Sway-bar Disconnects

Jeep Wrangler front sway bar

Standard Jeep anti-sway bars are located in the front fender area, just behind your tires. The front anti-sway bar is attached to both frame rails in the center using a rubber bushing assembly, which prevents vibration from being transmitted into the frame while allowing the bar to rotate. The anti-sway bar end links are bolted to the axle housing at two mounting points, one on either side. Anti-sway bars prevent the cabin from swaying & rocking too much during highway travel at higher speeds.

However, at slow speeds when offroading, those same anti-sway bars reduce the amount of articulation (freedom of your axles to go up/down) and actually transmit more lateral vibration to the cabin when you drive over uneven terrain such as washboarding and rocks.

In other words, you feel like you are being tossed side to side inside your jeep.

Why disconnect?

Many offroaders prefer to disconnect their anti-sway bars at the beginning of a run; and to reconnect them prior to heading home on a highway.

Disconnecting the front sway bars really makes a huge difference in terms of comfort. What used to be a bouncy and side whipping roller coaster smooths out considerably. Your back and kidneys will be so grateful. No longer will you cringe as you traverse washboard sections.

The improvement will also be apparent when you pick your way through small rock gardens. Because your axles are free to articulate, the tires will glide over obstacles with greater ease.

Imagine yourself struggling to scramble over rocks in tight denims, compared to wearing loose hiking pants. That extra freedom to move your legs unencumbered is significant .

 Electric Sway Disconnects

Rubicons come equipped with an electric anti-sway bar disconnect, activated by a switch on your dashboard that remotely unlocks the sway bars. Note that on the Rubicon, the anti-sway bar itself is not physically disconnected; instead, it is a piston type affair that is permitted to freely lengthen/shorten within a housing. Imagine the piston rod of a shock absorber that can telescope in length.

One complaint about the Rubicon disconnects is that the Jeep is programmed to automatically reconnect the sway bars every time the speed exceeds 18 mph. It is not unusual for us to sprint 20-25mph along the more evenly groomed sections of trail, which means that Rubicon drivers have to keep resetting their sway bars.

 All other Jeeps have a “permanent” anti-sway bar that is fixed length and bolted in place.

Fully Manual Sway Disconnects

Numerous vendors manufacture “quick disconnects” that replace the original bolts at the lower connecting point with a less permanent attachment, often with an easily removed bolt secured with cotter pin or pull pin. So instead of having to use two wrenches to loosen & remove the lower bolt, the sway bar bolt can be manually removed with reduced effort. You still have to crawl under the car to access each sway bar, so the process has become easier, but not all that easy.

There are a large variety of manual sway bar disconnects on the market. Some only replace the lower bolt; other kits replace the entire sway bar in order to accommodate friendlier disconnecting. It all comes down to price, of course.

 After the anti-sway bar is manually disconnected from its lower attachment -- you swing it upwards out of the way and cable tie it, or latch it, to the upper part of the frame.

At the conclusion of the run, you unlatch the sway bar, swing it back down, and refasten the bolt/pin. Sometimes easier said than done, as you may have to encourage the upper frame to reposition itself to allow the holes to line up. It becomes important to park on level ground when airing up & reconnecting your sway bars. It also helps to ask someone to bounce the bumper so you can get the holes lined up. And yes, you need to be on your back and under the vehicle to reconnect both sway bars.

Easier options for Sway Disconnects

There are easier, but pricier alternatives to crawling under your car.

Third-party electric sway disconnects are available for Jeeps other than Rubicons. They function similar to the disconnects on a Rubicon, but do not automatically disconnect at 20mph, since they did not need to be approved by the legal department at MOPAR.

A couple of companies created a more affordable compromise between electric disconnects and manual “pull the pin” types. They use the Rubicon style piston, but locking/unlocking the capability to telescope freely is done manually.

Just rotate the blue knob to disconnect or reconnect the sway bar

Apex autoLYNX

Several members of our Jeep club recommended the Apex autoLYNX anti-sway bar disconnects. We saw them in use, and were extremely impressed by how well they worked and how easy it was to lock/unlock.

How does it work?

Instead of your anti-sway bar being a solid bar, bolted top and bottom -- the Apex is a telescoping shaft inside of a cylinder. Picture a piston inside of a shock absorber (or Rubicon auto disconnect).

When locked, the shaft does not move. When unlocked (disconnected), the telescoping lower shaft allows the axle to articulate up/down freely.

Here is Fred’s review. THEY WORK. To lock or unlock the sway bars, all you have to do is to rotate the blue lever knob 180 degrees. Takes literally 5 seconds. While deflating your tires, just reach under the fender and turn the knob. No gorilla arm strength. Stick your arm in, above the tire, and just give a twist. That's it! No tools, no crawling on your back under the Jeep.

Unlike traditional anti-sway bar disconnects-- you do not need to pull out cotter pins, remove a bolt, and strap the sway bar up & out of the way; nor to repeat the process in order to replace the bar at the end of the run.

At the end of the run, same thing. No jumping up and down or trying to align bolts while scrambling around in the dirt under the front end of your jeep. So simple, even an unfit senior citizen (like me or my wife) can do it.

What’s the Price?

The Apex autoLYNX list for $450/pair from Apex Designs. If you are a vet, military, law enforcement, medical, or first responder -- you can get $50 discount. Or, find a local dealer. Add another hundred or so for professional installation, or do it yourself if you are handy.

Note: We were not compensated nor rewarded for this endorsement.