AFTER MARKET SWAY BARS

Mel Wilbur · Post by **Mel Wilbur** » Wed May 03, 2006 8:34 pm

Here are some interesting items from an article in a campingworld publication regarding aftermarket sway bars.

They are made of 4140 "chromoly" steel which is considerably stronger and more durable that the standard spring steel (a 1020 grade) used in many stock sway bars. They also have better pivot points to respond to pressure shifts on the chassis.

They use Polyurethane bushings which has many advantages over the stock rubber bushings. Polyurethane is impervious to gas, oil and ozone corrosion, and additional wear from petroleum products like gasoline or oil, and from ozone in the atmosphere. They are also more resistant to abrasion, and do not buckle under heavier load weights.

The article also states that every additional 1/8" in diameter makes the bar four times stronger (four times the resistance to sway)

Assuming all this to be correct I measured the IPD bars on our coach and determined both the front and rear bars were 3/8" larger than the stock ford bars which translates to twelve times the resistance to sway.

Trisha · Post by **Trisha** » Thu May 04, 2006 8:57 pm

Exactly! The diameter was signifanctly larger on the new bar and the bushings things are very interesting. I watched them install mine and I'm duly impressed.

two weeks ago, I drove from Colorado city to Nebraska, all day, in a high-wind-warning conditions, 25-40 mph steady wind out of the West (I was headed north so it was hitting me broadside) and I did it all day without feeling too worn out to eat at the end of the day. I never felt compelled to pull over, even with higher gusts. What a difference.

You'd have to try it both ways to believe it, but I'll never doubt again. I'm SOLD.

Patricia