Sway Bar Relocation Kits with Fitting Position Front Axle, Rear Axle

A sway bar relocation kit moves the sway bar's chassis mounting points to suit a vehicle that has been lifted.

It is one of the cheapest parts in a lift build and one of the most commonly skipped, which is why plenty of lifted 4WDs are running a sway bar under permanent strain.

What a Sway Bar Relocation Kit Does

The kit is a pair of plates that bolt between the original mounting points and the sway bar brackets, repositioning the bar lower or forward depending on the design.

That reposition does two separate jobs at once. It restores the clearance between the bar and the strut assembly, and it brings the sway bar back to an operating angle close to what the factory intended.

Everything else on the vehicle carries over unchanged. The bar, the bushes and usually the links all carry over, and a well designed sway bar relocation kit is a bolt-in job with no cutting or drilling.

The result is a sway bar that works through its designed range on a vehicle sitting higher than it was built to.

Why Lifting Creates the Need for Sway Bar Relocation

Worth understanding properly, because the clearance problem is the visible symptom and the angle problem is the one that does damage.

The sway bar mounts to the chassis and connects to the suspension through links. Lift the body and the chassis mounts rise with it while the suspension stays where the wheels are, which stretches the distance between the two.

The bar ends up sitting at a steeper angle than designed, and the links pull it into a permanent twist even when the vehicle is parked. That preload means the bar is already partly wound up before any cornering load arrives.

Three separate problems follow on from that preload. The bar has less travel available before it binds, which limits suspension droop off road. The constant twist fatigues the bar and tears at the link joints. And the bar's response becomes uneven, since it is no longer starting from neutral.

The strut clearance issue sits alongside all that. On plenty of lifted 4WDs the front sway bar ends up close enough to the strut body to contact it under compression or at full lock, which leaves a rub mark and eventually wears into the strut.

When a Sway Bar Relocation Kit Becomes Necessary

Lifts of around 2 inch, or two inches and above, are where this generally becomes necessary, and that figure comes up consistently across applications.

Below that, the change in geometry is usually small enough that the standard arrangement copes. Above it, the preload becomes significant and the clearance starts closing up.

The threshold is not absolute though, and it varies by vehicle. Some front ends run tight clearances from the factory and need addressing at a smaller lift. Others have enough room to cope with more.

The practical test takes about a minute to do. With the vehicle at its new ride height, look at whether the sway bar links sit at a sensible angle rather than stretched out, and check the gap between the bar and the strut at full lock.

If a lift has gone on and nobody mentioned the sway bar, it is worth a look underneath.

Sway Bar Relocation Kit, Extended Links or Drop Kit

Three products solve related problems and people frequently buy the wrong one.

A sway bar relocation kit moves the bar's chassis mounting point. That is the right choice where the bar itself is sitting too close to the strut, since moving the bar is the only thing that creates clearance.

Extended or adjustable sway bar links lengthen the connection between the bar and the suspension. That addresses the preload and the link angle, and it does nothing at all for strut clearance because the bar stays where it is.

A drop kit lowers the mounting point rather than moving it forward, which suits applications where the issue is purely the vertical distance.

On a lifted vehicle with both problems, a relocation kit and longer links work together rather than being alternatives. Sorting one and ignoring the other leaves half the job done.

A sway bar extension or sway bar spacer achieves something similar to a sway bar relocation bracket on simpler applications, though a purpose made sway bar spacer kit is designed around the fastener loading in a way that a stack of washers is not.

What a Sway Bar Relocation Kit Includes

Most sway bar relocation kits are deliberately simple.

A pair of plates, one for each side, machined or laser cut with the original bolt pattern on one face and the relocated position on the other.

All mounting bolts required, usually longer than the originals since the plate adds to the stack.

Some kits use countersunk bolts and press in studs rather than standard heads, which keeps the overall thickness down for reasons covered below.

