Hellwig vs Hotchkis sway bars and how hard to install

[Doubeleive]

I was just looking at the installation instructions and it said that if you have a 6 speed tranny that you will need Spacer Kit 7799 to provide clearance for the tran cooling lines. Did you run into that issue Thanks

NO you do not need any spacers

 

[rdhogg]

You won't be disappointed. I just installed mine and they make a HUGE difference. The front bar is HEAVY, so you may need a jack or a second set of hands to lift and hold it in place, until you have secured the 2 U-brackets.

Thanks for the heads up on being heavy. It'll have to be a jack in my case.

 

[rdhogg]

NO you do not need any spacers

Good to hear. Spacers would have added more potential for rust, ha

 

[rdhogg]

You won't be disappointed. I just installed mine and they make a HUGE difference. The front bar is HEAVY, so you may need a jack or a second set of hands to lift and hold it in place, until you have secured the 2 U-brackets.

I just noticed that you in stalled a couple of 8" light bars under the rear bumper for additional back up lighting. Could you post some pictures of how you mounted them and where did you tie into the back-up lighting wiring. I have put CREE LED bulbs in but it still does not give the light I want for backing up. Thanks for your help

 

[Joseph Garcia]

I was just looking at the installation instructions and it said that if you have a 6 speed tranny that you will need Spacer Kit 7799 to provide clearance for the tran cooling lines. Did you run into that issue Thanks

Hellwig's instructions say that if you have the 6 speed transmission, you need to install the spacers. But, their instructions also apply to GMC/Chevy pickup trucks, as well, so the spacers may be specifically needed for those vehicles. While upon visual inspection, the Hellwig sway bar did not seem to be in danger of contacting the transmission cooling lines (though the truck was not in a position where the middle of the sway bar was at it highest travel apex), I installed the spacers on my truck anyway, just in case, as I did not want to chance having crushed transmission cooling lines.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

I just noticed that you in stalled a couple of 8" light bars under the rear bumper for additional back up lighting. Could you post some pictures of how you mounted them and where did you tie into the back-up lighting wiring. I have put CREE LED bulbs in but it still does not give the light I want for backing up. Thanks for your help

I had the same issue. I put a good set of LED backup lights in backup light sockets, and while much improved over stock filament light bulbs, it was still not nearly enough for me to easily navigate my driveway in the dark.

Photos:

Light attachment setup:

https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/thr...backing-up-to-see-better.111002/#post-1329194

Light bar light pattern:

https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/what-is-this-button-solved.120958/page-9

 

[the_tool_man]

Any deals out there on the sway bars? Everywhere I look the prices are identical, $651.42 for both.

 

[Doubeleive]

Any deals out there on the sway bars? Everywhere I look the prices are identical, $651.42 for both.

I found the best price for one on amazon and the other one on ebay
sd truck springs is there main dealer.

 

[Russ Giles]

Just installed front and rear Hotchkis Sway bars and Moog sway bar links on my 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali. Bought the complete front and rear kit which did not say in the description but included basic front sway bar links in the box.
Old rear bar was looking aged and sway bar links were showing some rust.
Quality fit and finish with zerk fitting to lube the rubber bushings and rear lower sway link ball joint. Install was straight forward except the supplied bolts were short and used an allen key which does allow for higher torque, so after trial and error I reused the OEM bolts with the supplied washers.
Feels better with less body lean.
Just because a one company says they have a solid bar does not make it stiffer than a hollow bar. Stiffness is a function of the metal blend, and the hardening process. a solid block of cheese is still cheese. If the the hollow bar is hardened and shaped properly it will be stronger and more stiff at less weight.

 

[rdhogg]

Just installed front and rear Hotchkis Sway bars and Moog sway bar links on my 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali. Bought the complete front and rear kit which did not say in the description but included basic front sway bar links in the box.
Old rear bar was looking aged and sway bar links were showing some rust.
Quality fit and finish with zerk fitting to lube the rubber bushings and rear lower sway link ball joint. Install was straight forward except the supplied bolts were short and used an allen key which does allow for higher torque, so after trial and error I reused the OEM bolts with the supplied washers.
Feels better with less body lean.
Just because a one company says they have a solid bar does not make it stiffer than a hollow bar. Stiffness is a function of the metal blend, and the hardening process. a solid block of cheese is still cheese. If the the hollow bar is hardened and shaped properly it will be stronger and more stiff at less weight.

Thanks for the review, I had ADDCO bars ordered from SDTruck Springs but the delivery was out in June, canceled it and ordered Hellwig , should be here 4/13, Rear bar has new Links( don't know if they have zerk fittings or not)but needed to order Mevotech TTX replacement links for the front.

 

[rdhogg]

NO you do not need any spacers

I called Hellwig tech support about the rear bars and mentioned about the spacers and he said that I did need them and sent a set out. I will let you know during the install, if that is the case or not. 'Only the shadow knows', ha
UpDate:
View attachment 276497
Had to wait long enough, but the front bar arrived last night. I will try to get on this install today

Install notes: No spacers needed, you could have installed upside down and still had plenty of room

 

[Doubeleive]

I called Hellwig tech support about the rear bars and mentioned about the spacers and he said that I did need them and sent a set out. I will let you know during the install, if that is the case or not. 'Only the shadow knows', ha

even if you put it on upside down it wont hit, plenty of room

 

[rdhogg]

even if you put it on upside down it wont hit, plenty of roomView attachment 275942

True that

 

[cnunez]

Anyone here install hellwog or Hotchkiss on a dropped truck?
I have a question xl denali with the belltech 2/4 kit and the swaybar rubs on half turns. Its a pain when parking.
I want to upgrade the bars anyway and was hoping one of the 2 would fix the problem

 

[Doubeleive]

Anyone here install hellwog or Hotchkiss on a dropped truck?
I have a question xl denali with the belltech 2/4 kit and the swaybar rubs on half turns. Its a pain when parking.
I want to upgrade the bars anyway and was hoping one of the 2 would fix the problem

can you post a picture of what is happening from under neath I have heard of this before but do not understand how it even happens I had a 4/6 drop on my silverado and tires were no where even close to coming in contact with the sway bar, only thing I can think of is the wrong size wheels are on it. Changing the sway bar will not correct this issue it's something else. The rear is a different issue with drops.

