2001 Durango 4x4 Hotchkis Sway Bar Installation



Rear sway bar install

Front sway bar install

Rear tire position after sway bar install

Installation Tips

Rear sway bar:
  • Remove the spare tire and both rear shocks. This will allow you much more room to work, and make the entire installation much easier. It only takes about 15 minutes to remove these three items, and will probably shorten the install time by an hour.
  • During the removal process, do not remove the sway bar from the end link "dog bone". It is unnecessary to remove this link in order to get the bar off of the truck.
  • If you have trouble removing the end link "dog bone" from the bolt that goes through the frame, use a hammer to hit the bolt toward the outside of the truck. It will pop through the bushing and allow you to remove it.
  • If you run into clearance issues with the spare tire, lower the tire slightly and pull the tire toward the rear of the truck while re-tightening the tire winch. If you do not have someone to help you do this, simply pull the front of the truck up on ramps and the tire will slide toward the rear of the vehicle as you tighten it.
  • Reuse the existing bolt through the frame when installing the new end link (the supplied bolt does not fit). This step is not clear in the instructions. You will have two extra bolts after the install.


    Front sway bar:
  • Make sure vehicle is at ride height during the removal and installation process. This means that you can not use a jack to lift the truck--it must be up on ramps. Not following this step will make it impossible to install the new bar.
  • Before installing the bushings onto the new sway bar, place the bushing in the "cup" on the control arm. Rotate the bushing until it is at the proper angle for the bar to go through it. This is a crucial step, because the bushing will not sit in the control arm properly if the bushing is not oriented correctly. It's extremely difficult to rotate the bushing once it is installed on the bar, because it is a very tight fit.
  • If the front bushings still do not line up properly, try reversing them.
  • Be sure to properly torque all bolts upon reinstallation. Failure to achieve the proper torque spec could cause a popping noise when braking or turning. This noise is caused by the inner bushing brackets moving under the stress of the bar.

    Opinions

    I absolutely could not believe how much these sway bars improved the handling and stability of my Durango. The improvement in stability was even more dramatic than the Bilstein shocks. The two of these mods compliment each other very well, and provide a superior handling SUV. It feels as nimble and agile as some small cars I've driven. The nose doesn't dive nearly as much upon hard braking, and it stays almost completely flat in turns. I actually look forward to my ride to work in the morning, because of the freeway off ramp loop. :)

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