Rear Sway Bar

dlstewart01 · July 30, 2006

Has anybody installed a rear sway bar on their truck? If so what brand, and how does it perform.

Have a great day,

Don

mcreyaufmiller · July 30, 2006

I have talked to people who have and they liked them. The best one I have found is the Helwig.

silverad03 · July 30, 2006

I have Helwig bars up front and in the back. The rear bar helped tone down rear end 'whip' when you do quick maneuvers at road speeds, such as when you change lanes quickly. However, with IFS most of your suspension articulation is in the rear and the sway bar limits articulation so if you go offroad much you should consider that. I have done some light off-roading crossing ditches and so forth and the sway bars seem to me that they induce more frame twist than you would have if the rear suspension were free.

I chose the Helwig bars because they are solid steel instead of the Hotchkis bars which are hollow. I'm no engineer, so I assumed that a solid bar would probably provide more stiffness, or at least hold up better over time, but I can't prove that.

Hecktorx · July 30, 2006

I have Helwigs front and rear. Here's my response in another post:

I have the hellwig swaybars front and rear on mine and I'm pretty happy with the results. Big improvement in reduction of sway and understeer.

I choose hellwig over addco and hotchkis mainly because of the rear installation. The hellwig didn't require drilling holes in the frame or moving the gas tank out of the way for the install. The hellwig is cheaper, and you don't have to buy the bars as a kit, you can just buy the back if you wanted.

The downside to the hellwig is they are heavy, if weight is a concern for you. It's a solid bar compared to the others that are hollow. Also, the finish sucks on them. The paint is all but flaked off the rear bar and all it's brackets and has been replaced with a nice coat of surface rust.

dlstewart01 · July 30, 2006

I had considered the Hellwig. I have a single Corsa exhaust with the dual outlets. I was wondering if the Hellwig would interfere with the exhaust.

Have a great day,

Don

Z71SIERRA · July 31, 2006

I've got the Hellwig front and rear bar on my 2002 GMC Z71 Extented cab. There should be no truck built without them. The only disadvantage of the Hellwigs (or most rear bars) is the previously mentioned loss of articulation in the rear suspension. However the Hellwig rear bar has end links that are easily disconected if your going to spend the weekend twisting you frame on some rocky trail and then can be re-connected for the ride back home. While I've never had to exercise this feature I do occasionally take my truck through some fairly challenging terrain and I've never noticed any binding of the bar. I also have a friend who has Hotchkis bars on his truck. Aside from the nicer finish his truck handles no better then mine, they were harder to install and they cost a lot more. Get the Hellwigs...tell your wife you bought the Hotchkis and buy something else for you truck with the money you saved

Indy · August 1, 2006

I've got the Hellwig front and rear bar on my 2002 GMC Z71 Extented cab. There should be no truck built without them. The only disadvantage of the Hellwigs (or most rear bars) is the previously mentioned loss of articulation in the rear suspension. However the Hellwig rear bar has end links that are easily disconected if your going to spend the weekend twisting you frame on some rocky trail and then can be re-connected for the ride back home. While I've never had to exercise this feature I do occasionally take my truck through some fairly challenging terrain and I've never noticed any binding of the bar. I also have a friend who has Hotchkis bars on his truck. Aside from the nicer finish his truck handles no better then mine, they were harder to install and they cost a lot more. Get the Hellwigs...tell your wife you bought the Hotchkis and buy something else for you truck with the money you saved

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I like your way of thinking!

wht2500hd... · August 12, 2006

I installed the hellwig and the performance is good. Am not impressed withthe installation. The end links extend down too far. Or it is not a snug fit. On the driver side there is little room so the installation is a tight fit. Compared to how a rear bar is installed at the factory on the Suburban, the hellwig is substandard, but it is easy to install.

Improved performance is obvious; every truck should have a factory rear sway bar to prevent twist and sway. Towing is now better with the bar.

If I had to do it over I might shop around (Jegs) for a bolt on bar.

dlstewart01 · August 12, 2006

I installed the hellwig and the performance is good. Am not impressed withthe installation. The end links extend down too far. Or it is not a snug fit. On the driver side there is little room so the installation is a tight fit. Compared to how a rear bar is installed at the factory on the Suburban, the hellwig is substandard, but it is easy to install.

Improved performance is obvious; every truck should have a factory rear sway bar to prevent twist and sway. Towing is now better with the bar.

If I had to do it over I might shop around (Jegs) for a bolt on bar.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I installed the Hellwig last Saturday. I did not use the lock nuts that came with the kit. I got some nylon lock nuts from the hardware store. Works much easier. I had no trouble with the end links. The bars are level.

I drive a very twisty road going to work and it made a world of difference. My truck handles better than I expected it would. I am very pleased. I also installed energy suspension bushings on the stock front bar.

For the money the Hellwig is a great improvment.

Have a great day,

Don

dino688 · September 11, 2006

anybody got a detailed picture of what their hellwig rear sway bar looks like, installed? some of these parts i got just make no sense. 2001 5.3L sierra

rjirvine · September 12, 2006

PM Me and I'll send you some.

r8rs4lf · September 13, 2006

I installed some aftermarket sway bars on my Silverado SS. I can't remember the name of them which is a good thing because his service sucked! As for the bars, they are a great product. Thicker than stock and the rear is adjustable in 5* increments.

Wingnut · September 14, 2006

FYI everybody...Tbyrne is doing a group buy on Hotchkis right now.

Teal03 · December 14, 2006

Dose anyone have a Hellwig Rear bar & aftermarket exhaust? i have Magnaflows 15792 system witch is a Duel out the back system. I would like some pics too.

Rich G.