Rear Sway Bars

J

justin brady1

New member
May 4, 2015
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Anyone have aa set of rear sway bars sitting around not being used?

I've got the front nice and dialed in and would like to give sway bars in the rear a try. When going around a curve (faster than I should) I can feel
the front holding, but the rear wants to roll a little more than I like.
It's exaggerated with the motorcycle on the back as well which I think will benefit from sway bars.
--
Justin Brady
http://www.thegmcrv.com/
1976 Palm Beach 455
 
Justin,

I can't tell from your postings where you're located, so I don't know
whether you'll be interested: We do have a pair of rear sway bars removed
from my son's X-Palm Beach. Shipping would be rather expensive.

​Ken H.

> Anyone have aa set of rear sway bars sitting around not being used?
>
> I've got the front nice and dialed in and would like to give sway bars in
> the rear a try. When going around a curve (faster than I should) I can feel
> the front holding, but the rear wants to roll a little more than I like.
> It's exaggerated with the motorcycle on the back as well which I think
> will benefit from sway bars.
> --
>
 
Ken, he's in Bell Buckle TN. Just up I 24 from Chattanooga. Short trip down I 59 from I 24 and he'd be in Gadsden. You could bring them to the
rally and he could come get if you come to terms.

--johnny
--
76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
"I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell" - ol Andy, paraphrased
 
the only GMC Ive driven had the rear sway big time and it seemed to take longer than it should have to come back to vertical. it was a bit unnerving
and I asked the seller about it and he said you just have to get used to driving a big rig?

I was not expecting that after reading all the good reports of how car like they drove but maybe it had other things going on with it? pretty sure it
did not have sway bars (that would have to be a pretty massive bar for these to be effective, right?) none that I have seen have had them.

but is excessive body lean somewhat normal? I only test drove it probably less than 5 miles and on flat road and it seemed OK until I drove through a
slow sweeper type curve with little to no banking either way.
 
Hey Ken,
I'm not too far from you,Johnny hit the nail on the head, Bell Buckle TN.
My company also has good shipping rates so if you can get it in a pallet or in a box it's no big deal.

Which ones do you have? I hear the caspro ones are too stiff, I still want to be able to level up at campsites.
--
Justin Brady
http://www.thegmcrv.com/
1976 Palm Beach 455
 
The rear roll as far as I know is pretty normal, and once you're used to it it's not a big deal. After driving for a few days I drive it like I stole
it and it works well, it's really just the first few hours of driving it's a bit unnerving.

If I can get rid of it though it would be great.

> the only GMC Ive driven had the rear sway big time and it seemed to take longer than it should have to come back to vertical. it was a bit
> unnerving and I asked the seller about it and he said you just have to get used to driving a big rig?
>
> I was not expecting that after reading all the good reports of how car like they drove but maybe it had other things going on with it? pretty sure
> it did not have sway bars (that would have to be a pretty massive bar for these to be effective, right?) none that I have seen have had them.
>
> but is excessive body lean somewhat normal? I only test drove it probably less than 5 miles and on flat road and it seemed OK until I drove
> through a slow sweeper type curve with little to no banking either way.

--
Justin Brady
http://www.thegmcrv.com/
1976 Palm Beach 455
 
Im glad you asked about it.

I almost forgot about that and was planning to ask. can the torsion bars be a factor if they are weak? or would that show up only in the front ride
height?

drivers seat position is pretty high so that would make it alot more noticeable too but I think the one I drove was too much for the road and speed
conditions, just dont know what could cause that.

if it is normal then yeah, rear sway bar for sure. kinda felt like it would tip over easy. lol
 
Justin,

You probably don't want these then because they are the Caspro ones. And
they do indeed prevent leveling -- both sides go up and down at
approximately the same rate. It is feasible to run with only one of the
two. But my son found even that too stiff for his taste so while
installing the quad bag system, he removed the second one. I have the
front Caspro from that coach on my 23' and am VERY happy with that -- it
corners "like a sports car".

