Factory vs Hellwig rear sway bar
Laughing Gas
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 906
Likes: 107
From: Seattle area
"On my '03 F350 SRW, I ran for years without the rear sway bar. Lots of off road (6" lift on 37s). Plenty of articulation (for a LWB truck). When I got a TC, I put the factory sway bar back on. Worked OK for the TC, though still had quite a bit of roll. It wasn't too bad off road (unloaded), but I could tell the sway bar was there. Could pick up a tire fairly easily when off camber, but it was still usable.
The sway with the full size TC was a little disconcerting at times, so I went with Hellwigs front and rear. Easy install. Night and day difference with the TC. Much more stable, less sway, more controllable, more pleasant to drive when loaded. BUT - when unloaded, I could pull one front tire onto a rock the size of a cinder block, and the same side rear tire would come off the ground. The articulation was horrible, and its unloaded off road performance sucked. We boondock in the mountains a lot, and fire roads/primitive roads were fine with the TC loaded, but unloaded I could count on tires off the ground."
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,039
Likes: 6
From: Jacksonville, FL
I'll cut and paste this from my post on a different thread on the topic since you're considering getting a second hellwig. Just for consideration:
"On my '03 F350 SRW, I ran for years without the rear sway bar. Lots of off road (6" lift on 37s). Plenty of articulation (for a LWB truck). When I got a TC, I put the factory sway bar back on. Worked OK for the TC, though still had quite a bit of roll. It wasn't too bad off road (unloaded), but I could tell the sway bar was there. Could pick up a tire fairly easily when off camber, but it was still usable.
The sway with the full size TC was a little disconcerting at times, so I went with Hellwigs front and rear. Easy install. Night and day difference with the TC. Much more stable, less sway, more controllable, more pleasant to drive when loaded. BUT - when unloaded, I could pull one front tire onto a rock the size of a cinder block, and the same side rear tire would come off the ground. The articulation was horrible, and its unloaded off road performance sucked. We boondock in the mountains a lot, and fire roads/primitive roads were fine with the TC loaded, but unloaded I could count on tires off the ground."
"On my '03 F350 SRW, I ran for years without the rear sway bar. Lots of off road (6" lift on 37s). Plenty of articulation (for a LWB truck). When I got a TC, I put the factory sway bar back on. Worked OK for the TC, though still had quite a bit of roll. It wasn't too bad off road (unloaded), but I could tell the sway bar was there. Could pick up a tire fairly easily when off camber, but it was still usable.
The sway with the full size TC was a little disconcerting at times, so I went with Hellwigs front and rear. Easy install. Night and day difference with the TC. Much more stable, less sway, more controllable, more pleasant to drive when loaded. BUT - when unloaded, I could pull one front tire onto a rock the size of a cinder block, and the same side rear tire would come off the ground. The articulation was horrible, and its unloaded off road performance sucked. We boondock in the mountains a lot, and fire roads/primitive roads were fine with the TC loaded, but unloaded I could count on tires off the ground."
Logistics Pro
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,529
Likes: 390
From: SEVA
Good for you and good luck. I hope it doesn't leave you wanting for more. Then again, suspension modifications can be a very personal affair depending on one's preferences. After installing my Hellwigs, I swapped out the shocks with Rancho adjustable. I now find I'm really enjoying the truck more with a suspension that feels softer, but rolls sideways very little when cornering.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,529
Likes: 390
From: SEVA
BTW, if you're near southeast VA, I just listed an extra pair of Hellwig swaybars in the classified section.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/market/1546014
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/market/1546014
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 3,778
Likes: 153
I like the ride improvement the bigwig bar made in the rear, and now after reading this I am thinking about the front too - what p/n did you use on the front? 7712? My '17 F350 Lariat Ultimate is SRW/CCSB/PSD/4x4/no lift
(my wallet is still recovering from the custom audio install a month ago, but hey, the front bar just HAS to be upgraded to MATCH the rear! Yeah, that's it! LOL... this forum costs me $$ ;-) LOL....
(my wallet is still recovering from the custom audio install a month ago, but hey, the front bar just HAS to be upgraded to MATCH the rear! Yeah, that's it! LOL... this forum costs me $$ ;-) LOL....
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Junior User
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 57
Likes: 6
Rear factory sway bar
QWhat model year truck do you have? I recently replaced my factory sway bars with Helwigs so I have both the front and rear bars .They came off a 2003 F-350.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,529
Likes: 390
From: SEVA
BTW, if you're near southeast VA, I just listed an extra pair of Hellwig swaybars in the classified section.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/market/1546014
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/market/1546014
Logistics Pro
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,529
Likes: 390
From: SEVA
After receiving a few PMs, I should clarify that my previous post said, "If you're near southeast VA ..." Meaning: I'm not going to ship this thing. Sorry, guys.