The original sway bar bushes carry over on most designs, so a bush is only an additional purchase if the existing ones have worn out.

Check the listing for whether the kit is sold as a pair or per side, since both approaches exist.

Relocation Plate Thickness and Radiator Support Clearance

This is the detail that separates kits and almost nobody explains it.

The relocation plate sits between the chassis and the bracket, adding its own thickness to the assembly. That thickness pushes the sway bar forward as well as repositioning it.

On some vehicles there is very little room between the sway bar and the radiator support. Add a thick plate with standard bolt heads protruding and the bar can contact the support, which trades one clearance problem for another.

Thinner plate designs address it, typically by countersinking the bolts into the plate face and pressing studs in rather than running bolt heads proud. The functional result is the same reposition with less material in the way.

If your vehicle is known for tight radiator support clearance, the plate profile matters as much as the relocation distance.

Sway Bar Relocation Bracket Bolt Spacing and Fitment

Bolt spacing at the mounting face is the measurement that decides fitment, and it varies between models that otherwise look identical.

Measure centre to centre between the two mounting holes on your existing sway bar bracket. Figures around 85mm are common on popular applications, though they differ by platform and sometimes by variant within one model.

Bar diameter matters where the kit includes new brackets rather than reusing the originals.

Relocation distance is the third figure, since kits are designed around a particular lift height. A kit matched to a 50mm lift is not the right answer on a 75mm one.

Confirm the kit against your actual lift rather than against the vehicle alone.

Why a Relocated Sway Bar Still Needs Checking Later

Worth adding to the service list rather than treating as a fit and forget item.

A relocation plate adds a joint to an assembly that previously bolted straight to the chassis. That joint has its own clamping load and its own bolts, and it settles over the first few hundred kilometres like any new fastener.

Retorque the mounting bolts after that initial period. A plate that has worked loose lets the sway bar move at the chassis, which produces a knock that sounds exactly like a worn bush or link.

Check the clearances again once the suspension has settled too. New springs sit slightly high and drop over their first few weeks, which moves the bar relative to the strut by a small amount.

Look at the link angle at the same time. If the links are still stretched after relocating, the vehicle needs longer links as well, and that is a separate purchase rather than a fault with the kit.

Add the plate bolts to whatever gets checked at service, particularly on a vehicle that spends time on corrugations.

Signs Your Vehicle Needs Sway Bar Relocation

• A rub mark or shiny patch on the strut body where the bar has contacted it
• Sway bar links sitting visibly stretched or at a steep angle at ride height
• The sway bar visibly twisted with the vehicle parked and unloaded
• Link joints wearing out repeatedly after a lift
• Reduced suspension droop or the vehicle lifting a wheel earlier than it should off road
• Contact noise from the front end at full lock
• A lift kit fitted with no sway bar components included in it

The repeated link failure is the one worth acting on. Links that keep wearing out on a lifted vehicle are usually telling you the geometry is wrong rather than that the links were poor quality.

Orientation and Torque When Fitting Relocation Plates

Support the vehicle and disconnect the sway bar links before unbolting the brackets, so the bar is not under load as it comes free.

Fit the plates with the correct orientation, since most are handed and fitting one reversed puts the bar in the wrong place.

Use the bolts supplied rather than the originals. The plate adds to the stack and an original bolt will not have enough thread engagement.

Torque with the vehicle at ride height on its wheels, so the bushes take their set in the position they will actually run.

Check the clearance to the strut and the radiator support at full lock both ways before putting it back on the road.

Fulcrum has been working on suspension since 1976, across 16 Service Centres and 200+ authorised workshops nationwide.

Find Sway Bar Relocation Kits for Your Vehicle

Select your vehicle to see the sway bar relocation kits available for it. Measure your bracket bolt spacing and confirm your lift height before ordering, since kits are designed around a particular reposition distance. Warranty and a fitment guarantee come with everything we sell, supported by workshops in every state.