Going to upgrade the sway bars in my AV and wondering which way to go.

Hotchkis has the following:
Front: 1-7/16" hollow bar
Rear: 1-1/4" hollow bar

Hellwig has the following:
Front: 1-5/16" solid bar
Rear: 1-1/4" solid bar

Anyone have experience or recommendations?

 

Hotchkis is more expensive, but a better bar setup. Better quality of parts, and zerk fittings on all bushings, with poly bushings this is best for noise supression. I have had problems before with Hellwig using crappy hardware, and actually having bolts break for no reason. Both will give better performance, but like they say, you get what you pay for.

Either way, you will get an improvement that may not be noticable from one to the other, so if the most mods for the money is what you want, then go with the Hellwig!

 

No one else has any input?

 

I think Hodgee summed it up for you there. I have the full Hotchkis setup like Hodgee, but I have never tried the Hellwig or been in another truck with the Hellwig setup.
But I have read on other truck forums about guys who went with the Hellwig and complained about them. One guy said he had to retorque the bolts again and again because they kept coming loose for some reason, and I think another guy complained about the end links being crappy, not to mention the sway bars squeeked like a **** even after putting plenty of lube on them.
I for one, didn't want to skimp, so I got the Hotchkis setup and you will not hear one complaint from me about them.

 

chingon and hodgeee,

does the 2/4 hotchkis drop hurt your ride to bad? For example. say your.........grandma was riding with you??? how would she think about the ride?
Would your grandma
a. complain about her back
b. jump out of the truck
c. complement the ride of the truck

Sorry for the bad example, im just tryin to get a view of how it rides now.

thanks

 

Thanks for the comments guys. ~$550 for front and rear bars is a lot, but I am not averse to paying for quality. I'd rather do it right the first time than twice.

As an aside, any improvement by using the Hotchkis aftermarket trailing arms?

 

It's definitely stiffer than before. One thing I particularly like is that there is practically NO body roll/lean anymore. At first I thought it was too stiff, but now I don't really mind it. Your grandma would probably think it's a bit stiff, this ain't no caddy
If you drive slow then the ride is not bad at all, but since I like to have a little fun flooring it in and out of corners, I can see how some would think it's a harsh ride. Be careful for potholes, those hurt

 

I did not know about those are available for our trucks

 

i think those are available, but from how it seems, i doubt you'd need them. cornering sounds like its pretty sweet already w/ the drop and sways.

 

Hotchkis Trailing Arm for my Avalanche