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Buzzcut1's avatar
Buzzcut1
Nomad II
Jul 14, 2014

Roadmaster Anti Sway bars Post trip review

Ok 300 miles with a mix of freeway, high crown secondary roads, 8000 foot high passes in the Sierras, dirt and gravel. I pretty much put them though their paces.

Tires were at 80psi all the way around, Rancho XL9000 were on 9, rear airbags were intentionally left a tad low at 25 ( ususally 30-25psi)

Cross winds of 35mph on the Altamont pass of I580 and I5 in the central valley had a negligible effect on lean and the numerous sections of cracked and potholed lanes from the heavy truck traffic were very easy to steer through (previous white knuckle and keep it at 45 going down hill all whille doing 65mph.

Hwy 88 has a high center through the valley. I did not notice it. Climbing up out of the central valley you have 60 plus miles of twisty two lane road with speeds between 30 and 55mph. I used to have a lot of sway issues driving this road even when staying well below the speed limit. This trip I was at or slightly above the limit going up and the handling was really improved. I can't wait for my 19.5s. Of course I did this in the dark.

The down grade from the crest of Carson pass at 8000 to just under 7000 feet at Hope valley was much improved, less gut check when I came into a corner or two slightly hot. The sway bars made driving errors much easier to correct.

Dirt and gravel, bit of a trade off here as the ride is much rougher due to less flex, I found myself going slower.

The 60 mile down grade back from Carson Pass to the City of Jackson was interesting as the sway bars kind of lulled me into a false sense of security and once again I found myself coming into some corners carrying too much speed for comfort but I was able to easily steer though them while using the gears to scrub my speed.

Analysis: should have done this mod years ago. To the rest of you I would recommend adding both front and rear replacement sway bars for your OEM ones or adding one or both if you rig lacks either. Money very well spent.

(pics in upcoming trip report)

7 Replies

  • Dirtpig wrote:
    did you put your rancho's on 9 in the front as well?


    with the horse trailer 9 without usually 7 but this time they were at 9
  • HMS Beagle wrote:
    br549vi wrote:
    newbie, just bought a 2014 e450 jayco redhawk, went on 4 day trip and need to know if front anti sway bars will stop me from being pushed off the road when I am being overtaken by a big rig?


    Every truck/rig is a little different, but in my case, the heavier bars (already had front/rear stock one) made a big difference in directional stability when passed or passing big rigs. Before I had to pay attention, now hardly notice.


    x2

    stiffer sidewall tires don't hurt either
  • br549vi wrote:
    newbie, just bought a 2014 e450 jayco redhawk, went on 4 day trip and need to know if front anti sway bars will stop me from being pushed off the road when I am being overtaken by a big rig?


    Every truck/rig is a little different, but in my case, the heavier bars (already had front/rear stock one) made a big difference in directional stability when passed or passing big rigs. Before I had to pay attention, now hardly notice.
  • newbie, just bought a 2014 e450 jayco redhawk, went on 4 day trip and need to know if front anti sway bars will stop me from being pushed off the road when I am being overtaken by a big rig?
  • Just wait to you get the 19.5's...then the extra spped into a curve...just steer...but don't make it a habit you never know if it is wet, greasy or just plain bad. Looking for your reports.