I've been fabricating front sway quick disconnects and other end links for quite some time and folks seem to be really happy with the product, a few bumps here and there, but that is expected with any product. I do not have a vehicle with quick disconnects as my 1st gen 4Runner is a daily driver street queen, so I haven't bothered doing anything to it, but that is another story.

I'd like to hear some discussion based in truth and fact vs. fiction on whether or not the whole quick disconnect idea is just a passing fad or actually has some merit.

Certainly your experience is relative truth, so please do share if you see fit, as this is not about the quick discos or end links that I sell/sold, but it is about their usefulness in general.

Please be careful to avoid broad sweeping generalities such as "they suck" or "I'd never use them" or "they rock" or "mine are cool" as those declarative statements while possibly truth do not yield anything positive towards the desired outcome...intelligent discussion. I know, such things will difficult for some of us.

Please be nice and again, this is about the entity itself, not one particular manufacturer's product.

Thanks and let's hear it.

 

they suck

they work well. for me anyway.. after i put em on n tried it out..i noticed the fronts flex more independantly. they also compress alot easier, reducing the amount of front end body tilt that usually happens and it also takes the rear tire up with thus losing traction on that end. front end also droops easier too which makes coming down ledges @ an angle a bit easier to manage.

true..disco's dont give you more flex per se...they just allow the front wheels to flex a lil easier and more independantly of each other...

left em off after my last outing for a bit. not as scary as i thought on the street. predictable and managable unless you do something stupid like throttle induced, or lift off oversteer. makes driving the FSR's that much more fun

and thats the truth..ruth.

 

This could be a great thread if it goes as planned.

I do not run "quick discos" but I do crawl under there and take off the stock end links before I wheel. It only takes a couple of minutes when you get a system down. I also feel that it is a good idea to do a quick visual check of all the suspension and drivetrain parts while under there.

As far as performance, I think the SB being disconnected makes a huge differance in handling. The Runner stays more level on obsticles and the ride is more smooth. It seems to allow the IFS to actually act independant. Whereas the SB tries to tie the two sides together.

I totally agree with the line of thinking that it will not gain you any traction without a front locker. Makes perfect sense. But the Runner feels more stable because is stays more level and resists lifting a wheel a bit more even though the hanging wheel will not get power sent to it with an open diff.

Subscribing to this thread!!!

 

These things seem to be for those that use their rig on/off road? I hear about fatal accidents where the trk rolled ( benefit of sway bar).
I was cruisin down the road the other day and a woman pulled out in front of me the quick reaction was aided by suspension stability!!
IFS "on the trail" needs all the help it can get?
I didn't do a front locker because around here you're in tight places where you don't need the front end pushing

 

I have discos on my car. I've never disconnected them even though I've gone offroad with them (too lazy?).

I have a giant Addco sway bar up front. The bar is way thicker than stock. The OEM endlinks are a little short to make up for the increased diameter of the swaybar. It was one of the reasons that I snapped a whole lot of endlinks. With the disco's in, I've basically made longer endlinks.

BTW I have Wabbits' disco's

 

I was really interested in discos, but after the endlink broke and I've been driving without a front swaybar, I don't see the need for them. It drives just fine on the street and WAY better off road. I think the ride is actually much better both onroad and off without the swaybar connected.

 

Experience:
On my 95 with SAW torsion bars, I broke a Rockstomper disco and never noticed. The front of that truck was so stiff, it didn't matter.

With BJ spacers, I had long since thrown the bar away, so I just went without.

Now I have a solid axle truck.

Opinion:
People add these to free up travel on IFS trucks. This is because people think more travel is always better. The times I broke CV's that were not specific bind and blow, they just crapped out. The cage fragged and let go in an easy section. I believe this was because of too much droop afforded by the discos/no bar allowing the joint to bind, fatigue and fail.

Working at Toyota based off road shops and wheeling with the best 3rd Gens on the hardest trails, I saw two shorts of failure. The bind and blow as well as the droop and poop. Too much travel kills those joints, hence the importance of Sonoran Steel kits shock selection and the use of limit straps.

Advice:
Old junk IFS, cut that crap off.

3rd Gen trucks, keep that SOB on there. IFS hangs tires. The only way to make that a non-issue is with a front locker.

 

I have been running custom-made quick disconnects on my '92 4Runner for over 4 years, and LOVE them. The whole advantage is that the front end on an IFS truck (2nd gen 4Runner anyway) just doesn't flex that great with the swaybar in there, since the rear is much softer and will flex first. "Disabling" the swaybar really softens the front end up off-road in most situations, allowing your wheels to travel more independently and giving a more stable ride IMO. Once I have had my fun, I connect them again, and I have my street manners back again

I personally am a huge fan of the "sliding heim-joint on a long bolt that is stopped with a hitch pin" approach (these are the kind I made), as I am able to very quickly disconnect and reconnect my swaybars front and rear by just pulling four pins and don't have to bungee/hold any dangling swaybar pieces. The disadvantage to this design is the more flex you have/want, the longer the bolt will have to be, hitting a point of diminishing returns IMO. Also, they do rattle a bit when connected, which might be solved through the use or strategic plastic bushings/washers. Still, I feel like the simplicity and usability can't be beat.

