by Woodsbum
Around June of 2016 I finally decided that I needed to do something about my pickup truck being broken and I had serious need of a way to haul things. Since I was still rebuilding my 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 4×4 due to the engine going out, I decided that I should just buy a new Ram 1500 in the configuration that best suited my daily driving needs. My local dealership walked me through the process of custom ordering the exact truck that I needed and I ended up buying a new vehicle……
I ended up with a 2017 Ram 1500 Black Express (Special Edition) with the 5.7 Hemi, limited slip rear end, tow package, interior upgrades, blah, blah, blah. I ended up putting an ARE canopy on it and it ended up looking absolutely awesome. There was a serious problem, however. The horsepower was not well suited for the poor suspension. It seriously needed some help, but I just suffered through for a couple years until it dawned on me as to where the problem lay. There was no rear sway bar and the front bar sucked.
Here are some examples of my truck’s behavior. It basically twerked on rutted highways at speeds above 65. It felt like it was going to tip over in any corner, and when I changed speeds in the corners it would float horribly. The suspension reminded me of the ones in the 1990 Lincoln Town Cars. More land yacht than truck.
Online I found reference to many people installing Hellwig rear sway bars and there were even many videos that showed how well they worked with body roll angles, testimonials, and all sorts of crap that said that these sway bars were the miracle cure for a poor truck suspension.
I bought both front and rear.
When they came in I pulled up some YouTube videos and went to installation….. In the rain…. And it was about 35 degrees…. It sucked, but only took about 2 hours from start to finish.
Now let me tell you how well they work. There is a night and day difference. No joke. The sway bars have turned my 4 wheeled boat of a truck into a decently handling vehicle that allows me to take 25 mph exits at 45-50 like I was on rails. The forces applied to my body are no longer making me feel like I am going to fall over. I now feel like my hips are being shoved down and into the seat instead of the side forces. It is truly remarkable.
Today I took some 45 mph corners on the highway at 85 and didn’t really even notice any push.
All told I spent about $650 for the sway bars and connection rods since my rear end didn’t have a factory installed bar. I now have a truck that performs like a sports car and can actually handle the 400 ponies under the hood. It was well worth the investment and I can add some links in the comments if anyone is interested. Just know that the Hellwigs are HIGHLY recommended by me.