Incidentally, Chuck Stoddard (Caspro) attended the Fall 1998 GMCMI
Convention in Marion, NC, my first of those. I reminded him that we'd last
met in 1977 or so at a Porsche 356 Registry rally (he owned Stoddard
Porsche in Willoughby, OH). His reply was, "I'm now trying to make GMC's
handle like Porsches". :-)

I'm sure Alan would sell just one of the sway bars, but I don't know what
he wants for them. His 'phone number is 478 three twenty - 59
seventy-four.

​Ken H.

Hey Ken,
> I'm not too far from you,Johnny hit the nail on the head, Bell Buckle TN.
> My company also has good shipping rates so if you can get it in a pallet
> or in a box it's no big deal.
>
>
> Which ones do you have? I hear the caspro ones are too stiff, I still want
> to be able to level up at campsites.
> --
>
>
 
Hey Ken,
I'm not too far from you,Johnny hit the nail on the head, Bell Buckle TN.
My company also has good shipping rates so if you can get it in a pallet or in a box it's no big deal.

Which ones do you have? I hear the caspro ones are too stiff, I still want to be able to level up at campsites.
--
Justin Brady
http://www.thegmcrv.com/
1976 Palm Beach 455
.......:
 
Justin,
We provide a milder rear stab bar .
Our bar diameter is smaller and we receive positive feedback.
I had the Caspro units and found them to be too stiff.

>
> Hi Justin,
>
> Don’t even think about the Castro bars. I had them on the Clasco and you
> could not get one side much over an inch different from the other side no
> matter how severe the slope. Leveling was out of the question
>
> I am a bit perplexed about the talk of rear end sway being an issue. Even
> with bag raisers that was not an issue with either of our two coaches. I
> wonder if those who have this issue are really at proper ride height or
> have the front ride height off compensated by air pressure in the rear
> bags. Something just doesn’t sound right.
>
> Jerry
> Jerry Work
> Kerby, OR
> .......
> ate: Sun, 01 Jul 2018 16:30:28 -0600
> From: Justin Brady
> To: gmclist
> Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Rear Sway Bars
> Message-ID:
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Hey Ken,
> I'm not too far from you,Johnny hit the nail on the head, Bell Buckle TN.
> My company also has good shipping rates so if you can get it in a pallet
> or in a box it's no big deal.
>
>
> Which ones do you have? I hear the caspro ones are too stiff, I still want
> to be able to level up at campsites.
> --
> Justin Brady
> http://www.thegmcrv.com/
> 1976 Palm Beach 455
> .......:
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
 
thread split correction for the future readers and because Im interested to know how the torsion bars fit into all this, Im not familiar with torsion
bar front suspensions at all.

http://gmc.mybirdfeeder.net/GMCforum/index.php?t=msg&th=41048&start=0&rid=5513

> Hi Justin,
>
> Don't even think about the Castro bars. I had them on the Clasco and you could not get one side much over an inch different from the other side no
> matter how severe the slope. Leveling was out of the question
>
> I am a bit perplexed about the talk of rear end sway being an issue. Even with bag raisers that was not an issue with either of our two coaches. I
> wonder if those who have this issue are really at proper ride height or have the front ride height off compensated by air pressure in the rear bags.
> Something just doesn't sound right.
>
> Jerry
> Jerry Work

I only have the one short GMC driving experience so nothing to compare it with but if it wasnt an issue I would think there would be no need for an
after market sway bar.

Im really curious now about how the front torsion bars fit into all this now. Ive been reading the hassles with them here and see how its related to
ride height but it seems they would be related to body roll/sway too somehow.

what are the signs of a bad torsion bar? I guess they can become weak and it would sag on one side and then the other could be set to match that sag
so it looks normal but then the front would look lower, right?

but would a bad torsion bar or both that had been readjusted to end of range so that the ride height was normal or close to it, still cause excessive
body roll/sway?

if they do indeed all drive like the one I drove as far as the body roll, I would sacrifice park leveling for sportscar like swaybars and just use
those drive on plastic level legos for leveling. it seemed excessive to me but theres not alot of mention about it here or elsewhere from my reading.
 
GMC2000,

When I was a newbie without a GMC I downloaded copies of the Maintenance Manuals X-7525, X-7625, X-7725, and several of the Operator
Manuals to familiarize myself with the GMC. I also perused manuals on other items used in the GMC.

