Hellwig Worth It?
I have a 1996 F250 PSD, 214,000 miles, with a 1 1/8" diameter OEM rear sway bar. I'm thinking of replacing it with a Hellwig, but it's only 1" in diameter. Will I gain anything by replacing it? Thanks...
Forum Discussion
ralphnjoann wrote:
The truck has the trailer package which includes helper springs. I've added air bags and polyurethane bushings, but I still get a lot of rocking around, especially when I'm turning while pulling out of a driveway. I thought maybe the original sway bar might have weakened some with age, or that the Hellwig, given its sterling reputation, might be of substantially better stiffness in spite of its smaller size. Also, I've tried more and less air in the airbags, but I haven't noticed much difference.
Sway bars are only loaded during cornering, so they don't really fatigue. Material of the Hellwig and stock is pretty similar.
You "rocking" sensation actually makes me suspicious you are experiencing the same thing I was when I first installed my 1.5" rear Hellwig bar. It was so stiff compared to the front, the van was basically "locked" (roll-wise) to the rear axle. Turning out of driveways would slam my head against the window!
My problem was the front sway-bar wasn't doing anything anymore because its bushing were shot. Once I fixed that, it was pretty well balanced. Have you looked into the condition of your front-end?
