 Back to Features Page By, TXJEEPER |
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One day, my friend, Tim Kyle called me on the phone and asked me if I had ever disconnected the rear sway bar on my TJ. We started to discuss the pros and cons of such an idea and he said he had something drawn on a napkin that he wanted me to see. So, after swearing on the Holy Hand Grenade that I wouldn't talk about it to anyone, he FAX'd me the napkin drawing. It was actually pretty detailed, with measurements and all. We went back and forth about his idea and after getting his Patent, Tim sent me a set of prototypes. The prototypes showed up and in the middle of a show 'n shine competition at the Clayton Memorial Day event, I installed them on the Jeep. Needless to say, the fact that I was underneath a dual Hi-Lifted jeep didn't score me any points. When I was done I asked if they'd judged yet and realized half the Jeeps had already left for the trails. Oops! I decided that next time I'd hire someone to blow balloon animals while I worked.
So, what are these things? They are based on a standard swaybar quick disconnect. However, they never actually disconnect. Instead, by pulling a pin and moving it to another hole, it allows the connect to slide several inches back and forth. The operation is smooth and other than getting your hands a little dirty, swapping the pins is simple. I'd recommend spraying the pins and holes with WD-40 to make pin replacement easy after a muddy run. First thing I did was head for the trails. Clayton has some great, twisty spots to really test out your suspension. What I found to be the greatest advantage, was that by letting the rear sway bar work in conjunction with a fully disconnected front swaybar, it tended to keep the tub of the TJ more level. Those of you who own lifted TJ's know how off-camber they can get. This will help keep you a little more level on the really twisty stuff. (Note: on a side hill, you will still lean as before). I immediately noticed that my fenders were not taking as much of a beating as normal. Great!
After some redesign work and refinements, TK Sliders are now available to the public. Follow along as we show you how they work. |
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Once
off the trail, I headed back and did some testing on an RTI ramp. I
tested it locked (street) and in slide mode and definitely noticed a
nice score increase.