Front sway bar end links too long?

[st_za]

Hiyall

I received a set of ARB/DBOR FK48 swaybar disconnects instead of the adjustable ones that I ordered. They look to be made for 3" to 4.5" of lift (220mm from the top pin centre to the bottom pin centre) and I have the Mopar Lovell 2" lift with the stock end links on my JKU.

I can send them back but it will mean I don't have easy disconnects for Camp Coffs next week and they are actually a pretty solid looking piece of kit.

I measured them up as much as I could (while keeping them in the packaging) and it looks like the front swaybar will be pointed upwards a bit more than "level" - the upper joint will sit next to the bottom of the chassis rail.

I remember the sway bar upwards rotation being much stiffer than downward but that may just have been crappy bushings on my mate's 6 year old JK where I helped him get the end links on and off a few times.

Does anyone have any experience running long end links? Will it cause on-road handling problems? The stiff Lovell springs don't compress easily but if they did, could the end link be damaged or damage something? Am I worrying about something inconsequential?

[MightyMouse]

A bit hard to really get a grip on the possible angles involved but....

Whilst not absolutely perfect, some deviation from parallel is quite acceptable.... if you can be bothered with the calculations the change in bar rate in the early stages of a non parallel setup is very minor.

The more suspension travel you have the less likely its going to be that you can get the magic alignment right so lots of people have had to compromize on length vs angles.
As per the different up vs down.... that not "as designed" so you assumption on bushes is likely correct.

I thing your Lovels springs are going to be far more of a limit than the links.....

If you really doubtfully just ring DBOR and ask......

[chris0375]

Too short and with longer shocks there is a real risk the sway bar will invert. Happened to me twice. You really don't want that happening. It's a pita.

[EasyDoesIt]

I'm running the same disconnects. With your 2" lift it should be fine. Even better if you have extended bump stops to match your lift. I'm currently running it on a stock suspension - I have bigger problems, haha.
You will not notice notice any difference (besides the sway bar ends being pointed a bit more upwards). Also, as Chris mentioned, you're actually better off with slightly longer than shorter links. I think you won't be disappointed, these are very easy to use disconnects.

[st_za]

I did some thinking, drank some Guinness and measured the angles with a digital protractor. The sway bar currently sits at 7.5 degrees below level with the stock 140mm links and will (coincidentally) sit 7.5 degrees above level with the new end links. With 13mm more lift or shorter links, the sway bar will sit at 5 degrees.

It's more than the ideal angle but it's not that bad. It shouldn't worry the handling too much, considering the Wrangler already has a pretty firm front sway bar (see physics note below). I googled the hell out of this and as far as I can see, the sway bar can rotate upward almost vertically without hitting anything so I am not worried about clearance anymore.

I have to make lemonade with this Lovell suspension because I am not going to replace it for a long while even though it is going to be the (hugely) limiting factor to the suspension flex. DBOR are sending me 0.75" spacers which will help with the sway bar angle but also to get back the lift that the heavy accessories have taken.

My physics brain is powered by Jameson so today was the ideal day for this. Go drink some Guinness if physics don't interest you.

As far as I can work out, more of the force will be applied along the sway bar instead of perpendicular to it (using its flex), causing it to act like a thicker and firmer sway bar. That in turn will give more understeer which could actually improve the handling if you like that sort of thing and the sway bar isn't already so firm that it cannot flex easily. Quantifying the effect is very difficult without testing the sway bar spring rate so I gave that up pretty quickly.

All this thinking and reasoning and calculations to quantify the effect is making my brain ache. I need to go home and drink some green beer.