Community PSA - Beware Bad Advice
CF Veteran
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 4,825
Likes: 2
From: Indianapolis
Year: '99 and '91
Model: Cherokee
IMO: Removing the sway-bar can be considered safer if you look at it in a different light. I understand exactly what the sway bar does and what are possible effects of removing it. However, As i know the effects it has made me a more cautious driver which in return makes it more safe than having the sway on there.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,273
Likes: 0
From: Alpharetta, GA
IMO: Removing the sway-bar can be considered safer if you look at it in a different light. I understand exactly what the sway bar does and what are possible effects of removing it. However, As i know the effects it has made me a more cautious driver which in return makes it more safe than having the sway on there. I would be willing to be the number of rollovers that occur because the sway bar has been removed would be quite low. Most roll overs are because the driver was at error. If the driver knows the jeep is susceptible to a roll over the probability of said person driving more safe would be higher. I am not saying that everyone should remove theirs. I still that when people pose the question of weather to remove it or not that both sides of the argument should chime in. The the person asking the question can make up their own mind. I personally don't drive my jeep on the street very much and when I do I'm not planning on going fast.
As far as advice goes. It's the internet if a reader believes everything on their screen then it wouldn't matter what advice they were given. Bad advice is just as important as good advice in many cases. The bad advice will make a more knowledgeable person respond and give the OP the correct advice more because they are trying to reverse the bad advice. That same expert may not have posted anything to a question if bad advice had not been given. Proly never thought about it that way did ya?
Everything can be looked at from multiple angles no matter which is right or which is wrong.
As far as advice goes. It's the internet if a reader believes everything on their screen then it wouldn't matter what advice they were given. Bad advice is just as important as good advice in many cases. The bad advice will make a more knowledgeable person respond and give the OP the correct advice more because they are trying to reverse the bad advice. That same expert may not have posted anything to a question if bad advice had not been given. Proly never thought about it that way did ya?
Everything can be looked at from multiple angles no matter which is right or which is wrong.
CF Veteran
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,249
Likes: 12
From: Hamburg AR
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 HO
So your argument is, because you know it's not as safe, you drive safer? How about you drive safe to begin with? Most people dont have a clue what is in their car or what the components do for it. Even on this forum there are a lot of people that are new to this. I've seen quite a few new guys that are anywhere from 16 to 20 that are just now getting into 4x4 and modding. Think of what you did in vehicles when you were that age. Do you really want them driving around in a vehicle that doesn't have all the safety equipment it sould have and doing the things you would have done at that age?
I was just putting out another way to think about it. However you proved my second point. you would proly not have responded with your answer if you agreed with what I said. You instead you gave your opinion on the subject for a future reader. Granted a 16-20 year old is most likely gonna throw caution and live life on the edge no matter what you tell them.
CF Veteran
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 7,387
Likes: 10
From: City of Trees, CA
Year: 93 2 door
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
shocks people. if you dont have good shocks and your ride quality is mushy. keep your sway bar. but unless you've tried running quality shocks and a half decent setup (no death wobble or wandering, bad alignment, unbalanced tires etc.) then stop arguing that the lack of sway bar is the problem.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,273
Likes: 0
From: Alpharetta, GA
I think it's kind of funny actually. I know I'm one of if not the main reason the argument started, but I still find it funny. I'm not trying to burst anyone's bubble or say never do something like take out a swaybar. I completely aree that the swaybar is, for the most part useless if the suspesion is set up to run without it. I do actually agree that if the bad advice wasn't out there, a lot of the good advice wouldn't get posted. I'll also admit my knowledge of lifted and 4x4 things is very limited at the moment. I'm coming from a background of imports and what most would call rice and euro trash because they didn't know any better. But I always built track cars even if they were my daily driver. So you'll have to forgive me if that mindset comes out every once in a while.
CF Veteran
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,648
Likes: 4
Model: Cherokee
As an auto technician, some of the advice I see passed around on this site irks me.