That's what I was taught to do in the USAF and by my instructors at Hamilton Standard's Service Rep's School.

Here's a link to Bdub's manuals: http://www.bdub.net/manuals/index.html

I would suggest you do the same thing.

Regards,
Rob M.
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
USA '77 Kingsley - TZE 267V100808


-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces] On Behalf Of GMC2000
Sent: Sunday, July 1, 2018 11:48 PM
To: gmclist
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Rear Sway Bars

thread split correction for the future readers and because Im interested to know how the torsion bars fit into all this, Im not
familiar with torsion bar front suspensions at all.

I only have the one short GMC driving experience so nothing to compare it with but if it wasnt an issue I would think there would be
no need for an after market sway bar.

Im really curious now about how the front torsion bars fit into all this now. Ive been reading the hassles with them here and see
how its related to ride height but it seems they would be related to body roll/sway too somehow.

what are the signs of a bad torsion bar? I guess they can become weak and it would sag on one side and then the other could be set
to match that sag so it looks normal but then the front would look lower, right?

but would a bad torsion bar or both that had been readjusted to end of range so that the ride height was normal or close to it,
still cause excessive body roll/sway?

if they do indeed all drive like the one I drove as far as the body roll, I would sacrifice park leveling for sportscar like
swaybars and just use those drive on plastic level legos for leveling. it seemed excessive to me but theres not alot of mention
about it here or elsewhere from my reading.
 
Its a discussion board USAussie, is that a problem? lol I have been looking at them but the topic came up, I was reminded of something, so I joined
in. kinda how it works right?

and I dont recall seeing driving impressions section in the manual either but I'll have a look at the torsion bar section, it might have something.
the manuals are pretty good, better than most but does have some weirdness..

my favorite so far is "Rocket Covers" HAhaha!
 
Yes it is a discussion board and no it's not a problem.

I was sighting what I did to "get up to speed" vis-a-vis the systems on the GMC. I did that because I didn't know s#!t from Shineola
about the GMC and I felt that if I did some homework I could ask better questions and responses would be easier for me to
understand.

As the old adage goes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_such_thing_as_a_stupid_question

Regards,
Rob M.
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
USA '77 Kingsley - TZE 267V100808


-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces] On Behalf Of GMC2000
Sent: Monday, July 2, 2018 2:27 AM
To: gmclist
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Rear Sway Bars

Its a discussion board USAussie, is that a problem? lol I have been looking at them but the topic came up, I was reminded of
something, so I joined in. kinda how it works right?

and I dont recall seeing driving impressions section in the manual either but I'll have a look at the torsion bar section, it might
have something. the manuals are pretty good, better than most but does have some weirdness..

my favorite so far is "Rocket Covers" HAhaha!
 
When I first got my GMC I thought that it had too much swaying motion so I installed one rear sway bar on the rear wheels (don't remember the brand,
it's the one Jim K sells). The one rear bar reduced the sway and didn't reduce the leveling ability at a campsite much.

A few years later I added a heavier front sway bar that I bought from Jeff Sirum (brand and model unknown). Now THAT one made a very noticeable
difference. The GMC still campsite-levels side-to-side pretty good but now while driving the anti-roll stiffness is where I think it should have been
all along.

If I were you, I would start by putting on one rear sway bar and see if that's enough. In my opinion a loaded 26 foot GMC with the one stock front
anti-roll bar simply rolls too much. It's much nicer to drive, especially on roads that are not perfectly flat, when you're not bobbing and swaying in
the drivers seat.


--
Bob Heller
1974 X-Canyonlands 26ft
Original 455 exc for timing chain,
Rockwell intake, valve covers. 144k miles.
Winter Springs FL
 
G'day,

This is good news; I've got a sway bar I got from Jim Galbavy which I will install on the Kingsley. I will also be replacing the
middle wheel drum brakes with a Caddy disk setup and a Tru-Track from Tom Hampton of Grandview Motorhomes also on the middle wheels.

My questions are:

1) Has anyone installed the above combination and if yes what difficulties did they run into?

