I have a '99 TJ locked front and back and have been running 32" tires. I want to run my 33x12.50 tires which work fine without rubbing at full flex as long as my sway bar is connected. My question is, since I'm locked, how much traction will I be giving up by not disconnecting? I've noticed that even when connected I have more articulation than most cjs.

I work my rig with the sway bar connected most of the time - there is
no loss of traction unless you are articulating so much that you
pull a tire off the trail - then the locker should keep the other
tire/wheel from spinning - so I make a trade off when I know I want
the stability of the sway bar - side ways trails and hills - vs the
time I need to disconnect and re-connect - if I need the articulation
I disconnect - and am careful on any washboard roads that I drive on if I have not reconnected the sway bar up.

That's what I was hoping to hear. I run a lot of trails, but I have always disconnected my sway bar and have no experience off road connected. I have about 3.5 inches of lift in the front of my TJ, but when experimenting with the new 33x12.5 with 3.75 BS at full flex I am getting into the fender flair a bit. Your comment gives me some confidence that I'll do OK at the Palo Duro Canyon Challenge next week with the sway bar connected. If not, I may go to bigger bump stops next time.

Thanks for the information,

REC

REC,

I have run connected and unconnected. I notice a big difference unconnected. You have more body roll, but keeping the tires on the trail is the ultimate goal. There are a couple of systems that are available for the stability and traction. Off Road Only makes the SwayLOC which I am planning on purchasing and then there is the Currie Antirock. The downside to the Currie is that you give up a little on road performance for off road stability. The ORO is like having your factory Say Bar connected when on road and then having the Antirock offroad. A little best of both worlds type deal. Might be worth looking into.

I have the Currie Anti-rock on my '03 and had it on my '00 also. It works well. Having tossed my CJ sway bars off for years (I've still got one, with maybe 20 miles on it, in my garage,) they weren't needed back then. My YJ was almost undrivable without one. TJs were sometimes pretty squirrely disconnected. Kind of like trying to push an ice cube down the road with a stick.

So when I went to a Currie lift I just adopted the Anti-Rock. First trip out I had it in the middle postion for the 1400 mile drive to Moab. Got there and moved it to the 5th hole out, the least damaging. We drove the entire 2 weeks that way, with side trips on the highway (places like Elephant Hill, etc.) No problems whatsoever. After leading my trail, the confusion of going out to supper in a tiny town full of people, loading the jeep, we just forgot. I did't set it back to the highway setting.

I realized that about 1000 miles on the way back. I was too busy to consider changing it then, and its been in a very light hole ever since. My conclusion is that while it does make on road driving a bit more predictable, my driving style (or lack of it) doesn't require a lot of help. I pretty much go where I want off road (last year I led Hells Revenge and Moab Rim).

Your need or lack of it probably is more dependent on your own driving style, your other modifications, the air you're running in your tires, the speed you want to go, and the terrain you're crossing. Its pretty clear you don't need the help while going 3 mph on rocks.

I agree - your road and trail conditions - and your driving style - or lack of one - determine what you do for a sway bar - here in AZ I have lots of off camber trails
that I would get into trouble without the sway bar - picture me (260 lbs) hanging out the driver side door - *** out in the air holding onto the roll bar above the door
to balance the jeep on a sliddy trail - standing on my rock rail - and that was
really really close - 1500 ft drop off - thats about as extreme as I ever what to get - but mostly my disconnects are a pain to re-connect - not like dick's setup where you just turn a knob - and I transition to washboard roads ten times a day sometimes - so I just leave them hooked up until I really need them.

Thanks to all for your insight. I'm still not sure how much fender flare rubbing will be a problem. It should prove to be an interesting experiment. I'll start off this weekend with the JKS's connected and if it is a hindrance, I'll just cut them loose and wait for the sound of rubber on plastic.

REC

Also make sure that you have a strap or a tie down to pull the sway bar up and out of the
way of the tires - when you do disconnect - I put to one inch nylon straps under the
fender at the point where the light bar is supported and I tie the bar all the way up
and out of the way.

Ok, the test is over and running connected is my new favorite thing. I went with a group designated "Most Difficult" and was able to keep up with the big boys. The only thing that I noticed that was different was the tendency for the front tires to reach up and wave to the crowd. Not being used to "getting air", my white knuckle effect was increased significantly along with the pucker factor.