With an anti-sway bar installed, the company’s test Jeep demonstrated a dramatic improvement in handling
Hellwig Products produces 100 percent American-made, precision-engineered products for a variety of vehicles. Most famous for anti-sway bars, Hellwig saw a need for an improved rear anti-sway bar on the diesel-powered 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4×4, and it didn’t take long to figure out how to squeeze one of the company’s 1-inch-diameter bars into the available space. While the factory anti-sway bar on the front is adequate, there’s no doubt that the rear needed help.
There are different levels of anti-sway bars on factory Jeeps, depending on which towing capacity you order. This Jeep has the biggest factory bar available because of the diesel engine and the tow package, but Hellwig goes a bit further than Jeep with a 4140 steel bar that’s heat-treated, hot-formed and upgraded with polyurethane bushings.
We were able to procure a nearly identical 2014 diesel-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee from a local dealer to do some apples-to-apples testing. We drove the factory Jeep around the neighborhood, taking sharp turns at up to 35 mph and noting how much body roll the vehicle exhibited. Then we jumped into the Hellwig-equipped Jeep and took the same path at the same speeds. The difference was very noticeable from the driver’s and passenger’s seats. While we tried to illustrate the improvement using photos we took, the seat-of-the-pants feel is much more dramatic. The Jeep positions the driver fairly high, and the pendulum effect is noticeable.
We also hooked up both vehicles to the Lance 1985 trailer and took another drive. Taking the same turns at 35 mph with a trailer was a bit unnerving in the factory-equipped SUV, but the Hellwig Jeep was firmly planted on the road and gave the driver a lot more confidence.
The Hellwig rear anti-sway bar retails for $300.25. Figure on an hour for the installation.
Hellwig Products | 800-435-5944 | www.hellwigproducts.com
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