It's not out of a sense of pride or hierarchy, it's because there are some people that really should not be advising others on repairs.
Obviously there is a wealth of GOOD information on these forums and those giving out the bad advice are the exception, NOT the rule, however there are many self-proclaimed experts here who are very convincing and forceful in their suggestions.
A lot of people come here to learn and it bothers me that they might be "learning" from the wrong people.
Now, I'm not saying that you should ONLY listen to professional mechanics - there are plenty of people who are just as good, if not BETTER mechanics than your typical certified technician - BUT, there are more than enough shade tree mechanics who suggest "repairs" or "mods" that are not only wrong, but sometimes unsafe.
Just recently I saw a thread concerning death wobble in which a poster made it QUITE clear that it's NOT THE STEERING STABILIZER and that replacing the stabilizer just masks a larger problem so don't do it because you'll be stupid if you do... then his very next piece of advice was to adjust the alignment for more toe-in because "sometimes that helps". Yeah, and it's WRONG.
He literally just made a big deal about how replacing a worn steering stabilizer was a stupid idea, and then suggested adjusting the alignment out of spec to fix death wobble "the redneck way".
This is terrible advice.
I've also seen MANY times, people suggesting that you should just remove your sway bars altogether because "i can drive fine without mine". Maybe. Maybe they can. But I have to ask, why are the sway bars there in the first place if they're not important? I also have the ask, when is the last time you had to make a sudden, sharp maneuver at a high speed to avoid an accident? I can't help but imagine that the lack of a sway bar might be in issue in such a situation.
To someone who understands the purpose of a sway bar, this is a no-brainer... but still, even some experienced Jeepers claim that you just don't need your sway bars. I have to say to them that giving that type of advice is immoral.
In the past I've tried appealing to the advice givers, requesting that they phrase their advice more carefully or at least add more information so that the advice-seeker could make a more educated decision, but that never worked...
So now I'm just cautioning advice seekers. Do not blindly trust the advice you read here. Corroborate it with other advice, do tandem research (ask for advice here, google that advice, etc) to ensure that the person who responded to you isn't full of crap.
I could go on here but really the point is this: Don't trust a random internet person to give you professional mechanical advice. Not everyone here knows what they're talking about.
Sorry if I've ruffled feathers by saying this, but it needed to be said.
It's not out of a sense of pride or hierarchy, it's because there are some people that really should not be advising others on repairs.
Obviously there is a wealth of GOOD information on these forums and those giving out the bad advice are the exception, NOT the rule, however there are many self-proclaimed experts here who are very convincing and forceful in their suggestions.
A lot of people come here to learn and it bothers me that they might be "learning" from the wrong people.
Now, I'm not saying that you should ONLY listen to professional mechanics - there are plenty of people who are just as good, if not BETTER mechanics than your typical certified technician - BUT, there are more than enough shade tree mechanics who suggest "repairs" or "mods" that are not only wrong, but sometimes unsafe.
Just recently I saw a thread concerning death wobble in which a poster made it QUITE clear that it's NOT THE STEERING STABILIZER and that replacing the stabilizer just masks a larger problem so don't do it because you'll be stupid if you do... then his very next piece of advice was to adjust the alignment for more toe-in because "sometimes that helps". Yeah, and it's WRONG.
He literally just made a big deal about how replacing a worn steering stabilizer was a stupid idea, and then suggested adjusting the alignment out of spec to fix death wobble "the redneck way".
This is terrible advice.
I've also seen MANY times, people suggesting that you should just remove your sway bars altogether because "i can drive fine without mine". Maybe. Maybe they can. But I have to ask, why are the sway bars there in the first place if they're not important? I also have the ask, when is the last time you had to make a sudden, sharp maneuver at a high speed to avoid an accident? I can't help but imagine that the lack of a sway bar might be in issue in such a situation.
To someone who understands the purpose of a sway bar, this is a no-brainer... but still, even some experienced Jeepers claim that you just don't need your sway bars. I have to say to them that giving that type of advice is immoral.
