Anti-Sway Bars and Disconnects:

What do anti-sway bars do? Anti-Sway bars (also known as Stabilizer Bars, and ofen inaccurately called just Sway Bars) are essentially large springs or "Torsion Bars" that connect one end of the axle to the other and helps both tires stay in contact with the road at the same time, if one end of the axle lifts up, the sway bar pushes against the other side and tries to force the tire back into contact with the road.

How do disconnects help? The sway bar somewhat rigidly links the axle ends together which provides stability on the road at high speeds, but can hinder your flex by trying to keep the ends of the axle even. Disconnects remove the sway bar from the equation so you don't have to fight it to get maximum flex, and allows each end of the axle to move a bit more independently. Disconnecting doesn't net you any "extra" flex room, it just makes it easier for the axle to articulate.

What about off-road sway bars? Off-road sway bars like Currie's Antirock system are designed to give you more flex, but still allow the sway bar to try to keep your tires on the ground and net you more traction. With a system like this, you get less flex than completely disconnecting, but you keep the benefits of a sway bar. Off-road sway bars also behave differently on the road, so you should expect higher body-roll around corners. Many people prefer this setup over disconnects, since it is always ready to go and you don't have to stop and manually disconnect the sway bar from the axle. The added force keeping the tires on the trail is another big benefit over disconnects.

What about Electronic Disconnects? Electronic Sway Bars are made up of two seperate pieces, tied together with an electrically controlled clutch or gearbox. When you flip a switch the clutch or gearbox disengages and essentially splits the Sway Bar in half, allowing each end of the axle to move independantly. This means you don't have to get out of the Jeep to disconnect, but you still lose the extra down pressure from the Sway Bar.