I have an opinion, not sure if it is any better. Everything below pertains to traveling on a slope sideways. I assume the 500 has a rear sway bar only.Maybe @PaulF would have a better or different opinion, he seems to understand suspensions pretty well. The way I take it from experience is you don't need the sway bars in slow speed trail riding / rock crawling, you get better articulation without them, high speed stuff, you would be out of your mind to remove the sway bars. Ok Paul take it away!
Sway bars are a double edge sward off of pavement. Here is some reasons...
- The sway bar will keep the machine more parallel to the ground and less "tippy" on smooth ground BUT...
- If your rear up-hill side tire goes over an obstacle, the sway bar causes the rear to angle more tipping the entire machine more than if there was no sway bar because the rear tires don't articulate separately.
- If your rear down hill side tire goes in a hole, the sway bar causes the rear to angle more tipping the entire machine more than if there was no sway bar because the rear tires don't articulate separately.
- Without a sway bar, the machine will tip a little bit more overall BUT, the rear articulates more and the machine stays more parallel to the ground when you hit obstacles.
High speed straight I actually prefer no sway bar for a much smoother ride but high speed with turns or winding fast trail riding the sway bar is a must.
So as you can see, it depends on the ground you are traveling on and the type of driving, and not so much the angle. This is why I chose to install a Quick Release Sway Bar Link Kit on my Talon. If the terrain/driving style changes, I can stop, connect or disconnect the sway bar in about 30 seconds and off I go. By far the best $200 spent on my machine so far...
Attached...
Detached and stowed away...