In the past I've tried appealing to the advice givers, requesting that they phrase their advice more carefully or at least add more information so that the advice-seeker could make a more educated decision, but that never worked...
So now I'm just cautioning advice seekers. Do not blindly trust the advice you read here. Corroborate it with other advice, do tandem research (ask for advice here, google that advice, etc) to ensure that the person who responded to you isn't full of crap.
I could go on here but really the point is this: Don't trust a random internet person to give you professional mechanical advice. Not everyone here knows what they're talking about.
Sorry if I've ruffled feathers by saying this, but it needed to be said.
Don't trust a random internet person to give you professional advise about listening to professional mechanical advise on cars advised on the internet.
If you need a PSA to tell you to use common sense... you might be a moran.
::Regional Moderator::
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,912
Likes: 6
From: Over here...
Year: 1986
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 2.8
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 711
Likes: 1
From: Benton, KY
Year: 1991
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
I have no swaybars on mine and it drives just fine. Only time I notice anything different from stock is when I am towing a heavy load.
BUT... I have front springs out of a 79 bronco as well as the bronco shocks, which are made for a much heavier vehicle... It's fairly stiff up front, but rides smooth and doesn't really have a lot of roll in the corners.
as for the rear swaybar, it's absolutely worthless. if you seriously think that a 1/2" diamter bar is doing ANYTHING, you're nuts. when I was unbolting it, I was able to push one side up to touch the body while the other side was still bolted down...
BUT... I have front springs out of a 79 bronco as well as the bronco shocks, which are made for a much heavier vehicle... It's fairly stiff up front, but rides smooth and doesn't really have a lot of roll in the corners.
as for the rear swaybar, it's absolutely worthless. if you seriously think that a 1/2" diamter bar is doing ANYTHING, you're nuts. when I was unbolting it, I was able to push one side up to touch the body while the other side was still bolted down...
CF Veteran
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,369
Likes: 0
From: Richmond, VA
Model: Cherokee
But honestly, the only reason swaybars are there is on some vehicles is because Federal mandates require them at point of manufacturing as mandatory safety equipment. My mom's Camry has sway bars but it's sure as **** not going to roll around a turn if I took them off. In most cases the only time you really need to worry about sway bars on an XJ is if you have a lot of lift with a high center of gravity and even then the rear is still pointless. I'd be more worried about the legal side of removing them because in a lot of areas it's illegal.
CF Veteran
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,686
Likes: 6
From: Hudson, FL
Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L Inline 6
I don't know how I feel about the intent behind making a completely separate post having to do with the ignorance of forum members. It seems to be mostly provocative more than anything. It's better to address problems in the thread you have the problem in.
No one here is perfect, or a know-it-all about Jeeps. We come here to learn. We share ideas. And we have our, sometimes, not-so-accurate opinions.
I'll be keeping my swaybars.
No one here is perfect, or a know-it-all about Jeeps. We come here to learn. We share ideas. And we have our, sometimes, not-so-accurate opinions.
I'll be keeping my swaybars.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 813
Likes: 1
From: Lansing, MI
Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
I'm pretty sure I mentioned something about giving "advice" without painting the whole picture... like, "yeah, go ahead and remove those sway bars!", but leaving out the part about better shocks/springs/etc.
It's like telling someone "You can totally remove a tooth with a pair of vice grips", but leaving out the part about a numbing agent and a way to stop the blood.
It's like telling someone "You can totally remove a tooth with a pair of vice grips", but leaving out the part about a numbing agent and a way to stop the blood.
CF Veteran
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,648
Likes: 4
Model: Cherokee
But honestly, the only reason swaybars are there is on some vehicles is because Federal mandates require them at point of manufacturing as mandatory safety equipment. My mom's Camry has sway bars but it's sure as **** not going to roll around a turn if I took them off. In most cases the only time you really need to worry about sway bars on an XJ is if you have a lot of lift with a high center of gravity and even then the rear is still pointless. I'd be more worried about the legal side of removing them because in a lot of areas it's illegal.