hi...my bushings on my rear sway bar are shot...lol. noticed noise,looked and grabbed everything till this bar...has so much play. polyurathane bushes are worn,all 4 links exept the top body ones on frame.... i did fronts already 3 yrs ago. rears are much much older.

anyway....getting my bushings,but anyone running a THICKER sway bar? would there be difference?

i have so much play now i should feel a difference regaurdless i hope.

txs all.....

 

I use a Belltech 5550 HD swaybar and yes there's a noticeable difference. Our local police department was using them on their Expies and they raved about the improvement, so I thought I'd give it a try. Cuts down on the body lean in turns, most noticeable on expressway off ramps to me. I'd say it's the single biggest thing you can do to improve the handling of the Expy.
The swaybar comes with new poly bushings....
If you're getting an annoying groaning in the rear suspension in turns check the lower ball joint bushings at each rear wheel, they get soft and worn out and start groaning.



-Mike

 

On every vehicle I have ever owned I try to find larger diameter anti-roll bars.
They have always made a big difference in handling while not affecting ride quality as much as stiffer springs do.
Addco, Hellwig and Belltech all make good aftermarket bars and they usually come with polyurethane bushings.
Most of mine have been Hellwigs.
The type of steel used to make a bar will affect how much tension a bar will generate so bars with different diameters may have the same tension.
Increasing the diameter of a front anti-roll bar will increase the tendency to under steer (plow) in a hard turn.
Increasing the diameter of a rear bar will increase the tendency for over steer.
That's why it's good to upgrade both.
The factory bars are usually sized to favor under steer which is safer for the average driver.

 

I just put a set of Belltechs on last Friday. I love them. They really make a difference in the ride, and not just in turns. The truck feels more stable and I didn't feel the wind as much. One of the best things I have done to the expy. The picture above doesn't do the size difference justice. When you see it in person you just can't believe how small the original is.

 

X2
On our 2003 Expedition are 1.5" front (Hellwig) and 1" rear (Belltech).
Stock was 1.33" and .5".
Definitely more stable in winds and sharp maneuvers.
A heavier vehicle like our Excursion now has a front 1.5" and rear 1.25".
Imagine how the Excursion handled with stock, front - 1.33", rear - none.
The tension in an anti-roll bar increases by a power of 4 when going larger.
The type of steel, length of arms and the distance between the arms factors in, too, but less so.
Changing from a .5" bar to a 1" bar increases the tension a lot more than going from 1.33" to 1.5".

 

^^^ X2 on Hellwig. Cheaper. The F150 and Expedition use the same front but the rears are different. My rear is 1.25. HUGE difference. Flat cornering and far more stable at high speed and in windy conditions. You will not regret the upgrade...lol

 

Please double check the diameter of your rear Hellwig bar. According the their website the rear (#7660) is only 3/4".

I'm planning on getting the Hellwig front (#7689) 1.5" and the Belltech rear (#5550) 1" for my '03 Expy 4WD. I'm also going to install new Moog stabilizer bar link kits on all four corners.

Interesting side note, according to the Belltech website the #5550 rear bar is for RWD only. I've read many posts about people installing them on their 4WD's so I'm not too worried.

 

You are correct.
I searched my Amazon orders and found it.
The finish on the rear bar is different and it is a Belltech bar.
I thought I would go with the 1" bar instead of the Hellwig 3/4" since I have the 5.4L.

 

I would think that the only difference between 2 and 4wd is end link length. The rear ends themselves are the same. I will recommend one thing. The brackets that mount to the rear axle use a U-clamp and the bracket it's self has teeth on it to grip the axle. I would highly recommend having those welded into place. On my truck I had issues with them slipping and the sway bar would get all ****-eyed. I torqued them to spec but they slipped when you actually use them in a hard corner.

 

On one vehicle I had the bar mounts were right next to the shock mounts.
Along with the U-clamps the bar mounts were bolted to the shock mounts.
If they are close enough maybe a bracket could be fabricated to bolt to the shock mounts as an alternative to welding.
The 2003 Exped has IRS so the main bar mounts are attached to the frame and the end links are connected to the control arms.

 

those are much thicker...yes. how much?

 

Reading is fundamental . . .

According to response #5 above:

"On our 2003 Expedition are 1.5" front (Hellwig) and 1" rear (Belltech).
Stock was 1.33" and .5"."

 

There's been a similar discussion going on over on the Excursion forum where there are more options for engines.
When there's more weight on the front end from a 4wd and a diesel an even larger diameter rear bar needs to be used to bring the handling back towards neutral.
More weight on the front adds to the tendency to understeer or plow in a turn.
A larger diameter bar in the rear adds to the tendency to oversteer or correct for excessive understeer.
I think for a 4wd Expedition the Addco 1 1/8" rear anti-roll bar would work well and still have a bit of understeer which is practical for the street.
An F150 which is lighter in the rear would do well with a 1" rear bar.
Anything is better than the stock .5" bar.
The bars on our 2wd 2003 Exped, 1.5" front, 1" rear, work very well with no hint of oversteer.

01 GT F150 - where did you find a 1.25" rear bar for the F150?

 

I purchased that about 16 + years ago from a shop. I believe it was a hellwig or addco. My front is a hellwig 1.5 I put on about 2 weeks after I bought it. Mine is the very first run of 01 Supercrew's built early 2000 but sold as 01's. I've done some road race/ auto cross and could do any curve at close to if not double the posted speed with 0 tire squeal. I also have JLP long traction bars that help keep the rear end firmly planted as well. I shortened the end links so that all the sway bar arms were parallel to the ground at ride height. I used silicon grease on all of the bushings and have 11/16 2 inch bump stops. The tires are pretty wide and sit on 20x10 wheels and I'm sure that is a contributing factor as well. The truck as a mix of lowering components that seem to work well together and I'm not arguing..lol

 

i just did all the bushings.....original bar is heavy feeling. stayed with it.

anyway....after changing my shotout 9 yr old ones. i feel difference exiting highways and jug handle exit feels great....

putting on was easy,i did not even take bar down or use a jack. just gotta paint those washers and bolts black now that everythings on....

gonna keep look out thou for thicker ones at the yards i go to