Removed Rear Sway Bar - Suspension Sagging Worse?
 

So I removed my rear sway bar for extra flex. After I finished the job, I was letting the Jeep down off the jack and something just "felt wrong." Eventually I realized that although I needed the two paving bricks under my bottle jack to lift the Jeep in the first place, now I couldn't even get the damn jack out of underneath it! So after some musical chairs with jack stands I eventually got it out. Took a look at the rear suspension and, yep it looks sagged to all hell, as usual, but maybe even a little extra, especially considering what happened with the jack.

So its been about a week driving around town and a few mild trails and I've noticed two things: 1) The rear suspension rides a lot softer, and 2) I have a locker in the rear, and the wheelhop I get in sand (at 35psi anyways) is definitely worse without the sway bar.

So my question is this: Does the rear sway bar provide support for the suspension? Could removing it have allowed my saggy rear to get worse? I didn't think the sway bar provided support, but my experience seems to point towards just that.

Well it does tie the axle to the unibody but I'd say the effects you are seeing are being multiplied because your springs are shot. Get some new springs.

Yep. I've got a 2.5" add-a-leaf kit and some ZJ V8 coilsprings in the mail, trying to fix my FUBAR suspension and net around a 2" lift overall.

It has occurred to me... will a 2" lift accomodate a stock rear sway bar? What about the front? All good?

no experience with aal's but have read that if your springs are shot already that the aal wont help much.You probably need new packs.

Yup AAL's suck period just buy new rear leafs and bolt them in for what height you need I would suggest at least a 3" leaf and coils. A 2" really doesn't make since either cost or looks wise and just throw the rear sway bar away. As far as cost Rustys Off Road has the best prices on high quality American made leafs and coils and their kits are very reasonably priced as well and you get shocks and all the hardware to boot.

Unfortunately buying a pair of full spring packs is outside my budget at this time, so I ordered the AAL because I'm not riding around on flat leafs any longer than I have to. I'm sure they'll collapse again, but by then I'll have new spring packs to bolt in.

I'm not lifting any higher than 2" just yet because the only reason I'm doing any of this right now because my leaf springs have gotten so bad, and I'm going to be carrying a lot of cargo off-road this Spring.