Stabilizers for 15 passenger vans

Insurance company sent advisory to get stablizers installed on 15 passenger van. Course they also sent a preferred company to do so. Are these needed? Helpful? Other options/companies for same stabilizer?

Even though the E250/350 (if it’s a Ford) van doesn’t fit the profile -
Visit an off-road or performance suspension shop for these. SUSTEC, HELLWIG, and ADDCO have sway bar applications listed for the vans.

Did the insurance company tell you an INSTALLER (a specific shop) or a BRAND NAME of stabilizer ? The above list is some brand names of products sold through many sources which could be installed by anyone.

An answer to you other question…are they needed ?

Absolutely.

A van this size has a high center of gravity to start with. When 15 people (avg 200 lbs ea) are sitting up on the seats, that’s 3000 lbs up at about 36" off the ground or more.
For proper vehicle control you MUST contain the sway and roll you get with this much wieght. Also a must is heavy duty shocks, And possibly a steering stabilizer ( damper ) on the tie rods.

The other factor in the safety of vans this size is the tendency of organizations to use non-van trained drivers ( car drivers ) ie; volunteers like parents, coaches, parishioners, den mothers, and the like, to take the group somewhere this time. These drivers don’t know the feel or methods of controlling sway, bounce, and roll. Lack of driver ability for vehicle type is documented in many bad and fatal wrecks with vans like this, hence the insurance demand for sway controls.