2) Does it make any difference installing the sway bar on the middle or rear wheels?

Regards,
Rob M.
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
USA '77 Kingsley - TZE 267V100808


-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces] On Behalf Of Bob Heller
Sent: Monday, July 2, 2018 7:04 AM
To: gmclist
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Rear Sway Bars

When I first got my GMC I thought that it had too much swaying motion so I installed one rear sway bar on the rear wheels (don't
remember the brand, it's the one Jim K sells). The one rear bar reduced the sway and didn't reduce the leveling ability at a
campsite much.

A few years later I added a heavier front sway bar that I bought from Jeff Sirum (brand and model unknown). Now THAT one made a very
noticeable difference. The GMC still campsite-levels side-to-side pretty good but now while driving the anti-roll stiffness is where
I think it should have been
all along.

If I were you, I would start by putting on one rear sway bar and see if that's enough. In my opinion a loaded 26 foot GMC with the
one stock front anti-roll bar simply rolls too much. It's much nicer to drive, especially on roads that are not perfectly flat, when
you're not bobbing and swaying in the drivers seat.

Bob Heller
 
Thanks Guys,
Jim, Have you ever run a single swaybar in the rear as a happy medium?

Jerry, I think it's partially a result of the sully style bags which run at lower pressure than OEM. Jonathan pointed that out to me and it makes good
sense.
I had heard that about the caspro bars, I'm considering running 1 of them rather than both and see what happens.
Leveling is important to me as we boondock and camp at state parks mostly, so few groomed perfect sites to be found!

I may be overstating the "problem". I don't really find it to be a problem, it just annoys me. I don't drive particularly slowly and it's most evident
on tight curvy roads and switchbacks, I can just feel the rear end kind of "falling" over the center point. It's like it slowly rolls until it hits a
point and then falls over and edge for a moment, then again when switching back the other direction. If I drive at lower speed it's not really
noticeable but I like to keep up with traffic and don't want to be the guy doing 25 in a 45 zone.

--
Justin Brady
http://www.thegmcrv.com/
1976 Palm Beach 455
 
Jerry, Another note.
My rear ride height is right on, my front it a bit higher than spec (1/2" to 1"). I imagine this is due to me lightening the coach. I haven't found
the time to lower the front yet.

--
Justin Brady
http://www.thegmcrv.com/
1976 Palm Beach 455
 
Castro unit is too robust
Locate the smaller ones and try one on the intermediate

> Thanks Guys,
> Jim, Have you ever run a single swaybar in the rear as a happy medium?
>
> Jerry, I think it's partially a result of the sully style bags which run
> at lower pressure than OEM. Jonathan pointed that out to me and it makes
> good
> sense.
> I had heard that about the caspro bars, I'm considering running 1 of them
> rather than both and see what happens.
> Leveling is important to me as we boondock and camp at state parks mostly,
> so few groomed perfect sites to be found!
>
> I may be overstating the "problem". I don't really find it to be a
> problem, it just annoys me. I don't drive particularly slowly and it's most
> evident
> on tight curvy roads and switchbacks, I can just feel the rear end kind of
> "falling" over the center point. It's like it slowly rolls until it hits a
> point and then falls over and edge for a moment, then again when switching
> back the other direction. If I drive at lower speed it's not really
> noticeable but I like to keep up with traffic and don't want to be the guy
> doing 25 in a 45 zone.
>
> --
> Justin Brady
> http://www.thegmcrv.com/
> 1976 Palm Beach 455
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
 
Rob,

At one time or another I've had all of those combinations. You shouldn't
have any problem combining them. I'd put the sway bar on the middle
wheels. Why? Just 'cause.

Ken H.

> G'day,
>
> This is good news; I've got a sway bar I got from Jim Galbavy which I will
> install on the Kingsley. I will also be replacing the
> middle wheel drum brakes with a Caddy disk setup and a Tru-Track from Tom
> Hampton of Grandview Motorhomes also on the middle wheels.
>
> My questions are:
>
> 1) Has anyone installed the above combination and if yes what difficulties
> did they run into?
>
> 2) Does it make any difference installing the sway bar on the middle or
> rear wheels?
>
>
 
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