Rear Suspension/sway bar angle Question

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cneagle87

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2011 Ram 1500 4x4. Hope I'm posting in correct place. I bought this truck in Jan and notice there is a good amount of roll and sway with it and almost jumpy when going over rough spots on my road and lower speeds. I have just put bilsteen 5100's on the rear and will be replacing the fronts too shortly. I have been researching rear sway bars and the Hellwig is on the todo list. But I looked at mine and noticed that the rear sway bar is not sitting level. It is angled upward. Will this have negative riding affects?

I am not sure if my truck has the factory 2 inch lift that I have read about. It is sitting on 35 Nitto Terra Grapplers and the top of fender sits 8 inches above the top of the tires. Do I need to get longer rear sway bar links to level out the sway bar? I will post pics of the sway bar and of the truck. Thank you all for all input.

It also already has the 5100's on the front and the driver side is on the highest setting and have noticed the passenger side is on the next to highest setting. Not sure why that is. But do I need longer front sway bar links with the 5100's on the highest setting?

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hodge-xj

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Get a few more detailed pics, ideally a little better of the rear suspension square from the rear, a few pics of the front and things you think look out of place as well.

After that measure from dead center of the wheel hub to the lip of the wheel opening and post that measurement with it sitting on level ground. Once we have a better idea of how much lift you have and see the angles of the supporting suspension pieces we'll help you get squared away. [emoji106]

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cneagle87

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Get a few more detailed pics, ideally a little better of the rear suspension square from the rear, a few pics of the front and things you think look out of place as well.

After that measure from dead center of the wheel hub to the lip of the wheel opening and post that measurement with it sitting on level ground. Once we have a better idea of how much lift you have and see the angles of the supporting suspension pieces we'll help you get squared away. [emoji106]

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I'll get the pics as soon as I can. We are getting hit hard right now with thunderstorms. As far as what i feel is wrong....Well the front shocks being at different setting (driver side sits higher than passenger side), and the angle of the rear sway bar. you can see in the pic that the ends are pointed at an upward angle. I have read that if it has any lift on it that you may need extended links to keep it level/parallel with the ground. Like i said I am not sure if the rear is lifted. that is why i showed a pic of the space between rear tires and fender with 35 inch tires. Im not sure what normal stock height is for the rear.

you can zoom in on the sway bar pic how the middle of the bar seems level but you look at the ends and they are angled upward pretty good. Just wanting to make sure to see if the ends are suppose to be level/parallel with the ground. again I'll get some pics whenever I am able to go back outside. Thanks again for your input.
 

MidwestExpress

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Like Hodge said, if you get some more pics and measurements that would help. Looking at the pics that you did provide, it does seem like your rear is lifted. Sway bar & track bar angles appear off. Yes, extended SB links can correct the SB angle when lifted. Better pics of your rear coils to see if they are stock, or if there are spacers, will clarify.

As far as the front 5100 struts being at different lift settings, yeah thats not normal. Are the fender to hub/ground measurements the same on each side? I can only think that someone would set the driver side higher to even out the lift height due to more weight, but thats not something that most people do.
 
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cneagle87

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Ok, finally have some photos. Measurements from center of wheel to bottom of fender are as follows:
driver side rear - 25 inches
Passenger side rear - 24 3/4inches.

Keep in mind the driver front 5100 is on highest setting and passenger front is on next to highest setting.

Also is do I need extended sway bar links on front with the 5100’s?

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FF1899

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@JB1 13 inch set will put you right where you need to be or very very close. You also can order the hellwig bar with adjustable links for a 2-4 lift and set them where it sits level
 
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cneagle87

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@JB1 are those still available? Also would the front ones need to be extended with the extra lift from the 5100’s?


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cneagle87

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Also, the rear 5100’s I installed were not for a 2-4in lift. They were the regular ones and I think they are 0-1in. Will that be an issue since mine apparently has a 2+in lift?


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cneagle87

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Like Hodge said, if you get some more pics and measurements that would help. Looking at the pics that you did provide, it does seem like your rear is lifted. Sway bar & track bar angles appear off. Yes, extended SB links can correct the SB angle when lifted. Better pics of your rear coils to see if they are stock, or if there are spacers, will clarify.

As far as the front 5100 struts being at different lift settings, yeah thats not normal. Are the fender to hub/ground measurements the same on each side? I can only think that someone would set the driver side higher to even out the lift height due to more weight, but thats not something that most people do.

you mentioned the track bar. How should the angle of it be?
 

MidwestExpress

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In general, the track bar should be as parallel with the ground/axle as possible. Yours doesn't look horrible, but just being at an off angle at all is an indication that you have a lift in the rear because it is parallel at stock height from the factory. Yes, that Carli drop bracket can be used as a way to adjust the track bar angle after a small lift - it's kind of up to you if you feel that you "need" it or not, there are a lot of guys with 1-2" rear lifts that don't add it.
 
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cneagle87

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Thanks for the input. I am just wanting to eliminate the body roll or yaw as I’ve seen it called. I know the sway bar could be causing it with the angle it is at but if the track bar not being level will be a cause if it too then I will address it as well. Just want to avoid throwing $ at something that won’t improve it.


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FF1899

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Do the sway par links for general stability and the track bar relocation to help the rear end kick you get over bumps. I just sold mine to a guy on here and he couldn't believe what a difference it made with the back end stability and for 75 dollars it is cheap and easy.
 
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cneagle87

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Do the sway par links for general stability and the track bar relocation to help the rear end kick you get over bumps. I just sold mine to a guy on here and he couldn't believe what a difference it made with the back end stability and for 75 dollars it is cheap and easy.

Ok. Thank you. When you talk about selling one to a guy for $75, are you referring to the track bar drop down bracket that made a huge difference for him? Thank you for your input.


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ThunderMug95

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I have been thinking about swapping over to the adjustable end links in the rear of mine. I snagged a Hellwig with the end links of CL a month ago. Its installed, but with the stock end links currently. I have coil spacers in the rear and mine is angled up a bit as well, just like OP.
 

FF1899

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Ok. Thank you. When you talk about selling one to a guy for $75, are you referring to the track bar drop down bracket that made a huge difference for him? Thank you for your input.


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They are 75 dollars new for the track bar relocation bracket shipped. I had one I didnt use as I went with a zone lift and it came with one. I just sold it to another member here and he said the difference was tremendous. When mine got corrected it was a huge difference also
 
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cneagle87

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They are 75 dollars new for the track bar relocation bracket shipped. I had one I didnt use as I went with a zone lift and it came with one. I just sold it to another member here and he said the difference was tremendous. When mine got corrected it was a huge difference also

Does any brand stand out? Is the carli bracket I linked a good one?


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FF1899

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Yes it was a sturdy piece. I didnt end up using it but know others have had good luck with it. I sold it to @TOM153 and I know he installed it and had good luck. Maybe he can chime in. I just ended up using the zone bracket that came with my kit
 
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