Do Hellwig sway bars help with towing? Why Timbren SES blows ’em out of the water!
There are many helper springs and stabilizer bars available on the market. Hellwig Sway Bars are one such product. Today we’ll examine the pros and cons of sway bars. We’ll also compare Hellwig sway bars to Timbren SES so you can see clearly why Timbren SES blows ‘em out of the water.
Sway bars, aka anti-roll bars, have been around for a long time, first patented by Canadian inventor Stephen Coleman on April 22, 1919. Sway bars were designed to prevent roll and sway while turning corners.
An anti-roll/anti-sway bar is usually a torsion spring that resists body roll motions, constructed out of tubular steel, and formed into a "U" shape that connects to the vehicle’s body at two points - both the left and right side of the suspension. Each end of the bar is connected to an end link that connects to a spot near the wheel or the axle, transferring forces from a heavily loaded axle to the opposite side thus preventing roll and sway on rough terrain and while cornering.
Sway bars can help with towing an RV trailer. How does that work? Here’s the thing: Cross-winds (when the wind blows sideways) are a problem while the trailer is in motion. Basically, the RV trailer is like a big sail. As the wind blows sideways against the trailer, it pushes against the trailer causing it to sway. When this happens, the driver is forced to reduce speed significantly to avoid a possible accident. Once the trailer starts swaying, it impacts the tow vehicle.
As you can imagine, white-knuckling is no way to spend your vacation! Even though sway bars can help, they do not improve ride quality by leveling the load and smoothing out road shock. They simply help prevent roll and sway, nothing more.
How does Timbren SES help with towing?
Timbren SES suspension upgrades can do the same job as a sway bar. In fact, they’re designed to do far more! Here are some of the ways Timbren SES products can help with towing:
- Load leveling – eliminates sag and squat when hooked up to an RV trailer.
- Added stability – eliminates roll and sway while towing an RV trailer.
- Absorbs road shock – provides a smooth, quiet ride while towing an RV trailer.
- Easy installation – takes less than 30 minutes
- Zero maintenance – just set-it-and-forget-it!
- Protects your suspension components
- Prevents bottoming out
As you can see, Timbren SES does way more than a sway bar! In fact, you likely don’t need a sway bar if you decide to install a Timbren SES suspension upgrade.
Which one's better: Sway bars or Timbren SES?
Because of front end coil-over suspensions, sway bars have been a necessary component of the front suspension of most modern vehicles. Tow vehicles that aren’t equipped with sway bars would benefit from the addition of a sway bar for the rear suspension.
But if you’ve hooked up your RV trailer and you can see that the rear end of your truck is sagging, you’re gonna need more than just a sway bar.
It’s no secret that Timbren SES suspension upgrades can help with towing. Here’s why: Timbren SES upgrades use Aeon® hollow rubber springs. Here are two of their unique characteristics:
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Progressive spring rate
Unlike metal springs that have a linear spring rate, Aeon® rubber springs have a progressive spring rate, a rate that increases as more weight is added to the truck.
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Hysteresis (self-damping)
Unlike metal springs that need shocks to absorb the energy created when they compress, Aeon® rubber springs are self-damping, able to absorb the kinetic energy by themselves.
Aeon® springs two unique characteristics far outstrip an older, more conventional mechanism like sway bars.
Sway bars or Timbren SES: Which one should you choose?
If you’ve ever bought a sway bar to increase stability and later on added a helper spring to level the load on your truck, you’ve spent more of your hard-earned money than necessary. More doesn’t always mean better. Sometimes less is more.
Let’s face it, sway bars are ‘old school’! It’s time to let go of old ideas and try what’s new. Just like you need to ditch your old mattress for a new one that’s made with newer technology, it’s time to let go of older, more conventional equipment and upgrade to Timbren SES rubber spring technology.
Timbren SES upgrades are the perfect alternative to old-school technology. Hopefully, this short article has helped you see that sway bars aren’t worth the money. Timbren SES will give you more bang for your buck!
For more information, visit Timbren.com
