Wander/sway Issues

takethebounce · September 28, 2007

My '02 2500 4x4 certainly has some miles put behind it but it has an ever increasing wandering issue. I plan on replacing the steering stab but I find these trucks, even never ones whether loaded or empty still wander. Still running 245's, and everything else is fairly stock.

Has anyone put a rear sway bar on? I was looking at the Hellwig and Frederico Performance sway bars, but I am wondering if they are really worth the $500 plus shipping, and I live up North, so I will be paying Duty and brokerage fee's as well for such a product. Likely going to run me $750 for a new sway bar set up. Looking for anyone who has had luck with them.

Also Hellwig has helper springs which reduce body roll and control under load but I don't really tow much for than a small camper and truck some quads/sleds around.

I still plan on keeping this truck for several more years, it has a lot of life left in it and really I just love the truck. I have searched this forum with out much luck. On another forum this is a lot of info on the helper springs but didn't find any quality answers.

Any info is good info though, open for suggestions.

Wingnut · September 28, 2007

I don't know about the HD pickups, but the rear swaybar on my SS is the best $$$ I've spent on a mod in a long time.

The wandering can also be caused by tires, either old with broken belts, or just bad tires to begin with.

wellinghurst · September 28, 2007

From my experience through the years with my current truck, an S-10 Blazer, a 99 3500 and a 96 1/2 ton, all of my wandering issues were tire-related. You can buy 2 sets of tires, and the bigger they are, they will all ride different because every tire is a little different. Even 2 tires that are the same may have differences that aren't even noticeable until you rotate them. Of course the more mileage on a truck the less "tight" the entire thing is, but my issues have always been helped tremendously with tire changes.

I recently got new tires on my 03, and now it wanders more than it did with the old worn out tires. Go figure.

Burbman · September 28, 2007

My last set of ProComps had some belts that were shifting internally causing vibration and pulling.

I also had a wandering issue, and looked further when the tires didn't fix it. Turns out the idler and pittman arms were worn and had play. Replaced those parts and it drives like a brand new truck! I would go through the front end steering and suspension again before investing in anything on the rear.

BC2500HD · September 28, 2007

My '02 2500 4x4 certainly has some miles put behind it but it has an ever increasing wandering issue. I plan on replacing the steering stab but I find these trucks, even never ones whether loaded or empty still wander. Still running 245's, and everything else is fairly stock.

Has anyone put a rear sway bar on? I was looking at the Hellwig and Frederico Performance sway bars, but I am wondering if they are really worth the $500 plus shipping, and I live up North, so I will be paying Duty and brokerage fee's as well for such a product. Likely going to run me $750 for a new sway bar set up. Looking for anyone who has had luck with them.

Also Hellwig has helper springs which reduce body roll and control under load but I don't really tow much for than a small camper and truck some quads/sleds around.

I still plan on keeping this truck for several more years, it has a lot of life left in it and really I just love the truck. I have searched this forum with out much luck. On another forum this is a lot of info on the helper springs but didn't find any quality answers.

Any info is good info though, open for suggestions.

I would also look at the idle arm and pitman arm. I belive the idler arm goes first, then the pitman arm. They can be checked for tollerences and at the same time you can check out all the other front end components. This should be done by a front end shop or licensed tech. Also your alignment should be checked and/or redone after any work done on the front end.

I installed the Hellwig sway bar, Firestone air bags, and Rancho RS9000 9-way adjustable shocks. What a difference these mods made. I have large camper and tow a small boat, so these upgrades really showed a noticed improvement when loaded. The sway bar also made a huge difference when unloaded. It really handles well on highway offramps. The truck tracks flat through the corners, therefore less bodyroll and better weight distribution to the wheels. I found the best price at Summit Racing. I am also from up North and had it shipped to the border and picked it up down south. Best $300 spent to date. Hope this helps.

takethebounce · September 28, 2007

Thanks for all your answers so far. I just had the upper and lower ball joints replaced not long ago and a new allignment after the fact and they said everything else looked good, this was done at a dealer, maybe I will run it into a specialty shop where they like to rob you and see if they can find some play in idle and pitman.

I expect the truck to have some play as the bushings and everything are getting worn but I have seen much newer trucks than mine wander just as much. Tires could be the issue but I had the same tires on my full size blazer with no problems. Again, same tires could have issues.

I loved it when I used to live 5 mins from the border, I could just have it shipped to the postal outlet across the border and pick things up there, they were great to me, but now sadly I am several hours away from the border. Thanks for the info on Summit, always shopping around for good prices. My estimate was for front and rear swaybars just so no one thinks I am on some bad crack!

I may even try the cheepy brands on Ebay, for $250 I can get front and rear shipped, obviously you get what you pay for.

jake111 · September 30, 2007

I've got Frederico Swaybars (rear and beefier fronts), and I've got a 2500 lb. camper. I also added Bilsteins but no extra springs/bags. The 3500 SRW sits level with the camper. I highly recommend getting swaybars! Really notice the difference on windy mountain roads ("handles like a sportscar" - well, almost ).

I had a rear tire loose air on the freeway and by the time I stopped the tire was totally shredded. At first I only heard the tire noise, and didn't notice any bad handling until almost stopped (and not much tire left by then).

Yes, they were expensive . . . turns out I live about 2 miles from Tom Frederico so shipping and the border taxes weren't an issue.