TX_hornedfrog

Thanks! Hoping that by leaving today the roads are wide open

Masi1926

Excellent..! Glad to hear she's good to go..
Safe travels man. Have a great holiday

Mike94ZLT1

What sway bar end links should I get with the front kit?

If I have the rear bar already, is the front even worth doing?

Masi1926

I would think the factory installed front sway bar is strong enough in diameter, that an aftermarket one might not make that big of a difference.

I'd swap out the factory rubber bushings for Polyethylene bushings first. See how it feels then.

Unless there's an aftermarket front bar is proven to make a huge difference and comes with end link's and new poly bushings Then I'd do some research. It would be a waste to buy the bushings twice.

SteveLord

I think 99% just do the rear. I'd rather spend the money elsewhere instead of on the front.

Mike94ZLT1

Does anyone sell better end links that will work with this rear bar? I have a weird knocking/clunk sound coming from the rear end and I suspect it is the end links.

Masi1926

Is your suspension stock? Can you snap a picture of how yours are assembled?

I know on this forum now we can't question how someone has done something without getting scolded....by the force's that be.

So I think it's easier to just see them instead...
I'm just curious if they didn't send you the right parts, because honestly the only two options with my end link's are tight and over tightened.
I can't picture a scenario in which they could have any movement.

Eco-Mica

iTrader: (1)

Mike I know exactly what your problem is. I had this too.

that little nut that goes thru the frame, you need to tighten that. If you push or pull the link that goes from the 3 holes up, you'll see the problem.

After 3 yrs I guess it came a little loose, and haven't had the problem again.

BMWBig6

OP here. I started feeling a thunk when backing out of my driveway while turning to the right. So I brought my truck back to the dealer and asked the tech to kindly check everything for any free play or loose components and requested that he re-torque all of the fasteners on the front and rear bars again to Hellwig specifications (3/8" bolts = 20-20 ft lbs; 7/16" bolts = 35-45 ft lbs; 1/2" bolts = 50-70 ft lbs; 9/16" bolts = 70-90 ft lbs; 5/8" bolts = 120 ft lbs). He charged me $58, which I feel is very reasonable. Afterward, the truck drives nice and tight again (no more thunk) with great response to directional changes and buttoned down handling just like the first day I did this mod (still one of my favorite mods).

I suggest everyone check their fasteners once in a while to make sure nothing has loosened up over time.

pfbz

I installed a Hellwig rear bar on my 2011 F150 years ago.

My thoughts, some good, some bad:

Good: Handling definitely improved. I'm also running Bilstein shocks (helps) and oversized tires on 17" raptor wheels (hurts), but handling, especially cornering at higher speeds on pavement, greatly improved.

Bad: Mounting hardware is good but not great. The installation is a bit fiddly, and requires retorqing after a short amount of use. The biggest problem is that while the bar itself is super high quality and has a superb powder coat finish on it, the mounting hardware isn't nearly as good... The bar started clunking and popping after a couple of years, and the hardware was impossible to further torque at that point as the adjustable drop links as well as the u-bolt bolts had just seized solid. I'm not in a super high rust area, and there really aren't any other rust issues with the truck (except for my absolute crap nfab step bars).

The u-bolt just broke when I tried to remove it, even after several soaks, heat, etc. and the adjusters are junk, couldn't possibly be used again. But the bar itself looks like new... So it's just sitting on the side of my garage. Hellwig might send me new mounting hardware if I asked, but honestly I hope they have upgraded some of their mounting pieces since i bought mine.

To reiterate the above comments, If you do install it, I'd suggest re-torquing it SEVERAL times in the first few months and first year, because they do seem to loosen over time, and if you wait to long, the hardware might be seized...

Here's a pic of the axle articulation after the bar was installed... Not a big issue. You can see the bar installed if you look closely.