 

[rdhogg]

Hi,

I have a few questions of upgrading my sway bars.

1. Are Hellwig Replacements worth the extra $125+ over hotchkis? I know they are solid vs hollow, but will that make that much of a difference?

2. I have not seen much as far as install videos on tahoe/suburban, but I have seen some on the gm trucks and it looks like the hotchkis ones are a lot easier to install than Hellwig. Is there truth to this, as I will be doing the install on my own.

3. The main reason I want to do this is because when I tow my boat it tends to sway a little too much for my comfort and I had read somewhere that this could help reduce that sway. Is there any truth to this?

Sorry for my ignorance and I appreciate the help!

All good questions and that is what this forum is all about. Believe me there are never any stupid questions because I have thought I had a few over the time but no one in this forum has made me feel that way. So with that , on with your questions.

!. Worth the money? I did not consider Hotchkis or any hollow bars because I felt the solid ones could handle the stress better. the stock bars are hollow BTW.

2. Install ?: The only hard part of the install for me was they were heavy ( I know and being 70 makes a lot of projects heavy, ha) , so if you are doing the upgrade solo you might have a floor jack handy to hold the bar up while you are attaching it to the frame. The instructions for the front bar say you might need spacers for tranny coolant lines, not so at least on the 2013 Tahoes. The front bar does require that you purchase end links and there are a lot of good choices. The rear bar comes with adjustable end links You can see my install pics on my link.

3. Reduce sway? : Hell yeah, as the name implies but like others have said it depends on the truck/SUV and what you are towing. I just wanted a better ride on the Hwy and only tow a race trailer every once in a while. either case I have only had my Hellwigs a short while and notice a much better ride when having to make quick lane changes or driving in high cross winds. Plus the Hellwigs rear bars are adjustable stiffness as will as adj end links. The install instructions suggest to start with the std setting but I went with the one notch greater stiffness setting.

Install pics

2013 Tahoe Front and Rear Hellwig sway bars

I wanted to follow up on my project to replace my front and rear sway bars. Many thanks to the members of the 'Forum' that offered suggestions on brand's and install hints. I selected the Hellwig brand sway bars because they seemed to be the most popular choice among the members, good quality...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

 

[CMoore711]

can you post a picture of what is happening from under neath I have heard of this before but do not understand how it even happens I had a 4/6 drop on my silverado and tires were no where even close to coming in contact with the sway bar, only thing I can think of is the wrong size wheels are on it. Changing the sway bar will not correct this issue it's something else. The rear is a different issue with drops.

My ‘15 Denali XL is lowered, and not by a lot; About 1-1/2” front and 2-5/8” in the rear. With OEM 22’s (22” x 9” +24) and 285/45/22 tires my front tires rub the front swaybar.

The Hotchkis and Hellwig sway bars are the same overall bent shape as stock, just stiffer.

I’ve got Hotchkis sways on mine. I haven’t looked underneath to see if they rub but I’m sure they do. If I take a look and see some rub marks I’ll take a pic.

 

[rdhogg]

My ‘15 Denali XL is lowered, and not by a lot; About 1-1/2” front and 2-5/8” in the rear. With OEM 22’s (22” x 9” +24) and 285/45/22 tires my front tires rub the front swaybar.

The Hotchkis and Hellwig sway bars are the same overall bent shape as stock, just stiffer.

I’ve got Hotchkis sways on mine. I haven’t looked underneath to see if they rub but I’m sure they do. If I take a look and see some rub marks I’ll take a pic.

Check out the picture with the arrow that showes the distance from the front bar to the coolant lines.

2013 Tahoe Front and Rear Hellwig sway bars

I wanted to follow up on my project to replace my front and rear sway bars. Many thanks to the members of the 'Forum' that offered suggestions on brand's and install hints. I selected the Hellwig brand sway bars because they seemed to be the most popular choice among the members, good quality...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

 

[CMoore711]

Check out the picture with the arrow that showes the distance from the front bar to the coolant lines.

2013 Tahoe Front and Rear Hellwig sway bars

I wanted to follow up on my project to replace my front and rear sway bars. Many thanks to the members of the 'Forum' that offered suggestions on brand's and install hints. I selected the Hellwig brand sway bars because they seemed to be the most popular choice among the members, good quality...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

The coolant lines aren’t the issue. My swaybar does not interfere with any coolant lines.

I’ll quote myself…

My ‘15 Denali XL is lowered, and not by a lot; About 1-1/2” front and 2-5/8” in the rear. With OEM 22’s (22” x 9” +24) and 285/45/22 tires my front tires rub the front swaybar.

The Hotchkis and Hellwig sway bars are the same overall bent shape as stock, just stiffer.

I’ve got Hotchkis sways on mine. I haven’t looked underneath to see if they rub but I’m sure they do. If I take a look and see some rub marks I’ll take a pic.

 

[Dearmosd]

I am not trying to hijack this thread but only to add some pics to the topic of sway bar rubbing.