I've got a question for you guys running a rear sway bar in 99-04 Super Duty trucks. I've got a 2001 F350 SRW 4X4 and I have a factory Front sway bar but I don't have a rear sway bar in the truck. I am experiencing a considerable amount of side to side motion (back and forth) when driving on the highway, from what I can tell caused by cross winds and passing trucks. I'm really wanting to find a fix for this issue and I thought maybe adding a rear sway bar might help me some. I am replacing the bushings & end links on my front sway bar tomorrow as it has some play back and forth in it, but because the sheer length of my truck + the amount of towing I do with it, I feel a rear sway bar will perhaps help me as well. What I'm really wondering is which holes in the frame rails do the end link bolts of a rear sway bar go into? I took a peek under the truck to try and see and can post some photos of the holes I found tomorrow. I'm strongly considering going with the Hellwig "Big Wig" Rear sway bar for my truck, please note that my truck is factory ride height (no lift.) Any input on where your guys rear sway bar end links mount up to on the frame would be very helpful to me and I'd really appreciate any input on this topic. Thank you in advance. Will Post photos tomorrow of my trucks underside & possible frame hole locations.
https://www.suspensionconnection.com...0-big-wig.html

 

When we bought our 2002 Excur 2 years ago the first freeway on-ramp I took was really disconcerting the way the rear end felt. The rear Hellwig anti-roll bar will really make a difference in the way the rear end handles. I installed the front bar, too, the front end stays nice and flat in turns. Also, get a good set of shocks, I used the Bilsteins, but there are other good shocks out there. The car handles towing our 7k TH, turns, passing trucks and cross-winds very well now. It has been worth every penny getting the bars and they really work well in an avoidance maneuver.

 

remember a rear anti-sway bar controls body movement (lean) from weight in truck bed or cornering forces...

so a bumper pull trailer will have little affect here...

also flexible side walls of tires can and will not change with a anti-sway bar.. same with truck shocks..

the basic reason the Factory Rear anti-sway bar is only a part of the Camper-slide-in package.
and NOT part of the Towing package.

 

I put one on my 00 Excursion also. Made a night and day difference! I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't have a factory rear sway bar. Went on easily and did pretty much everything I wanted it to. The Ex used to tow a pretty squirrelly 7500 trailer and it definitely tamed it down. 10 ply tires aired to 80psi while towing makes a big difference too.

 

I have run a rear sway bar in all my vehicles for many years and would not be without one. They are not the total answer, but do make a huge difference, I have the Roadmaster bars, front and rear on my '03 dually, I tow heavy and they really help, there is also a noticeable difference even empty. I don't remember the diameter but I believe they are slightly larger than the Helwig bars but either one is an improvement over the OEM.

 

What is included in OEM Tow packages seems to be at the manufacturer's discretion. All Excursions came with a hitch and the Tow Package for the 2005s included a rear anti-roll bar, but a smaller one than the Hellwig.
Anti-roll bars, shocks, springs and Load range E tires with good sidewalls all play into having a good handling vehicle. The anti-roll bars do just that, resist vehicle roll caused by turning and cross winds. They won't help with a swaying trailer, other than the tow vehicle will be better under control. With good trailer tires and proper tongue weight trailer swaying shouldn't be a problem. The best upgrades for our trailer were Load range E tires and a set of Dexter EZ Flex shackles. The shackle kit has thicker plates, greaseable bronze bushings and a cushioned center pivot between the spring ends. The trailer doesn't have the front/back jerk over bumps with the new pivot which helps isolate sharp movements between the front/rear springs. Still looking at adding shocks to the trailer to dampen hopping.
I usually get the largest diameter anti-roll bars available so if the Roadmaster's bars are larger I would go with them. The Hellwig bars for the 2000-2005 F250/Excur are: front – 1 1/2”, rear – 1 1/4”. The bars are usually sized as a set so I recommend getting front & rear. When the front & rear are reacting the same to side forces the vehicle handling is impressive.

 

it would help with "boating" but not lane drifting

 

x2 on the Hellwig in our X. It used to dance all over the road, and now it travels straight... Much less daunting while in traffic.

 

I have to chime in and say that after installing the Helwig sway bar my highway driving experience had drastically improved.

On another note about Helwig, just a few weeks ago I noticed one of the control link bushings had crushed to the point of not functioning, so I called Helwig to purchase a set of new ones due to the bolt and nut rusting beyond being able to tighten or loosen it without snapping it off. Lo and behold the customer service rep sent me Two new style control links with all the hardware and two new D-ring bushing at No Charge. Helwig stands behind their lifetime warranty!

 

I really want one for my 2015 SRW. I want the high dollar fattest one...7282.

 

just remember an anti-sway bar is not the "Golden" tool to suspension control.

and "To Much" anti-sway bar is not a good thing..

best of luck.. with the plans.. Work safe under the truck.

 

All suspension components work to provide control of a vehicle - springs support weight, shocks dampen up/down movement, tires provide traction, anti-roll tension bars resist rolling motion. Most suppliers I've seen provide OEM equivalent parts if you like an OEM ride or better components for improving performance. For the Excursion and as I understand some trucks Ford elected to not include rear anti-roll bars. My 1st gen Explorers came with rear anti-roll bars, so what was their thinking other than saving $$$. The Hellwig bars, Bilstein shocks, load range E tires and F-250 rear springs make for a very well handling package on our Ex. Our Exped with 4 wheel independent suspension and rack&pinion steering handles much better, but that's a whole other area for discussion.

 

I read somewhere a guy had a big rear sway bar and it was so strong that in some scenarios it would hold a tire up in the air

 

sirkingdra, it's pouring rain where I am right now and my truck has a small pond under it ... otherwise I'd crawl under it and snap a pic and show you where everything is bolted up with my rear anti-sway bar. I have a similar truck to yours ... with what I believe is the OEM 1-3/16's rear anti-sway bar that comes with the camper package. I also have a front anti-sway bar too.

Hellwig and RoadMaster are very good brands ... both are used extensively in the RV world. A rear anti-sway bar will certainly help controlling the side-to-side motion. If you click on the Sumo Springs link in my signature, you'll see the symptoms I was looking to fix on my truck and the solution I ended up with.

Good Luck ... and when this rain stops and the ground dries a bit, I'll try to snap that pic for you.

 

That can happen, but that bar was probably around 2" diameter.
As the diameter of an anti-roll bar increases the tension it exhibits increases dramatically.
A 1 1/2" bar has a noticeable increased stiffness over a 1 1/4" bar and a large increase over a 1" bar.
Assuming, of course, the bars are made of the same alloy steel.
The diameters of bars I've seen at the various suppliers I checked when getting bars for our Ex were not excessive.
The 1 3/4" bar I installed on the rear of our 10k 27ft Class C worked great for that application.
It probably would be too much for the Ex.