Roadmaster Rear Sway Bar For Freightliner V-Ride
I installed a Roadmaster 1209-140 sway bar. I also have MCU’s and Koni shocks that I installed last year. So can I feel a difference? You betcha. Not as dramatic as when I installed the MCU’s, but more noticeable than the Koni shocks. If I had it to do over I would skip the the Koni shocks. The factory Sacs shocks are pretty darn good.
I would rate the ride as more refined with the addition of the sway bar. Not as much lean in turns and lower vibration from the rear when going down the road. The wind effects while driving are noticeably less. On the test drive, my son could feel the difference immediately from the passenger seat as we pulled onto the road.
I installed this myself and it was hard work. The thing is heavy to handle at 85 lbs. and the clearances are minimal. You have to jockey the plates around to get all the bolts in because the wall of the inner tire interferes (the bolts are long).
In the photograph, you’ll see that the bottom plate is not pushed up snug against the bottom of the frame. This is because the horizontal bar would contact some of the suspension components if I had done so. This is only an issue when all the air is out of the system and the coach is on the leveling jacks. Otherwise there is plenty of clearance. Just one of those concessions you deal with. Every coach is a bit different I suppose.
To summarize, MCU’s definitely. Sway bar definitely. Koni’s, not needed. Every coach and driver is different. I have a shorter/lighter coach, which is maybe why the Koni’s were not a noticeable upgrade.