Benefits of Sway Bar Lateral Locks
Sway bar lateral locks are a great way to prevent side-to-side shifting or “walking” of the sway bar during lateral weight transfer caused by turning. Whether you are fine-tuning your suspension, or just want to extend the life of some of your other suspension components, sway bar lateral locks are cost-effective way to keep the sway bar in place.
What do sway bar lateral locks do?
Sway bar lateral locks clamp on the sway bar near the bar-to-frame bushing and prevent the sway bar from sliding side-to-side during lateral weight transfer when turning. This keeps the sway bar in its designed position allowing it to function at its peak and keep the bar from colliding with other nearby vehicle components.
Do you need sway bar lateral locks?
A vehicle will handle just fine without lateral locks and most people will not be able to discern a change after they are installed, though they do have some benefits over time like extending the life of other parts. How much of a difference lateral locks will make on your vehicle will depend on three factors:
Vehicle Purpose
If your vehicle is reserved for getting you from point A to point B then you will not have much use for locking down your sway bars lateral shifting, but if you like to take your car out on winding roads or to the track on the weekends then lateral locks are worth looking into.
Driving Style
Normal driving is less taxing on the sway bar, but if you like to drive aggressively, taking corners or maneuvering at higher speeds, then the sway bar is dealing with more force and lateral locks can keep it in place.
Sway Bar Shape
The optimal shape for a sway bar (torsion bar) is a straight bar with a 90 degree bend to a straight lever arm on each side, but because of space restrictions most sway bars have unconventional shapes. With the extra angles if the sway bar slides horizontally then it could collide with other parts.
3 Reasons to Install Sway Bar Lateral Locks
Lateral locks are going to be most useful for those who are looking to gain more precise handling when turning, but they can also increase the longevity of other components by decreasing excessive wear and preventing sway bar collision with other parts in some cases.
- Reduces Excess Wear on Other Components
- Lateral Clearance Between the Bar and Other Components
- Consistent Handling Characteristics
Reduces Excess Wear on Other Components – The vast majority of the force applied to the sway bar “D” bushings comes from the pressure of the bar levering up and down and the twist of the bar as each side tries to return to a neutral state. That said, if the sway bar moves horizontally through the bushings, with every turn the friction can cause excessive wear to the inside of the bushing and hollow out the interior making it even less effective at holding the sway bar and requiring a replacement bushing.
Lateral Clearance Between the Bar and Other Components – Some vehicles are very compact and do not have a lot of wiggle room underneath the vehicle. If the bushings that connect the bar to the frame are located on a straight length of the bar there is potential that the bar could shift to one side during a turn. In some cases a shift could bring the sway bar into contact with vital parts such as the tire, which is why many performance sway bars have lateral shift stoppage designed in the bar itself and a lateral lock serves the same purpose.
Consistent Handling Characteristics – There are a lot of variables that come into play when calculating the stiffness of a sway bar and one of those variables is the distance between the sway bar bushings and the end of the sway bar lever arm. When the sway bar shifts laterally that distance becomes longer on one side and shorter on the other. This is why many aftermarket sway bars are manufactured with lateral movement stoppage already on the bar. Again, sway bar shape and the position of the bushings will determine how much lateral movement is possible.
Without getting too far out into the weeds, this has an effect on sway bar stiffness at a level that the everyday driver does not care about. But if you are trying to fine tune how your vehicle enters, executes, and exits a turn then having stable sway bar stiffness throughout is something you might be interested in.
Do lateral locks preload the sway bar?
No, lateral locks do not affect the load condition of a sway bar but keep the bar centered during lateral weight transfer. Installing sway bar end links of uneven lengths can preload one side or the other by essentially causing an artificial twist in the bar and putting more downward pressure on one wheel in the vehicle’s static state.
What are the Downsides to Installing Lateral Locks?
None really.
The lateral locks merely prevent the side to side movement of the sway bar. They do not have any adverse effects on handling, NVH, or other aspects of the vehicle.
Interested in Getting some Sway Bar Lateral Locks?
