Hellwig sway bar and towing

[Halitosis]

Normally I hang out in the PSD Excursion/Alt Fuels forums, but I decided to post here because of the subject:

I have a 2002 Ford Excursion, stock. I haul around a 8000# Toy Hauler, and decided to install a Hellwig rear sway bar to improve my tow handling. Previously, there was no sway bar installed at all.

I am not the sharpest mechanic in the bunch... so I found the Hellwig installation instructions a little lacking on my level.

I couldn't make heads or tails of the torque specs on the install sheet, so I torqued everything down "real good" (nothing over 90 ft-pounds), and made sure that the rubber bushings weren't being extruded like play-doh.

I installed the sway bar on Thursday, and took the trailer out this weekend for camping.

MAN O MAN... I thought I was going to die a few times. The back end seems to dance around and sway worse than before, and my wife turned a few different shades of green. (Our 3 year old, however, continued to sing his annoying songs taught to him by Satan himself repeatedy).

If I had to describe it... it felt like the trailer was constantly trying to push the back end of the Excursion around. Not uphill, but certainly on the flats, and DEFINITELY going downhill.

Another X-factor to this is that there were 20+ mph winds during the towing... (just to give you all the info). These were gusts, however, and it didn't seem as if the trailer/Excursion would start to dance when a wind gust would come along.... but I can't be 100% sure.

I also did this same trip 2 weeks prior with NO sway bar, and didn't have ANYWHERE NEAR this handling problem. Only a few "fish-tails", that was it. (No wind 2 weeks ago, either).

I realize that the sway bar actually is designed to hamper ROLL, not really SWAY... but my question boils down to this:

Can an improperly installed/torqued sway bar actually cause a WORSE handling vehicle? If so, any clue as to how I might have improperly installed it?

Or, is there any other advice someone can throw out to me?

Thanks in advance,

Halitosis

[OMSK]

I'm not intimately familier with the Excursion installation, but I have installed several of Helweg's stabilizers on a variety of vehicles.

Unless you REALLY screwed up and installed the bar in the wrong location I find it hard to imagine it would have such a dramatic effect. The first thing I would do is confirm it's the bar causing the problem - you can do this simply by disconnecting the end link at one end of the bar, but I would d/c both just to be sure. Then re-road test the rig and see if you have gone back to the prior handling.

One problem I have seen with any rear stabilizer is that the "some is good, more is better" mentality comes into play. While many manufacturers do offer large diameter rear bars, the reality is when adding a rear bar where there wasn't one originally you are better off with the smallest bar you can get. Oversized rear bars can dramatically increase (or create) understeer or "push", or worse yet cause a situation where a normally "neutral" vehicle will suddenly become loose or tail happy. Generally these situations are both due to a severe loss of rear suspension compliance - a situation where the suspension system is either unable or unwilling to function, essentially being stuck in on position. This results in all kinds of nasty behaiviors....

If disconnecting your links removes the problem I would make sure that the bar can pivot in its mounts - the smoother the better. This is ESSENTIAL, otherwise you are binding the entire suspension system.

Under normal straight line conditions your rear (and front) stabilizer bars should be doing pretty much nothing. Their only job is to transfer suspension forces during cornering. If you can't move the bar fairly easilly when the links are disconnected you've found your problem. If the bar does pivot, I would suggest either a smaller bar, or a quick trip to someone local familier with suspension mods to get some feedback from them (and to have them make sure you have everything where it belongs).

Wish I could be more helpful - good luck


Gregg

[Tall Timbers]

Sounds to me like it might be a weight distribution hitch that might not be properly configured... putting too much weight on the front of the vehicle while lifting the rear wheels.