2019 RAM 1500 hellwig swaybar

[Firsttimeramowner]

This question is for those who have installed the Hellwig on the 4x4 Limited with air suspension. I have read the whole thread and still have a question.

I love how this truck with the AS just feels like it's floating on air while driving around town and especially down the freeway. But it does seem to have a lot of body roll going around corners at normal driving speeds. I would like to minimize that body roll feeling in turns while driving around town but not if I'm going to lose that floating on air feeling. Comments will be much appreciated.

PS, my seat of the pants can feel the difference between the 5 extra PSI over the recommended PSI that the tire shop added after balancing my wheels.

 

[SpeedyV]

This question is for those who have installed the Hellwig on the 4x4 Limited with air suspension. I have read the whole thread and still have a question.

I love how this truck with the AS just feels like it's floating on air while driving around town and especially down the freeway. But it does seem to have a lot of body roll going around corners at normal driving speeds. I would like to minimize that body roll feeling in turns while driving around town but not if I'm going to lose that floating on air feeling. Comments will be much appreciated.

PS, my seat of the pants can feel the difference between the 5 extra PSI over the recommended PSI that the tire shop added after balancing my wheels.

I feel like mine is stiffer at all times, not just when cornering. But I also went with the stiffest setting. I think I’ll move it to the middle next.

 

[Edwards]

This question is for those who have installed the Hellwig on the 4x4 Limited with air suspension. I have read the whole thread and still have a question.

I love how this truck with the AS just feels like it's floating on air while driving around town and especially down the freeway. But it does seem to have a lot of body roll going around corners at normal driving speeds. I would like to minimize that body roll feeling in turns while driving around town but not if I'm going to lose that floating on air feeling. Comments will be much appreciated.

PS, my seat of the pants can feel the difference between the 5 extra PSI over the recommended PSI that the tire shop added after balancing my wheels.

If you are driving straight on flat (smooth) pavement you will have zero difference in ride with the Hellwig. Where you will notice a difference is when driving over uneven bumps, especially when turning. The easiest way to visualize this is to compare two hypothetically identical trucks. One with no rear sway bar and one with a massive, no sane person would ever drive, sway bar.

Now let's imagine they are both driving down a street with not potholes, but just dips in one side or the other. The first trucks rear suspension allows one side to drop down and the suspension takes up most of the difference. The trucks rolls slightly to that side. This is also what off-road vehicles with a sway bar disconnect experience which should lead you to the appropriate conclusion that sway bars are not desirable for off-road driving.

The second truck on that same roadway will not experience the subtle, slight lean when one wheel drops. The purpose of the sway bar is to equalize the truck over the height of the tires. Visualize the axle from behind. More bar stiffness keep the truck more parallel to the axle. On flat road, there's nothing to equalize and driving around flat corners is amazing. Hitting a dip on one side forces the truck to lean that way and it can be jarring. It's not an up/down jarring, but a side-to-side jarring.

The Hellwig is adjustable to allow you some fine tuning over this so you can balance road plant vs. back seat whiplash, depending on your road conditions. Some have found the stiffest position to harsh for local roads while those with heavier trucks, and smoother roads, love the stiffest position.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Neurobit]

Agree ^^^

I did notice that it was a tad stiffer than stock (bouncier) since Houston streets are anything but flat, and tried all settings for a few weeks ea.
I ended up switching to the softest setting, which has almost (not quite, but almost) the feel of the stock suspension. In my case this is the best setting, as I don't tow.

So almost stock feel with the better handling when turning and going over speed bumps, etc. In my opinion this is the best of both worlds. YMMV. If you tow, you will prob switch to medium or stiffest setting, but for me, this works great.

 

[Ellisstrong]

Agree ^^^

I did notice that it was a tad stiffer than stock (bouncier) since Houston streets are anything but flat, and tried all settings for a few weeks ea.
I ended up switching to the softest setting, which has almost (not quite, but almost) the feel of the stock suspension. In my case this is the best setting, as I don't tow.

So almost stock feel with the better handling when turning and going over speed bumps, etc. In my opinion this is the best of both worlds. YMMV. If you tow, you will prob switch to medium or stiffest setting, but for me, this works great.

Guess I’ll try to softest setting too to see if I notice a difference.

