airbag suitability.

 

This isn't a mods forum, though there are some ricer-ish influences here and there. I've modded vehicles to hell and back before. And my own truck is not stock, either. But I and so many others have dumped untold sums of cash down the toilet by making regrettable mods that just get ripped out and replaced anyway, and almost all of them come from acting too quickly and/or too impulsively. After lessons learned over years and and embarrassingly tall pile of wasted cash, the approach is simple: don't try to solve something until it becomes a problem.

If you don't know what the problem is, if there's even a problem to be solved at all, you don't know if whatever you're throwing cash at will solve it and for good. So if you get a brand new (literally or to you) vehicle, settle in, get to know it, understand how it feels and behaves, get comfortable with its quirks and perks.

Then, once you've gotten to know and understand your truck, then do what you will to it, and if you know it well, then you'll be able to judge the good and the bad and be honest with yourself and others about it.

For the record, I see trucks all the time that have regrettable mods. And
I've known quite a few guys who said themselves about their own trucks, in a moment of honesty about some mod or another, "I wish I'd left that part stock." To each their own, but don't get your undies in a bunch if someone offers more sober and sensible advice. Not every problem is solved with a sawzall and prime shipping.