Am I supposed to have a rear sway bar?
#1
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Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L
Am I supposed to have a rear sway bar?
I'm trying to buy bushings to tighten up my jeep so it'll feel a bit more like it would have when new. I'm going to buy sway bar bushings for the front bar.
When I went to the back to look for the sway bar I couldn't find one. There's not even signs that one was ever mounted there. The holes in the 'frame' where it mounts aren't scratched or showing any signs that a sway bar was ever there. If there was, it was removed when the vehicle was nearly new.
It's a 99 Cherokee Sport model. Did they forego rear sway bars or did a previous owner tear it off for off-roading?
If it's the latter, it'd certainly explain the lack of handling I'm feeling compared to my friends's 99 Cherokee.
When I went to the back to look for the sway bar I couldn't find one. There's not even signs that one was ever mounted there. The holes in the 'frame' where it mounts aren't scratched or showing any signs that a sway bar was ever there. If there was, it was removed when the vehicle was nearly new.
It's a 99 Cherokee Sport model. Did they forego rear sway bars or did a previous owner tear it off for off-roading?
If it's the latter, it'd certainly explain the lack of handling I'm feeling compared to my friends's 99 Cherokee.
Last edited by luketrash; 05-27-2009 at 06:35 PM.
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Year: 94 XJ
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Not all Cherokees came with rear swaybars.
Rear sways are for street use.
Removal of the swaybar is a common mod AFTER lifting.
Look under your friends, probably has one.
Rear sways are for street use.
Removal of the swaybar is a common mod AFTER lifting.
Look under your friends, probably has one.
#4
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exactly i had two when i got mine one front one back now i have non. but i would only remove the rear it serves no use but to be there
#5
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#9
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Year: 1999
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I'm not sure. I just figured the limited slip differential meant something special. On my Volvos, they threw the Eaton LSD on if you paid more for a tow package to pull a boat or trailer. Otherwise, you just got a regular old rear end.
#10
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Year: 1987
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Engine: 4.0 liter RENIX I-6, DIY Cold Air Intake, 2.5 FM Exhaust, 3 Core Radiator
Don't seat the rear sway bar. If I still had mine I'd give it to you for free. That's how worthless they are. If you're wanting to stiffen up your rear. Heavy duty rear leafs and heavy duty shocks will do it. I can't imagine why you'd want to do that to an XJ, though. Whatever you do to stiffen it will kill flex and articulation.
#11
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Year: 1998
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i took mine off my 98 and i couldnt tell any change what so ever on the street and i had to make a quick turn just the other day when a idiot pulled in front of me. but DO NOT remove the front one.
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exactly it does nothing if you put new bushings and maybe a larger bar it would but this is a jeep not a sports compact it serves no use
#13
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Year: 1999
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Apples to oranges, but my other car is a Volvo 240 wagon, and I've been a Volvo guy for years and years. In a lot of ways they're similar. They weigh about the same, and are a unibody design. With the Volvo just upping the stock swaybar diameter by 2mm (both front and back) is like a night and day difference on cornering and safely holding the wheels to the ground when you do evasive maneuvers on the road.
I'll be using my jeep mostly around town and on the highway, so body flex is fairly annoying. I like to keep the roll around a corner as flat as possible. I might investigate an aftermarket rear bar that's beefier than stock since I'd have to buy something anyway. The front swaybar is 26mm, so it's plenty stout for daily driving.
If you get too carried away, you can pick up your outter wheel off the ground in a turn, which is never good. I come from the car world, so the goals of most of the jeeper to be different I'm basically treating my XJ like a 4x4 station wagon.
The stock jeep rear sway bar looks dinky, which is probably why nobody feels much of a difference. On my Volvo, 25mm in the rear is an upgrade from the stock 21mm and will make the car handle like it's on rails.
I'm obviously not expecting the Jeep to do any GT road racing. I just like to have the ability to dart out of the way of animals and bad drivers without the body roll.
Someone on NAXJA told me that the Jeeps with a tow package purposely came with no rear sway bar. Is there a specific reason that's true? Articulation is good, but I live in Iowa, where everything is flat. I can't think of any situation where I'd need the rear wheels to flex much opposed to the body since I won't be driving sideways on terraced fields or whatnot.
I'll be using my jeep mostly around town and on the highway, so body flex is fairly annoying. I like to keep the roll around a corner as flat as possible. I might investigate an aftermarket rear bar that's beefier than stock since I'd have to buy something anyway. The front swaybar is 26mm, so it's plenty stout for daily driving.
If you get too carried away, you can pick up your outter wheel off the ground in a turn, which is never good. I come from the car world, so the goals of most of the jeeper to be different I'm basically treating my XJ like a 4x4 station wagon.
The stock jeep rear sway bar looks dinky, which is probably why nobody feels much of a difference. On my Volvo, 25mm in the rear is an upgrade from the stock 21mm and will make the car handle like it's on rails.
I'm obviously not expecting the Jeep to do any GT road racing. I just like to have the ability to dart out of the way of animals and bad drivers without the body roll.
Someone on NAXJA told me that the Jeeps with a tow package purposely came with no rear sway bar. Is there a specific reason that's true? Articulation is good, but I live in Iowa, where everything is flat. I can't think of any situation where I'd need the rear wheels to flex much opposed to the body since I won't be driving sideways on terraced fields or whatnot.
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Year: 1999
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Here is what the Jeep handbook says:
Up Country Suspension Group:
Tow Hooks (two front one rear), skid plates for the front suspension, transfer case, and fuel tank, a Trac-Lok rear diff, auxiliary tranny cooler (Auto tranny) Off-road suspension with increased ride height, maximum engine cooling, and 225/75/15 Goodyear RT/S tires with fullsize spare and matching wheel.
Up Country Suspension Group:
Tow Hooks (two front one rear), skid plates for the front suspension, transfer case, and fuel tank, a Trac-Lok rear diff, auxiliary tranny cooler (Auto tranny) Off-road suspension with increased ride height, maximum engine cooling, and 225/75/15 Goodyear RT/S tires with fullsize spare and matching wheel.