 

[Neurobit]

Guess I’ll try to softest setting too to see if I notice a difference.

You definitely will.

 

[Kxlexus]

I like mine enough that I took a cutout wheel to the stock sway bar and put it in the trash. It was never going back on my truck. BTW, the stock sway bar tubing is pretty thin

 

[Edwards]

I like mine enough that I took a cutout wheel to the stock sway bar and put it in the trash. It was never going back on my truck. BTW, the stock sway bar tubing is pretty thin

I salute your anti-hoarding mentality. I'll throw mine away in ~15 years after it sits in my garage attic and gets nice and dusty with just a hint of rust on it.

 

[Alxmlr789]

I salute your anti-hoarding mentality. I'll throw mine away in ~15 years after it sits in my garage attic and gets nice and dusty with just a hint of rust on it.

Same, my dad still has springs from my 1999 Dakota sitting in his garage

 

[Edwards]

Same, my dad still has springs from my 1999 Dakota sitting in his garage

Hey, you never know when a solid piece of spring steel is just what you need to fix a mailbox!

 

[Ellisstrong]

I got like $50 bucks for mine. Every now and then you find someone on Facebook looking for the factory sway bar.

 

[SpeedyV]

Agree ^^^

I did notice that it was a tad stiffer than stock (bouncier) since Houston streets are anything but flat, and tried all settings for a few weeks ea.
I ended up switching to the softest setting, which has almost (not quite, but almost) the feel of the stock suspension. In my case this is the best setting, as I don't tow.

So almost stock feel with the better handling when turning and going over speed bumps, etc. In my opinion this is the best of both worlds. YMMV. If you tow, you will prob switch to medium or stiffest setting, but for me, this works great.

Just went to the softest setting to see how that feels...appreciate the feedback from you and @Edwards!

 

[Alxmlr789]

I just wrapped up my install, and i am thoroughly impressed on how much of an impact this bar has on handling. I have done several sway bars from jeeps to caged race cars and have not been able to feel such an immediate difference. Typically sway bars shine on high speed corners and wheel lift on track, but man even at 20-30 mph this bar shines.

Great upgrade. I am 2” lifted in the rear and did not require the extended end links

 

[Neurobit]

Just went to the softest setting to see how that feels...appreciate the feedback from you and @Edwards!

You bet. Let us know how you like it.

 

[SpeedyV]

You bet. Let us know how you like it.

The "softest" (outermost) position feels much closer to stock, as you stated. I'm going to go with that for a while. The "stiffest" (innermost) provided noticeably better roll control, but at the expense of a rough ride on anything but new pavement. Since I'm running around unloaded 99% of the time, ride quality trumps lateral control...for now.

 

[Neurobit]

The "softest" (outermost) position feels much closer to stock, as you stated. I'm going to go with that for a while. The "stiffest" (innermost) provided noticeably better roll control, but at the expense of a rough ride on anything but new pavement. Since I'm running around unloaded 99% of the time, ride quality trumps lateral control...for now.

Yeah, that’s my experience also. I do like less body roll, but not at the expense of ride quality, which did suffer a bit on med and hard settings. I believe softest setting is the best of both worlds for folks that don’t tow.

Thanks for the update!

 

[Kxlexus]

I run mine on the stiffest setting and my truck rides great. There is no circumstance that I could ever say my truck rides rough. The ride over rough broken pavement is no rougher than it was stock. The truck just doesn’t wallow and float like it did stock

 

[SpeedyV]

I run mine on the stiffest setting and my truck rides great. There is no circumstance that I could ever say my truck rides rough. The ride over rough broken pavement is no rougher than it was stock. The truck just doesn’t wallow and float like it did stock

Hmm. Do you have the air suspension or Off Road Group? I have both.

 

[Kxlexus]

Hmm. Do you have the air suspension or Off Road Group? I have both.

I have neither on my Longhorn. I had the air suspension on my 2013 Laramie but decided not to get it this time

 

[Neurobit]

I run mine on the stiffest setting and my truck rides great. There is no circumstance that I could ever say my truck rides rough. The ride over rough broken pavement is no rougher than it was stock. The truck just doesn’t wallow and float like it did stock

Agreed. However, it's still almost as good in the softest setting with much better ride, at least for me.

Cheers,