If you are looking for lateral locks but are not sure which ones will fit then you can check out these Universal Lateral Locks and learn how to easily measure your sway bar for lateral locks and pick the right size.
Lateral locks can be very situational. Some sway bar shapes and bushing placements make adding lateral locks overkill since there will not be much lateral shift happening anyway. That said locking down the sway bar is strictly beneficial – it doesn’t hurt.
Conclusion
If you are looking for that extra ounce of cornering performance, and you have a laterally shifting sway bar, then picking up some lateral locks is a small investment that can make a difference, albeit a small one. If you are buying some new end-links or sway bar bushings (or both) then adding some lateral locks to your order does not affect the bottom line that much and can stretch the life of those parts by reducing excess wear.
We hope this gave you a better idea of what lateral locks are how they can be useful for most vehicles! Ride Smooth and Drive Hard.
LostInTransit
March 20, 2023 at 4:00 amBecause we’re installing a performance 28mm sway bar on a Transit Connect, we were not entirely sure we needed the lateral locks. But Whiteline sent us 2 different sets just in case.
Josh Daniels • Post Author •
March 20, 2023 at 7:44 amHey Lost,
There is some debate over whether or not lateral locks have much of an impact on the sway bar’s function, but there is not really a compelling arguement for not using them 🙂
Best case: They improve the sway bar’s ability to maintain contact patch of the tire and reduce body roll during a turn (maybe only slightly).
Worst case: They are just a benign feature on the sway bar.
The effect of lateral links would more likely be noticed in a vehicle that is taking hard fast turns in a performance setting, but it will not hurt anything putting them on your transit.
LostInTransit
May 26, 2023 at 6:02 pmGood to hear Josh as I said above, Whiteline gifted us 2 set of their lateral lock because we’re unsure as to what size sway bar we’ll end up with. All indications seem to point to the 28mm Hardrace sway bar and we’ll install the lateral locks also. Good to see that you’ve posted other useful into about the sway bars, end links and more as this is something we’ve bene looking to upgrade on our 2020 Connect. We should know more in a few weeks if in fact the 28mm Hardrace sway bar (designed for the Ford KUGA) with the Whiteline lateral locks and the Super-pro 300mm-345mm Volvo end links will fit and articulate correctly on the Connect.
Josh Daniels • Post Author •
May 31, 2023 at 7:18 amHey Lost,
Sounds like you’ve got some great additions in mind for this mythical sway bar, once you’ve finally captured it 🙂
SuperPro is a great choice for the end links and will give you the option to dial in your sway bar and optimize your body roll reduction and the lateral locks will be the icing on the cake. Can’t wait to see it all put together!
LostInTransit
May 31, 2023 at 3:39 pmJosh, Question came to Mind which could help others her. Knowing the 2020 Connect has a 24mm sway bar from the factory, what type of difference can one expect to see when installing a 28mm sway bar? Some have told me that I can expect to see a 60% increase in stiffness and a reduced body roll.
Josh Daniels • Post Author •
June 2, 2023 at 3:20 pmHey Lost,
Oh man, math is not my first language, but I can safely say that a larger diameter sway bar is going to tighten up how your van feels during a turn. The more resistance (thickness) in the bar the less body roll you should experience.
Several years ago we provided a performance sway bar + poly bushings and endlinks for installation on a Subaru BRZ and after the driver put it through the paces at the local track he was very pleased with the results.
I believe you’ll be able to feel the difference and won’t be disappointed.
LostInTransit
June 29, 2023 at 4:24 amThis just in: At one point we had considered using the lateral locks, but because our Carquest end links failed over the weekend. We’re having to postpone ordering the 28mm Hardrace sway abr. But we’ll move forward with having to install the gifted set of 300mm-345mm super-pro end links to replace the failing Carquest end links. What’s important to note here is that the super-pro end links measure the same as the Carquest links. It is our intention to shorten the super-pro end links by at least 1”. This means the current links (short of 12” long) will have approx 1/4 from each end of the center rod as to create a shorter link or the 11” inch link we’re looking for. If successful, this means that with a shorter end link this will chnage the angle of the 24mm sway bar and should tighten things up a bit. Also if this is successful, this could mean that we may or may not need the 28mm Hardrace sway bar after all. We’re looking to take care of this within the next 2 weeks as we have travel plans coming up and we need the front links repaired.