 

i am definatly going to invest in some quick disconnects at some point. i have wheeled with the front bar on and off, and when it was off, i was blown away at the IFS articulation. i preached that it made no difference, and had to eat my words. makes a ton of difference.

the GX470 has auto disconnects from the factory that work when it senses slow speed articulation. I think that is saying something when a factory vehicle has them on it. it must do something.

 

I tried some disconnects for awhile but they clicked. I ended up taking the SB off and never looked back. The suspension was stiff enough with the SAWs.

 

When I had a sway bar, my suspension did not flex at all. I took it off once and did not notice any difference, but I had way too stiff torsion bars on it.

With the extended arms, I am unable to run a swaybar. It rolls alot on the road, but I believe it is what makes it work well off road. I very rarely lift a front tire. By being able to keep both front tires firmly connected with the terrain, I am able to keep traction despite having an open diff.

Yes, if the terrain is loose, the drooping tire will slip, but in solid terrain traction seems to stick around.

We recently took my friends stock 86 runner out and wheeled it with and without the swaybar. With the stock torsion bars, the swaybar actually made a difference. We could actually hit the bumpstops when flexing.

BJ spacers add travel, and sway bars allow them to utilize the travel. Unfortunately, that can put the cv out of it's range and cause breakage. So, if I disconnected a bj spacered truck I would be very cautious with the bump stops.

 

On my Taco I run the OEM connected while on the pavement and disconnect when I hit the dirt. A noticeable difference between the two in wheel travel. No need to buy Discos as the process to disconnect/connect is, at this point, painless and speedy. I did, however upgrade the OEM rubber to Poly (Energy Suspension) and felt the upgrade right away.

As for the Runner I often think of just taking the rear off completely and switching out the bushings in the front to Energy. Again, dealing with the front disconnect is a non-issue. The Runner is the wife's ride so it gets less abuse. As soon as she gets the FJ I'm tearing into that Runner like a big dog.

 

I noticed a huge difference with running trails without the swaybar. I was going to get quick discos but when I drove it home without the swaybar it handled fine. Right now it is my wife's dd so I just disconnect it when I go wheeling, once we get her something else to drive I will remove the sb all together. If it looked like the runner was going to continue to be her dd and I was using to wheel every weekend, I would probably get quick discos. I don't trust her to drive it without any swaybar on the highway.

One other thing on 2nd gen runners, I am pretty sure that the sb does not limit droop, your upper bumpstops do. YOu can test it by jacking up the front and letting one side droop all the way. With or without the sb, the upper bumpstops are what stops downtravel. It is important to test this with bj spacers because you may have to shim your upper bumpstop so that your cv won't overextend, ripping boots or worse.

 

With the swaybar on, you should not be able to have one tire completetly compressed and one completely drooped. You'd bend the bar at that point.

Both of them can still droop all the way, as long as they droop together, or pretty close to it. But they can't be at opposite extremes, which is what we want off road.

 

I've quick discos front and rear in my 94 4Runner.

In easy and moderate trails I wheel with the SB's connected. I only let them free when I'm in amateur competitions or 4x4 closed tracks.

The bad part is when you disconnect them and you're into mud... You end returning home without SB's hehe

David

 

I must be out of the loop on this one but clarify "amateur competitions" for me. Are you referring to the Miss Toyota USA beauty pageant. Sorry for the thread digression but I couldn't help myself.

 

I think he means racing/off-road competitions. He's in Spain BTW.

 

Disco's suck - just use a wrench!

Ok, seriously, I also have run trails without my SB and did notice a difference, although like Eric and freejake said, it's a pretty easy thing just to crawl under there and disconnect the stock links. I do agree with Flyg, though, you would need to be pretty conscientious of what's going on, because without the SB limiting the droop, or without modifying the bumpstops, you're more likely to blow a CV. I tried running without the bar altogether, but the little bit of added body roll at speed freaked my wife out, so I put it back on. But again, like Eric pointed out, it's a good thing to crawl under there anyway and check everything out before you wheel. Just my 2c.

 

Discos + limiting straps = a good combo

 

i run without swaybars 24/7. if i had the choice, id get discos, but i just never have the money together for them.

running without swaybars hasnt been a big deal, especially since i removed my surco rack and spare from the roof. as long as i am aware of my turns and dont make fast maneuvers, I am fine.

that said, it'd be nice to have the security of knowing my swaybars are limiting body roll on the street.

wheeling-wise, its a whole new ballgame when you combine a locker with a lack of swaybars... the flex you gain is beyond compare.

i know this doesnt exactly fit your topic, brian, but this is my small addition