83

I didn't do any research when I lifted my truck. Partly because I'm not always so smart, but partly because my lift was really an "incidental" lift. I needed new rear leaf springs, and I tow, so I got HD leaf spring replacements, and I have air bags. Gave me ~1-1.5" lift. Up front, I wanted to replace my coils, but Toyota doesn't make them anymore. Aftermarket is either crap quality brands offering stock height, or good quality offroad brands offering a lift. I wasn't interested in a lift but am even less interested in crap quality, so I went good quality and bought OME coils and shocks, giving me ~1.5" lift in the front. I threw everything back together and went on my way. This was about 2 years ago.

I was under my truck last week and noticed the driver side sway bar end link snapped clean off. No big deal to replace them both, and I have the parts ready, but it got me wondering whether the lift caused the break. At what lift height do I need to get end link extensions? Most of what I've found through searching doesn't say how much of a lift requires extensions, and I hear more about different end links being needed to change the angle so it clears bigger coils. I didn't find much about bridging the gap a lift would create.

So...advice? My end links aren't anywhere near touching my coils. If the lift was too high for my links, would I know it because they wouldn't reach anymore? Or would they reach, but be under a lot of stress, and break?

Thanks.

Malcolm99

Longer links are not required, you could lower the front anti-sway bar if it is a concern, but not required. it is common for them to snap clean off, your only other option is disconnects.

83

Alright thanks. Yeah it's just a small bolt holding it together, so I guess 300,000 is a decent lifespan. I'll throw on a new set of Dormans and call it good. I only occasionally find myself on terrain where I'd benefit from disconnects.

Jomoka

Longer links will make the angles better and probably allow yo to not break them as easily.

83

Thanks. I don't do much with crazy angles, except occasionally in southern Utah. I'm mostly on pavement, lots of pretty tame dirt roads, occasionally more rough forest roads, but no rock crawling. If I break one of these new ones in the next couple years, I'll look into extensions.

Jomoka

When I was using stock links, it was almost a joke the way they'd pop as soon as we hit some slightly harder trails in Utah. Clunk clunk clunk, yep, it's a broken sway bar link.

I think the magic sauce was to sue 2nd gen end links on the front, they're about an inch longer. And use front links on the rear, again, longer than the 'proper' part.

With that setup, I've done lots of harder wheeling with no issues. Other than an occasional chewed up bushing. Until I took the front sway off this spring for better articulation/balance between the front and rear.

83

Nice. That's good to know. I think inertia is going to take over this time...I've got end links sitting on my counter ready to install this weekend, so I'm going with it. But if I break another, I'll look into 2nd gen. I don't have a sway bar in the back.

Jomoka

I'm doing the opposite - rear bar on, front bar removed.

The front end is too stiff merely from the spring rates, much less with the big sway on it. And the rear end flexes too much for the front end to keep up, making the car do 90% of what the front wheels are doing.

This is at least somewhat predictable, drive the car via the front wheels to keep it shiny side up. But in some cases, you can't really help but stick a single front wheel in a hole or up on a ledge, then you'd like the car to share articulation more evenly front and rear.

So front bar off to loosen the front up more, rear bar stays on so it stiffens it to help balance out the front end's spring rate stiffness.

I'd guess mine is nowflexing something like 30% front, 70% rear? Which is a decent improvement.

But yeah, it drives differently on pavement, leans over like a sailboat in a stiff wind going around corners.

83

I need a clarification. I only know what I know, and what I know is dwarfed by what I don't know. As far as I know, a 98 Tacoma does not have a rear sway bar. I was assuming a rear sway bar is a 4Runner thing, and maybe a later model Tacoma thing? I honestly just had to run out and check my truck. No rear sway bar, and I don't believe there ever was one.

Jomoka

Sorry, I was assuming 4Runner. So ignore the rambling about front/rear sways.

And when I said 2nd gen, I meant 2nd gen 4Runner, 1990-1995. Those have the longer end links that work well with a lifted 3rd gen 4Runner, and presumably a 1st gen Taco.

83

Cool, thanks!