Steeda rear sway bar for F-150

[Calson]

Does anyone have direct experience installing the Steeda rear sway bar on their F-150? The Hellwig sway bar pricing has doubled in the past years (pre pandemic price gouging) and now cost 51% more than the ones from Steeda. I have not found any installation problems online but would appreciate more product specific input.

I fully know the exact benefits of a rear sway bar having installed them on a 1-ton pickup in 2012 and having greatly reduced wheel hop and more control when turning. I was surprised that with the Ford build for the F-150 one cannot order the truck with a rear sway bar as an option.

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[Eskram]

Many have - https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/anti-sway-bars-questions.15445/unread

 

[Gros Ventre]

It is clear that on an independent suspension the sway bar serves a real purpose. But on a solid axle the forking action of the sway bar would seem to have little effect since the wheels are always connected by that solid axle... Can someone explain this to me?

 

[Rinn69]

It is clear that on an independent suspension the sway bar serves a real purpose. But on a solid axle the forking action of the sway bar would seem to have little effect since the wheels are always connected by that solid axle... Can someone explain this to me?

I've added them to most trucks I've owned, if they didn't come with them. And to me, they are one of the "best bang for the buck" mods you can do, and feel it immediately. Lots of youtube videos about them.

 

[Big Dog Daddy]

Does anyone have direct experience installing the Steeda rear sway bar on their F-150? The Hellwig sway bar pricing has doubled in the past years (pre pandemic price gouging) and now cost 51% more than the ones from Steeda. I have not found any installation problems online but would appreciate more product specific input.

I fully know the exact benefits of a rear sway bar having installed them on a 1-ton pickup in 2012 and having greatly reduced wheel hop and more control when turning. I was surprised that with the Ford build for the F-150 one cannot order the truck with a rear sway bar as an option.

@powerboatr @Snakebitten your on for this guys!

 

[Eskram]

I have one. It's easy to install. It helps quite a bit.

The end.

?

 

[Gros Ventre]

I've added them to most trucks I've owned, if they didn't come with them. And to me, they are one of the "best bang for the buck" mods you can do, and feel it immediately. Lots of youtube videos about them.

So, what you're saying then is the sway bar corrects for "Body lean" instead of the kind of action when an independent suspension has the wheels moving separately. Is that it?

 

[powerboatr]

Does anyone have direct experience installing the Steeda rear sway bar on their F-150? The Hellwig sway bar pricing has doubled in the past years (pre pandemic price gouging) and now cost 51% more than the ones from Steeda. I have not found any installation problems online but would appreciate more product specific input.

I fully know the exact benefits of a rear sway bar having installed them on a 1-ton pickup in 2012 and having greatly reduced wheel hop and more control when turning. I was surprised that with the Ford build for the F-150 one cannot order the truck with a rear sway bar as an option.

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/steeda-anti-roll-bar-part-555-1027-4wd.22677/

yes
i put one on and have around 500 miles on it
LOVE the way it made the rear behave on uneven roads and our 2 lane winding country roads

 

[Polo08816]

I'm not a fan of it hanging slightly below the rear axle.

If I needed additional spring rate in the rear, I would probably opt for the HDPP leaf springs which are about 10% stiffer as my initial option.

 

[Snakebitten]

I'm not a fan of it hanging slightly below the rear axle.

If I needed additional spring rate in the rear, I would probably opt for the HDPP leaf springs which are about 10% stiffer as my initial option.

It is unfortunate that the aftermarket bar isn't tucked up higher and formed in a more svelte shape for the truck. But a heavier rear leaf spring doesn't offer all the benefits of the anti-sway bar. It WOULD overlap a bit, but it would come with additional compromises as well.

Damping of the shock, spring rate of the Leaf Pack, spring rate of the sway bar...... All work together as an ensemble.

 

[Polo08816]

It is unfortunate that the aftermarket bar isn't tucked up higher and formed in a more svelte shape for the truck. But a heavier rear leaf spring doesn't offer all the benefits of the anti-sway bar. It WOULD overlap a bit, but it would come with additional compromises as well.

Damping of the shock, spring rate of the Leaf Pack, spring rate of the sway bar...... All work together as an ensemble.

I don't think the benefits of an anti-sway bar are significant enough on a leaf spring live axle application as the first modification to improving the rear suspension. I think that's why it's not as widely implemented as it would be on SUVs with 1/2 ton frames but IRS setups.

A sway bar doesn't address the issues presented by a heavier static tongue weight from a trailer the way a heavier rear leaf spring would be able to.

Also, my experience is that Bilstein B6/B8 shocks, and perhaps the 6120/5160 combo, are sufficient for an effective spring rate increase of 5-15% over factory spring rates.

Spring rates of 40-60% over factory spring rates are when I start to feel like this is a suspension setup that is designed mostly for track use as far as NVH/ride go (ie. higher end coilover setup like Ohlins, MCS, AST, etc.).

 

[powerboatr]

It is unfortunate that the aftermarket bar isn't tucked up higher and formed in a more svelte shape for the truck. But a heavier rear leaf spring doesn't offer all the benefits of the anti-sway bar. It WOULD overlap a bit, but it would come with additional compromises as well.

Damping of the shock, spring rate of the Leaf Pack, spring rate of the sway bar...... All work together as an ensemble.

I would like to try a 2wd strut to see just how far off it is
The 4wd one is simply 1 inch to long at full ...shorten .
I am going to call steeda next week see if something can be arranged

If I use the hole at the rear of the connection point it does push the bar nose up slightly.
I have tried moving axle. Brackets aft and fwd to see if I could get nose of bar..up slightly as well

 

[Big Dog Daddy]

I'd really like to see a company design a sway bar that would pass through the 3" square tube that's in front of the rear axle. Square Nylon bushings with a center hole could be pushed into the ends of the tube, then pass a splined end bar through, then mount the splined arms at the ends of the bar and the links would extend down to the top of the axle.

 

[powerboatr]

I'd really like to see a company design a sway bar that would pass through the 3" square tube that's in front of the rear axle. Square Nylon bushings with a center hole could be pushed into the ends of the tube, then pass a splined end bar through, then mount the splined arms at the ends of the bar and the links would extend down to the top of the axle.

Great idea
I looked at putting mine above the axle.
But struts would need to be 3 inches

 

[Snakebitten]

It's a truck.
The Steeda is only in peril if you are rock crawling.
And if you are rock crawling, the bar is a bigger problem than its location.

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