Josh Daniels • Post Author •
June 30, 2023 at 8:22 amHey Lost,
Lateral locks would help keep the bar more securely in place during a hard, fast turn but unless those are a regular part of your daily drive then then they are fairly optional. Take care with modifying the end links since, once cut, they will no longer be under warranty.
You could always try out the new end links with the 24mm sway bar and see how it feels. Then you can decide whether or not you want even tighter handling, which would be a consequence of installing a 28mm sway bar.
Good luck with the work and hope you are able to keep your travel schedule intact!
LostInTransit
July 13, 2023 at 3:02 amJosh, With the new (shortened) Super-pro end links just days away from being installed, We’re hoping with the shorter links this will tighten up the front end. Originally the links measures near 12”. Now they measure 11” (center to center). I’m post this here, because Whiteline sent us 2 sets of lateral locks and if the shortened end link tights up the front end, we may not need the 28mm Hardrace sway bar. However, this could also mean that with the success of the shortened end links that we may opt for a set of the 23-24mm lateral locks made by DST which is availed on your site. We should know more in a few more days.
Josh Daniels • Post Author •
July 21, 2023 at 11:39 amHey Lost,
It is possible to get that tighter handling during without having to shell out for a larger diameter sway bar. A larger sway bar will undoubtedly accomplish that goal, but between polyurethane sway bar bushings, high quality end links and lateral locks you can get a lot out of your original sway bar and for a lot less cash. For that reason alone it’s not a bad idea to give some combination of those other parts a shot before taking the plunge for an expensive sway bar upgrade.
Thanks for keeping us updated and good luck with the continued project!
LostInTransit
February 23, 2024 at 5:22 amOur priorities has changed. Since our last visit we were hoping to have purchased the Hardrace 28mm sway bar. But things have changed. We still want the sway abr.. but after only 2 years of driving on Maryland roads.. these Bilstein struts have just gave up. Because no other performance manufacture offers performance struts we’re going to have to buy another set. but this time we’ll also get the top strut mounts which we should have replaced from the beginning. Also, this means having to install those new rear Bilstein B6 shocks.
Why the shift? we;; we’re looking to get better fuel economy by adding airtabs.. these wishbone shaped things would be mounted on the rear of the van which is suppose to channel air more fluently around the van. Our shop 3D printed 40 of these things and we’ll get to work on mounting these things on the van.
Josh Daniels • Post Author •
February 23, 2024 at 2:10 pmHey Lost,
The top mounts for those struts are pretty important and I think you’ll notice a difference once they’re replaced. Pretty cool that you were able to get those airtabs 3d printed. Hope they work out well for you!
LOSTINTRANSIT
April 12, 2024 at 7:10 amJosh things are progressing fine now after we had to replace the failing EGR valve.. so while under the hood, I replaced the spark plugs and add new coil packs from TRQ. We’ve yet to use the lateral locks cause we’ve not had a chance to order the Hardrace sway bar and we still have the poly sway bar bushings for that install. the best new of the week is that we’ve found a few more performance parts which we’ll be installing before the end of spring. Another bright spot cam last week when Ford themselves confirmed that our 2.0L GDI I4 engine can run on either regular gas or e85.. so we’ve switched up and we’re now going to run only the eFuels.. and what a difference. it’s like the van has been reborn and it can leave some rubber on the road. Oh and one last thing.. if anyone is having hesitation issue with their cars, they need to remove and clean their throttle body..
Josh Daniels • Post Author •
April 12, 2024 at 8:43 amHey Lost,
Good to hear that everything is going well and you were able to find some more parts to spruce up the van. Glad Ford got back to you about the fuel revelation and thanks for the advice about the throttle body. Hope y’all are able to get that sway bar soon so that part of the project can be finally be finished!